the poles of your battery are marked with a + and a -. the + is the positive terminal of the battery, the - is the ground terminal post. The leads from the battery to the car, are also plus and minus, but not generally marked as such. There is only one lead from the minus side, and that is the ground lead, and it goes from the battery to the frame or body of your vehicle. It is the shortest lead. the other lug ususally has two leads, one heavy lead that goes to the starter, and another smaller lead that goes to the fuse box and is called a fusible link. If you connect these leads backwards, you will ruin the alternator at the very least, and possibly other components of you cars electrical system, more so on modern cars with all the extras and computers and what not. You post is a little confusing about who did what and why. But the basic asnswer is yes you can.