What was Robert E. Lee's strategy against the north?

Question

Why did it Appeal to Jefferson Davis?

Answer 1

Fight a drawn out, defensive war. Force the North to chase, move around, and fight on poor ground in battles. Never engage the enemy in long battles, stay on the move. http://staff.gpschools.org/hunwicr/Notes/CW%20Strategies.htm

However, the confederate numbers dwendled and Lee had to call on slaves to become part of the confederate army:

On January 31, 1865, Lee was promoted to general-in-chief of Confederate forces.

As the South ran out of manpower the issue of arming the slaves became paramount. By late 1864 the Army so dominated the Confederacy that civilian leaders were unable to block the military's proposal, strongly endorsed by Lee, to arm and train slaves in Confederate uniform for combat. Everyone understood that those slave soldiers and their families would be emancipated. Lee explained, "We should employ them without delay....[along with] gradual and general emancipation." The first units were in training as the war ended.[20] As the Confederate army was decimated by casualties, disease and desertion, the Union attack on Petersburg succeeded on April 2, 1865. Lee abandoned Richmond and retreated west. His forces were surrounded and he surrendered them to Grant on April 9, 1865, at Appomattox Court House, Virginia. Other Confederate armies followed suit and the war ended.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_E_Lee#Civil_War

Answer 2

Robert E Lee Strategy

Answer 3

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The options Lee had: 1. Assume a tactically defensive posture. The rifled musket was an incredible killing weapon, and enabled infantrymen to kill at much greater distances. This gave those defending a position a tremendous advantage. The great failing of the Gettysburg campaign is that Lee attacked. On day one, surprise enabled them to carry the day, but on days two and three, the Confederacy attacked will entrenched Union positions with good interior lines. As a result the attacks on Culps Hill and the Round Tops were repulsed and Picket's Charge was a bloody disaster... However, had Lee taken a defensive posture and curved his flanks back, Meade might have been forced to attack Lee eventually as Gettysburg was still northern territory. The only flaw is that Lee didn't fully know the ground around Gettysburg and could fall victim to a surprise flank attack should the Union get info from locals. It would also run the risk of degenerating into a siege with the Union army holding the Confederates in place until their supplies wore out, as would later happen at Petersburg. 2. Redeploy to Carlisle or Chambersburg, PA. The first day's fighting was encouraging for Lee, BUT Lee didn't know the ground around the town of Gettysburg, and as the sun set on day one, he only had part of his army. Longstreet's Viriginia Division (commanded by Pickett) was still on the march and would arrive until July 2. By moving to Carlisle (north of Gettysburg) or Chambersburg (west of Gettysburg) Lee would move to ground that his army knew better and would potentially allow his army to group into a single powerful force. And by withdrawing from Gettysburg, they would have a day at least to place the Army of Northern Virginia along good ground that the Union army would not be able to easily take. The flaw in this, is that by moving away from Washington DC, Meade may not find it critical to attack Lee's army, and might even be given an opportunity to cut Lee's army off from Virginia, and wait until Lee's men surrendered. 3. Redeploy around the Union southern flank. What helped win the Battle of Gettysburg was the topography of the land. Culps and Cemetary Hill sat on one end of the Union line, and the Round Tops sat on the other end. Assaulting either would take a tremendous amount of manpower, and might NOT be worth it, even if Lee had the men to do so. The first day was a shock to the Union Army, as they had been caught by surprise and pushed from Seminary to Cemetary Ridge. Continued fighting at Gettysburg would mean fighting uphill against superior numbers. However, withdrawing from Gettysburg and moving south and then east and getting between the Union Army and Washington DC, they might be able to get the Union Army might be encouraged to launch an attack on ground of Lee's chosing. The only "flaw" in this idea is that the Union army might finally figure out a tactic to take hills with their numbers. When the Gettysburg campaign began the North had over 80,000 while Lee had around 70,000. However, Meade was not a very imaginative commander and having been in the East for Lee's earlier triumphs, he didn't have the bulldog determination to attack the way Grant would later. So, expecting Meade to outsmart Lee tactically is unlikely. 4. Give clearer orders to Ewell at the end of the First Day's fighting. The First Day at Gettysburg opened up a host of opportunities. They had routed two Federal Corps and Beuford's Cavalry. In doing so, they pulled back toward Cemetary Hill and Culps Hill, southeast of Gettysburg. Lee ordered Ewell to "attack that hill, if practical." Ewell interpreted the "if practical" to mean he didn't have to attack right away and decided to rest his troops. As a result of this delay, the Union army brought up five more corps and anchored the Union Line along Cemetary Ridge and Cemetary Hill. Had Lee given clear orders to take Cemetary Hill and Culps Hill... "Take those hills NOW!" The Confederate line would have advanced to include Cemetary Hill, Culps Hill, and probably part of Cemetary Ridge before Federal reinforcements and darkness would put an end to the fighting. But, the only high ground that the Union army would be able to occupy would be the Round Tops, but for the most part, the two armies would be on equal footing, for the most part, and Ewell and AP Hill's Corps would be available for further operations on day two... However, the flaw in this is that Ewell would have certianly taken casualties assaulting Culps and Cemetary Hill and AP Hill would have also suffered casualties, all of whom Lee couldn't replace. And with the Union bringing five additional corps, Lee might not have the men to completely rout the Union army.