Episode 50: The Battle of Cheat Mountain

In the late summer of 1861, Robert E. Lee sort-of received his first field command in western Virginia. The only problems were that he had no authority to tell anyone what to do, and two of the men who did hated one another. The result was another humiliating Confederate failure in the breakaway region. And yet Gen. Lee managed to escape with no consequences for his later career. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit uscivilwar.substack.com