This review is based solely on the Battle of Fredericksburg episode, but they struck out emphatically! There is no mention whatsoever of the southern portion of the battle, which is where the entire battle was decided.
The vast majority of the Union forces crossed the Rappahannock river at the southernmost crossing of three. If you viewed this episode, you were lead to believe that there was only one crossing. The Union lost the battle because of ambiguous orders from Gen. Burnside.
Gen. Franklin, who lead the Union left flank, kept 3/4 of his troops in reserve. Had he ordered most of his men to attack the right flank of the Confederate positions it almost certainly would have been a Union victory, and the entire Civil War would have ended much sooner. This was Lee's greatest victory, but only because of Union mistakes.
It was sad to watch this episode with even moderate expectations, and be so completely disappointed! The episode had Civil War historians narrating, but must have been heavily edited. It is difficult to imagine that several experts could completely distort the circumstances of the battle.
The vast majority of the Union forces crossed the Rappahannock river at the southernmost crossing of three. If you viewed this episode, you were lead to believe that there was only one crossing. The Union lost the battle because of ambiguous orders from Gen. Burnside.
Gen. Franklin, who lead the Union left flank, kept 3/4 of his troops in reserve. Had he ordered most of his men to attack the right flank of the Confederate positions it almost certainly would have been a Union victory, and the entire Civil War would have ended much sooner. This was Lee's greatest victory, but only because of Union mistakes.
It was sad to watch this episode with even moderate expectations, and be so completely disappointed! The episode had Civil War historians narrating, but must have been heavily edited. It is difficult to imagine that several experts could completely distort the circumstances of the battle.