across the rapidan, lee waited. his unabashed aggressiveness and willingness to take risks in battle maximized the striking power of his smaller, ill-equipped army. yet after two years of campaigning, we tend to overlook a vital factor about lee. his health was terrible. southern manpower was dwindling to critical levels. there was nothing he could do about it. he had problems of his own that included spasmodic diarrhea, rheumatism, mental fatigue. a year earlier he had suffered unquestionably a major heart attack for which he received no medical aid. the field of cardiology lay in the future. yet to his men, he was as pure a patriot as george washington. as april became may a young soldier in the 31st virginia made a prophecy in a letter home. "i hope," he wrote his parents, "we will be able to give them a good thrashing. for on this fight depends greatly our future safety." on wednesday, may 4th, the big federal push southward began. the lead elements of some 100,000 soldiers crossed the rapidan on pontoon bridges

across the rapidan, lee waited. us unabashed aggressiveness and willingness to take risks to maximize the striking power of his small and ill equipped army. yet after two years of campaigning, we tend to overlook a vital factor about lee. his health was terminal. manpower was dwindling to critical levels, there was nothing he could do about it. he had problems of his own that included spaz modic diarrhea, rheumatism, mental fatigue, a year earlier he had suffered unquestionably a major heart attack for which he received no medical aid. the field of cardiology lay in the future. yet to his men, he was as pure a patriot as george washington. as april became may a young soldier in virginia made a prophesy in a letter home. i hope we will be able to give them a good thrashing for on this fight depends greatly our future safety. on wednesday, may 4th, the big federal push southward began. the lead elements of some 100,000 soldiers crossed the rapidan on two bridges and plunged immediately into a wooded darkness known as