Succeed or Face the Axe

It was a tiresome and repetitive problem the president battled.  It seemed like he just could not find an appropriate commander for the Union Army…one that would, in his words, “fight”.  Lincoln desperately wanted a general who could match Robert E. Lee’s military strategy and aggressiveness.  George McClellan eventually became that general…Lincoln’s best hope for the North in those early years.  But it did not take long for a problem to arise…McClellan was indecisiveness and unable to commit his army to the fight, constantly believing the Confederates vastly outnumbered his own forces.  Finally, and after numerous prodding from Lincoln, the spring and early summer of 1862 saw McClellan and Lee fight up and down the Virginia countryside, with Lee generally being the aggressor, and claiming most of the victories.  Then in September Lee ventured north into Maryland, and the two armies collided at Sharpsburg, a small town 70 miles west of Baltimore.  The battle was especially brutal with nearly 23,000 casualties, making it the bloodiest day in United States history.  At day’s end, it was a draw, with neither side able to claim a clear cut victory.  However, the Union Army claimed a strategic win because Lee retreated from the battlefield.  But McClellan failed to pursue Lee, and it proved his downfall.  Lincoln made it known several times that he wanted McClellan to reengage the Confederates in battle, but the general refused to do so.  Lincoln had no choice…he sacked the general, and replaced him with General Ambrose Burnside.

This was not the first time Burnside’s name came up in discussion as the commander of the Army of the Potomac.  Twice before, Burnside had been offered the position, but refused it on the grounds of his inexperience.  This time was no different.  He again did not want the position, but heard that if he refused, the offer would go to Joseph Hooker, whom Burnside despised.  It was either take the offer, or risk having to serve under the man he did not like.  So, on November 9, 1862, Burnside reluctantly assumed command.

In just five days, Burnside, feeling pressured by the president who needed action, put together a plan to move the army south to capture the Confederate capital of Richmond.  The first stop was Fredericksburg.  On December 13, Burnside led the Army of the Potomac in a battle against Lee’s Confederates in what would become a devastating and humiliating defeat for the North.  Burnside, plagued by poor timing, committed his forces in piecemeal fashion against Lee who occupied the high ground.  Wave after wave of Union men walked uphill into a bloodbath.  Not knowing anything else to do, Burnside kept feeding the onslaught.  Relief came only as night fell, when his corps commanders finally talked him into ceasing operations.  It was another lopsided victory for Lee, with the Union suffering more than 12,000 casualties, against the Confederate’s 5,000.  Burnside made plans for another campaign against Lee, but when the weather refused to cooperate, Lincoln did the inevitable.  Burnside was removed and put back into his old corps commander position, but he never really recovered from the fiasco that was Fredericksburg.  In a twist of irony, Joseph Hooker, Burnside’s nemesis, was given the command.  Hooker, for his own part, would be fired after five months in the job.  It seemed as if the North was doomed to inept leadership.

[At this point, I’m guessing most reading this have never heard of Burnside.  But I bet I know what you thought when I first mentioned his name…sideburns.  The fact is, the term sideburns originated from Burnside’s facial hair.  Google a picture of him and you will understand.  Burnside had some serious sideburns.]  

Now, one can hardly fault Lincoln for giving Burnside the axe…or any of the other generals that simply could not perform under pressure.  To be appointed to that level of responsibility, you have to meet expectations.  To quote Peter Parker’s uncle, with “great power, comes great responsibility.”  Life is pretty much like this for all of us.  If we cannot meet our boss’s expectations, we face the prospect of getting replaced.  We might think it unfair, but our boss would say otherwise. 

I don’t know about you, but I sure am glad God doesn’t operate like that.  If God treated me like Lincoln treated his generals, I would have been kicked to the curb a long time ago.  I would deserve it, so it would certainly be appropriate.  However, God simply doesn’t work like that.  He calls us, equips us, empowers us, and leads us.   But then, like Burnside,  we make bad decisions.  Like Burnside, we don’t listen to the wise counsel of others.  Like Burnside, we keep repeating the same faulty thing over and over again, expecting different results.  And like Burnside, we deserve to be axed.  Instead, God corrects us…humbles us…nurtures us…and once again, tells us, He loves us.  May that be a reminder the next time you find yourself overwhelmed and facing disappointment.  Let the God of restoration pull you up from the miry muck of failure, and set your feet back on the firm foundation that He has established for your life.