18 July: McClellan vs. Lee C.W. expert gives a fresh perspective

From Gettysburg Times:  McClellan vs. Lee C.W. expert gives a fresh perspective 


Come experience one of the most storied rivalries between titans of the American Civil War. On July 18, the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center (USAHEC) in Carlisle will feature a fresh look at the violent relationship between General George McClellan and General Robert E. Lee. Dr. Ethan Rafuse, an elite U.S. Army historian specializing in Civil War scholarship, will present a lecture entitled, "'We Always Understood Each Other so Well:' McClellan, Lee, and the War in the East."

The Civil War in Northern Virginia in 1862 was the stage for a grand confrontation between the two very different generals' distinctly different armies. At the beginning, Robert E. Lee languished in relative obscurity, while George McClellan commanded the Union war effort like a colossus. By June, McClellan had led his Army of the Potomac to the proverbial gates of Richmond and ultimate victory for the Union seemed within sight. Lee, new commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, turned the tables and struck back, confounding McClellan and his staff. By the middle of September, Lee carried the war to the outskirts of Washington and then across the Potomac River into Maryland before McClellan managed to turn back the Confederate tide on the bloodiest day of the war, the Battle of Antietam.