Operation Desert Storm, R. E. Lee or W. T. Sherman?

Abstract

Many are unaware of the phenomenal benefits that our military has most certainly drawn from General Lee. Curiously, this was brought out by the battle in the Persian Gulf, When reporters asked General Schwarzkopf which military leaders he most admired, Schwarzkopf, as expected, turned to the War Between the States for his examples. What was totally unexpected to some, however, was that he departed from the opinions of recent prominent American military leaders who typically cited General Lee, and instead cited General William T. Sherman as one of his heroes As this article will assert, the United States of America was fortunate that both General Schwarzkopf and the forces under his command emulated the tactics and humanity of the Confederate General instead of the Union leader he mentioned. Although General Schwarzkopf’s public admiration for General Sherman really raised little concern about the soundness of America’s military strategy or its willingness to abide by the law of war in the conduct of hostilities, his recognition of Sherman and exclusion of Lee does raise several critical issues. First, recognizing the importance of image projection, it provides an opportunity to examine the roots of America’s international reputation in terms of war-making and the role of law in regulating this conduct. Second, from both a tactical and law-of-war perspective, whom did our commanders and soldiers most emulate-Robert E. Lee or William T. Sherman