Jefferson Smith

Check out my piece from December for the @OldGloryClub on the Founding Fathers and mass democracy. Link below:

@RodDMartin Fake quote from Lee. Sick of this

Everyone loves asking: “If Grant was such a great general, how come he lost nearly every battle to Lee and suffered way more casualties?” Robert E. Lee himself had a very different answer. “I have carefully searched the military records of both ancient and modern history, and have never found Grant’s superior as a general. I doubt his superior can be found in all history.” — Robert E. Lee The entire question is built on two flat-out falsehoods. First: Grant didn’t “lose nearly every battle.” There was essentially ONE continuous campaign — from the Wilderness in May 1864 straight through to Appomattox in April 1865. Grant seized the initiative in the very first clash and never gave it back. Lee spent the rest of the war reacting to Grant’s moves. When Lee attacked in the Wilderness hoping the old forests and bogs would save him (like they always had), Grant didn’t retreat north like every previous Union commander. He simply disengaged, slid south, and flanked Lee again. Lee never dictated the terms of battle after that day. James Longstreet had tried to warn the Army of Northern Virginia: “We’ve never faced anyone like this man.” They didn’t listen. They learned fast. Second: The casualty comparison ignores that Lee was almost always the defender. Context matters. But the deeper truth is bigger than any single clash. Lee still fought war the old way — disconnected battles, win-loss record like a sports season. Grant fought the next war: coordinated campaigns across multiple theaters, using railroads, telegraph, navy, and engineers to keep relentless pressure until the enemy simply could not continue. Grant didn’t win by accident. He made contact and maintained it until victory was inevitable. Lee fought the last war. Grant wrote the blueprint for the next one. That’s why he was great. That's why he won. Change your mind yet? Drop your hottest take on Grant vs. Lee below. 🔥

@fmch6444 @trueliberal1848 “Hey everyone, the sky is blue.”

@trueliberal1848 @SargeJohnForge It’s also very important to remember Grant was on the offensive and Lee was defending on home turf. Also, the battles were turning into proto WW1 trench style warfare. Grant lost 7,600 KIA the rest were wounded & missing.

NFL Americans making the genius contention in my replies that ability is moot based on result. Strangely these people never make the same arguments about Pyyrhus, Hannibal, Pompey, or Napoleon. (The reason is they hate White Southerners)

@Genocide_Desire @TristinHopper njstatelib.org/wp-content/upl… Here you go big guy. Can’t wait to see how you move the goalposts on this

@SargeJohnForge @TristinHopper cant tell me = im gonna assume it didnt happen

TIL: The Revolutionary War got *really* ugly after the colonists sided with France. The Brits offered them literally everything they'd been asking for *except* immediate independence. And they replied with "we're working with your autocratic Catholic worst enemy."

"I will not associate the the Arabs in friendship, nor will I submit to their authority ... Now, therefore, trusting in the mercy of Jesus Christ, I despise this multitude and am not afraid of it." Pelagius of Asturias in Covadonga by Luis de Madrazo y Kuntz, 1855

@Genocide_Desire @TristinHopper You can read all about it my friend

@SargeJohnForge @TristinHopper i've never heard such accusations

@Genocide_Desire @TristinHopper Let’s think about this

@SargeJohnForge @TristinHopper the last couple years doing what..?

@sethjlevy That’s what he said the first time

Trump keeps saying Iran is desperate to make a deal but he is going to take his time and get it right. There’s more here than meets the eye. Demand destruction…

