Charles Lee at the Battle of Monmouth

[Anaxagoras]

Charles Lee's behavior at the Battle of Monmouth during the Revolutionary War has long been the subject of controversy. George Washington accused him of cowardly retreating when he should have attacked and relieved him of command. This was the end of a long-running dispute between the two men and has raised eyebrows of historians ever since, with some even suggesting that Lee was a British agent (a theme of the series Turn).

Was Lee's action the result of incompetence, treason, or was Washington just being unfair?

 

[Young Lochinvar]

Incompetence is the wrong choice of word. Lee made the active decision to retreat which may have been the sensible tactical choice as he was outnumbered but eventuated in quite a disorderly and thus unrecoverable move. Lee's fault was disobeying the commands of the ranking officer, Washington, which is a big military no-no hence his court martial.

I don't believe he was actively helping the British, except during his time as their captive before Monmouth where any help he provided would naturally be subject to duress.

 

[dmg86]

I remember reading that while a prisoner he drew a plan of campaign for the British that was found a long time later in a officers papers though like you said he might have been forced as he might have been considered a deserter due to not resigning his British Army Commission until after accepting a American Army command.

 

[Superninja76]

He made a bad decision. Had lafayette been in charge, could we have seen an american victory, even with the disparity in numbers?
Washington wasn't unfair in relieving him, either. The man insulted washington's character, and well, he got what he deserved. In fact, john should have shot him in the mouth. That would've shut him up.

Sorry.

I agree with young, in basically everything he said. Lee wasn't good tactically (or strategically for that matter.), and a bit of a dick, but he wasn't a traitor.

 

[Japhy]

He'd certainly committed treason while in Captivity, but it seems that it was mostly just incompetence at Monmouth.

That said he was in a difficult position on the issue as if he did try to purposely lose the battle he'd immediately be accused of treason. And had he won the British could just release his writings from his captivity which were treasonous.

 

[Some Bloke]

Incompetence is the wrong choice of word. Lee made the active decision to retreat which may have been the sensible tactical choice as he was outnumbered but eventuated in quite a disorderly and thus unrecoverable move.

So the incompetence lay not in the decision itself but in its execution.

 

[Young Lochinvar]

So the incompetence lay not in the decision itself but in its execution.

Maybe, but I tend to be more generous and say that a failure is not the same as incompetence. One hopes that someone who has risen to be a General has the competency to enact a successful retreat, even if on this occassion he failed to do so.