Question of the Week: What’s your favorite motivational quote from the Civil War?
160 years ago this week, Admiral David Farragut supposedly uttered the famous words “Damn the Torpedoes! Full Speed Ahead” In that spirit, what is your favorite quotation uttered by a Civil War commander to motivate their soldiers or sailors?
Gettysburg Address is up there for me. “The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here…“
Shortly after dawn, on what would soon become known as the Battlefield of Shiloh, a Union brigade commander was ordered to, “Lead your best regiment to the front!” Colonel Everett Peabody called loudly over his shoulder: “25th Missouri. Forward!”
Sherman says at end of first day at Shiloh, “Well Grant, we’ve had the Devil’s own day.” Grant replies, “Yes. Lick ‘em tomorrow though.”
“Men in pursuit of justice must never despair.” Thaddeus Stevens, May 8, 1866 in a speech about the struggle over the 14th Amendment.
“Let this be my share of the spoils today.” Albert Sydney Johnston, brandishing a simple campsite tin cup to shame his pillaging men at Shiloh to return to the advance. Simple but effective.
“Hold the Fort” or “Hold the Fort, we are coming” a message from Sherman to Gen. John Corse at Allatoona Pass, Georgia on October 5, 1864. Sherman denied using it but it became a popular hymn after the war. Today is a widely used idiom although few know the origination.
“Remember Fort Pillow!” was motivational for thousands of USCTs.
Grant, in speaking to Army of the Potomac officers in the Wilderness, said (and I’m paraphrasing) “Don’t worry about what Lee is going to do, worry about what you are going to do.”
I can’t guarantee I have it verbatim here but, at Fort Donelson, Gen Charles F. Smith in leading an attack, told his men, “Alright you damn volunteers, you signed up to die for your country. Here’s your chance!” LOL!
Double LOL.
“Never take counsel of your fears.” – Stonewall Jackson
Just after General Lee’s comment “It is well that war is so terrible, or we should grow too fond of it.” he also said, “The education of a man is never completed until he dies.” Both so very true.
“Let the thing be pressed”. Abe Lincoln
George Thomas to William Rosecrans at Stones River on whether to retreat or continue to fight, “There is no better place to die than here.”
Confederate Gen. Barnard E. Bee to encourage his man at First Bull Run, “There is Jackson standing like a stone wall.” A legend was born – Stonewall Jackson!
“I will hold the town ’til we starve.” –George Thomas on Nashville
In response to Grant’s suggestion of surrender on the evening of April 6th, 1865, Longstreet to Lee “Not Yet”.
“They couldn’t hit an elephant at this distance.” -John Sedgwick, shortly before being fatally shot under the eye at Spotsylvania.
“There are times when a Corps Commander’s life does not count.” -Winfield Scott Hancock, rebuffing a subordinate concerned for his safety as he rode to encourage his men during the bombardment preceding the Pickett-Pettigrew-Trimble assault at Gettysburg.
“We can get to the truth but only by sifting.” Joseph Kershaw
Seeing as I’m in my chapter about the Battle of Gaines’ Mill, my quote comes from Robert Lee. In a message to Jefferson Davis updating him on the crushing Confederate victory of June 27, 1862, Lee’s concluding statement was a classic example of poetic subtlety, contained within it pride, resolve, and determination to not celebrate but to renew the assault on the Army of the Potomac the next day: “We sleep on the field.”
That is a wonderful quote, albeit from a man who betrayed his oath to his country.
Your assertion that Lee betrayed his oath to his country is factually incorrect.
Per form, Lee resigned his commission in the U. S. Army and emigrated to a new country, the Confederate States of America, whose army he joined, and in which he fought nobly and honorably. Following the war, he obeyed the conditions of the surrender at Appomattox and post-war laws, however unconstitutional they were. In addition, he never attempted to overthrow the Government of the United States of America, or alter it. Rather, he defended his new country from attack by the U.S.A.
Could you thus present evidence of him betraying his oath to the U.S.A.? As none has ever been found, we’d all like to see what you have.