@Jeff_Davis1808 @dixie_cavalier Which is why the South was insane to secede

The Republicans' first national platform in 1856 was crystal clear about slavery, where it already existed. While they opposed so- called extension into the territories, they explicitly affirmed the rights of the states: “That the maintenance of the principles promulgated in the Declaration of Independence, and embodied in the Federal Constitution are essential to the preservation of our Republican institutions, and that the Federal Constitution, the rights of the States, and the union of the States, must and shall be preserved.” This was not abolitionism. It was a pledge to leave slavery untouched inside the slave states—exactly what Southerners had demanded for decades. In 1860 the Republicans went further to eliminate any confusion. Their platform declared: “That the maintenance inviolate of the rights of the states, and especially the right of each state to order and control its own domestic institutions according to its own judgment exclusively, is essential to that balance of powers on which the perfection and endurance of our political fabric depends; and we denounce the lawless invasion by armed force of the soil of any state or territory, no matter under what pretext, as among the gravest of crimes.” Again, no call to abolish slavery in the South. No demand for emancipation. The Republican position remained clear: states had the exclusive right to control their own domestic institutions, which meant slavery was protected where it already existed. Abraham Lincoln campaigned and won on this exact platform. Even after seven Southern states had seceded and war was looming, Republicans in Congress reaffirmed the same position with zero opposition. On February 11, 1861, Rep. John Sherman (R-OH) introduced the resolution: “Resolved, That neither the Congress of the US, nor the people or governments of the non-slaveholding States have the constitutional right to legislate upon or interfere with slavery in any of the slaveholding States in the Union.” It passed 162-0. No Republican dared vote to touch slavery inside the Southern states. This was the party’s official stance on the eve of Fort Sumter. Lincoln did not creat this concept to "preserve the Union" when he took office. He was merely stating the existing Republican position. , -Staff of Jefferson Davis (Note: the Republican Party's Platform was unconstitutional. Any citizen had a right to take his property into the territory and this was confirmed by the Supreme Court)

@Ahhhhh576697 @trueliberal1848 If you had actually studied Overland you’d know that’s not true

@SargeJohnForge @trueliberal1848 It was really more a result of Grant being incredible aggressive to inflict casualties the south couldn’t afford while his force could absorb the loss of manpower instead of any incredible skill by Lee.

@trueliberal1848 @BobStanley66078 @JosephRardin Thank you

@SargeJohnForge @BobStanley66078 @JosephRardin With some friends online. I keep anonymous for opsec reasons. Read about Reisswitz.

@trueliberal1848 @BobStanley66078 @JosephRardin Exactly right. Lee’s opponents were “bad” against him in part because he kept whooping ass and they got rattled. Charles Roland’s essay on Lee’s generalship is timeless and gets rid of all the Redditor bullshit once and for all. Where do you do your war gaming, by the way?

@SargeJohnForge @BobStanley66078 @JosephRardin "Lee sucked because he only won against bad generals" then constantly praise Grant/Thomas for constantly beating up guys like Johnston, Hood, Pemberton (who were not without fault but often are portrayed in excessively negative light--in same manner as McClellan, Pope, Hooker)

@gwyrain @trueliberal1848 This made me lol

@trueliberal1848 Yes, the "unc's still got it" campaign, despite the inevitable outcome

The Overland campaign is proof that Lee was probably the best overall general of the entire Civil War

@trueliberal1848 @BobStanley66078 @JosephRardin It’s astounding how Lee being constantly outnumbered 2 to 1 never seems to register in these people’s minds. The South’s manpower issue kneecapped Lee more than any general he faced off against ever did.

@BobStanley66078 @SargeJohnForge @JosephRardin Grant was a capable tactician who committed more of his men to fruitless frontal assaults than did Lee. Both were equally gifted at operations & strategy. Realistic wargaming with FOW is very illuminating--you should try it. I've never seen Lee win any of his historical campaigns

@AF_Insight The White Race

Which race are you most excited for tomorrow?

@JosephRardin @trueliberal1848 @gwyrain To be sure, but he didn’t have much choice in the matter

@SargeJohnForge @trueliberal1848 @gwyrain At the same time Lee was losing troops, he couldn't afford to lose.

@PerfInjust @Cpt_Tragedy @LizzieMarbach Looking good, what are those?

@Cpt_Tragedy @SargeJohnForge @LizzieMarbach I don’t really have any hobbies. But this is emblematic of what I do.

I know this is unpopular, but it will always be unattractive for a grown man to play video games. Some women might be understanding or pretend like they don’t care that you spend hours playing, but they do. It is extremely unattractive to women and will never not be. 🤷🏼‍♀️

@memeticsisyphus Keep us posted friend!

@SargeJohnForge It’s coming, I have like two dozen more to get through to bring me up to date for the year.

I will be keeping a list of books read this year, along with a short review about them, and a rating. The rating is a 1-5 scale: 5: This is one of my new favorite books 4: I would include this book on a list for anyone who asks for a book recommendation 3: I would recommend this book, but it would come with heavy caveats 2: I wouldn’t recommend reading, but I didn’t regret having spent time with it 1: I regretted reading this

@PerfInjust @LizzieMarbach Like what bro

@LizzieMarbach There are better things to do with one's time, unless they are playing video games with the kids.