No. No--I hate-hate Lee. He was decidedly pro-slavery. He was a traitor and a war criminal who had Union POWs shot because of the color of their skin.
this. lee got the rommel treatment in more ways than one. certainly his legacy has benefited from the wrong side of history angle, but also his aura as tactical genius has a lot more air than substance.
certainly he was a very capable combat officer as long as his role was defensive and he was on familiar ground with a supportive civilian population. lee was an engineer, and prior to the war he designed and oversaw construction of forts for the u.s. army. he understood defense. when pursued in familiar and helpful virginia he could quickly set a defensive posture on high ground that could bloody the nose of an aggressor. but you plop him in pennsylvania where he had to play the aggressor role, and he was a miserable flop. really it was stupid to expect otherwise. most folks here will understand without explanation if i say you suddenly take the best defensive coordinator in college football and give him the keys to the offense and expect equal results immediately you are a fool. that's what happened in pennsylvania. that shouldn't have been the problem it was, except lee began to believe his press clippings. he thought he should be unstoppable in an offensive role in unfamiliar territory. he was so determined to prove his genius label that he took astonishingly stupid chances and caused the death and ruination of many of his best men in the increasing desire to push through. it is said that general pickett -- famous for pickett's charge -- almost wouldn't speak to lee after the war. lee's reckless ruin of pickett's good men exposed his foolhardiness to all the men in his command. longstreet in particular was astounded and lee never regained his full confidence and support.
now add that to goll's observation and you just have to shake your head.
if you want to look for a rommel of the south, longstreet is a good place to start. if you want a rommelpot player instead, here 'tis: