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The top ten
this list will be updated monthly with a new top ten list. Hopefully each month will cover a new topic.
BEST COMMANDING GENERALS
There were somewhere near 1000 generals combined between the Federal and Confederate armies. How you rank them depends on what criteria you look at. Soldier morale -- Joseph E. Johnston (CSA), ferocity -- Nathan B. Forrest (CSA), supply -- George B. McClellan, this list could go on endlessly. This month we will look at 10 generals based on their respective success in managing the primary variables of military operations, including tactics, logistics, communications, and overall strategy.
1. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson - (CS, Virginia, 1824-1863) -Never wasteful of his soldiers, he pushed then farther and faster than any other commander. Able to adapt to any situation and come out ahead. Jackson played a major role in almost every Confederate victory in the Eastern Theater. As a harsh disciplinarian, he was not a favorite among his men, however, they were the first to boast about serving under him when the victories were counted. Early in the war, Thomas J. Jackson thought one of his officers would do well in leading mounted troops, so he reassigned Jeb Stuart from the infantry to the cavalry.
2. William Tecumseh Sherman (US, Ohio, 1820-1891) - A slave owner, resident of the south, this union commander had arguably the most "southern sympathy" as any federal officer. A highly intelligent, stubborn man transferred from post to post and thought to be insane, Sherman's performance as a division commander earned him the respect of U. S. Grant after Shiloh. Best known for his 1864 "March to the Sea" some say crushed the remaining spirits of the south. There can be little argument as to his ability to maneuver troops, as is evident by his numerous successes on the battlefield gained solely on this ability. Before the war, Sherman was superintendent of a school that later became Louisiana State University.
3. Robert E. Lee (CS, Virginia, 1807-1870) - Referred to as the patron saint of the "lost cause", Lee is often criticized for loosing a third of his men and half of his engagements. Well known for his unsurpassed ability to anticipate his opponent's actions and willingness to depart from traditional tactics. Loyal above all to him home state of Virginia throughout the war, most find it ironic that the Federal Government chose the General's front yard to burry their dead. Today we know this sacred ground as Arlington National Cemetery. Lee's record for major engagements 11 wins, 12 losses.
4. Ulysses S. Grant (US, Ohio, 1822-1885) - An unassuming man from Illinois, proved to be the only federal commander willing to use the Union's strongest weapon, attrition. Not known to learn from his mistakes, Grant repeated the same tactics time and time again. Usually having to fall back on siege tactics to accomplish his victories. Grant was able as general in chief of the union army to use his massive army on several fronts causing the Confederacy to split its defenses. Arguably this led to the eventual surrender of Lee at Appomattox. When Grant lost, he usually lost to Robert E. Lee, to whom he could credit nine of his eleven major combat defeats.
5. James Longstreet (CS, South Carolina, 1821-1904) - A twenty-four year military veteran by the end of the war, Longstreet was called upon time and time again as a reliable yet opportunistic commander. Not tremendously successful in independent command, a corps under his command proved to be equal to that of Jackson. Longstreet's granite reputation crumbled quickly at the end of the war. Due in most to his joining of the Republican Party and talks of conciliation with the victors. His success was effectively removed from Confederate lore due to this "fall from grace" following Lee's death. In 1848 Longstreet (fourth cousin to the bride) was best man at the wedding of Julia Dent and Ulysses S. Grant.
6. James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart (CS, Virginia, 1833-1864) - Hailed as a cavalry genius, the former infantry officer accomplished some of his most valuable work as a director of artillery and footmen. Know as an immature, cocky, reckless youth, Stuart proved vital in reconnaissance with multiple raids behind enemy lines. While his fellow generals were making their name with tactics on the field, Stuart earned their respect behind enemy lines destroying enemy supply lines and capturing thousands of men before he was mortally shot in the abdomen outside Richmond. Reflective of his youthful chides, Jeb Stuart nicknamed fellow officer William Hullihen "Honeybun."
7. George H. Thomas (US, Virginia, 1816-1870) - Unshakeable, loyal, calculating, the pinnacle of professionalism, Thomas was arguably the best defensive general on either side. Being Virginia born and hesitant to attack, he was a target of suspicion from many of his fellow federal commanders. He ability to stand in the face of danger in hold his ground earned him the nickname "Rock of Chickamauga." In the final months of his command, Thomas proved his was capable of the offensive attack. After ignoring telegraphed commands from Grant after Franklin TN, a mid-December morning showed Thomas sending fifty-five thousand men towards Hood's army. His dual flank attack forced Hood into retreating out of Tennessee. In 1831 Nat Turner's Rebellion ravaged Southampton County, Virginia. The largest slave revolt in U.S. history killed more than sixty whites in two days. Some of the residents managed to escape in time, including fifteen year old George H. Thomas.
8. Phillip H. Sheridan (US, New York, 1831-1888) - A nervous, judgmental, sometimes vicious quartermaster and commissary officer, Sheridan didn't earn field command until 1862. Until that time he was known as a "soldiers soldier." Making sure that enlisted men had the best weapons and rations available. Sheridan was the last union commander to attempt an overtaking of the Shenandoah Valley, he would go on to take possession after slash and burn attacks across the area. Including several raids on pacifist Quakers and Dunkers. When questioned about these attacks, Sheridan would answer "anything left behind could potentially benefit the enemy." Among the Union officers who personally witnessed Sheridan's Ride were future presidents Maj. William McKinley and Col. Rutherford B. Hayes.
9. Patrick Cleburne (CS, Ireland, 1828-1864) - Brave, beloved by his soldiers, one of two men of foreign birth to rise to major general in the South. After learning from his mistakes as a brigade at Shiloh that cost him all but fifty eight of his original twenty seven hundred men, Cleburne went on to become one of the western theaters favorite generals. In hopes of securing British and French diplomatic recognition and to strengthen the depleted army, he was the first Confederate general to suggest liberating and arming slaves. Known to wonder into "no mans land" to retrieve weapons during battle, Cleburne did not live to see the end of the war. He was one of six Confederate generals to die at Franklin TN. At the battle of Richmond, Kentucky, a minie ball hit Cleburne in the side of the face, smashed two teeth, and exited past his lips. In a rare show of humor, he later joshed that he caught the Union bullet in his mouth and spat it right back out.
10. Nathan Bedford Forrest (CS, Tennessee, 1821-1877) - With no military experience and six months formal education, this plantation owner rose to be called "the most remarkable man our Civil War produced on either side" by his rival general W. T. Sherman. As a private in the seventh Tennessee, Forrest became impatient with lesser men. To rectify the situation he raised and equipped a mounted battalion with his own money. Embarrassed by his near illiteracy, Forest was known to communicate to his men their commands in the most basic of ways letting them know quickly what exactly needed to be done. A leader of many raids in the western theater, Forest was known for his ability to "get there the firstest with the mostest" and when this tactic didn't work, he was able to apply feinting tactics hoping to show more men to his enemy then were actually in his command. Ingenious in limited operations Forrest's tangible contributions to the Confederate effort were relatively small. A common observation about this otherwise brilliant tactician was that he played a large part in small battles and a small part in large battles. In April and May 1863 Forrest pursued a long-range Union raid into Alabama led by Col. Abel D. Streight. On May 3 he cornered his prey, roughly fifteen hundred Federals, with only six hundred men. TO mast his inferior numbers from Streight, Forrest shifted a single gun in and out of sight several times while negotiating surrender terms for the Federals. After capitulating and discovering the ruse, Streight protested. Forrest replied. "Ah, Colonel, all's fair in love and war."
The author of this section would appreciate any feedback you can offer. To contact him, email sgtslaten@kingsbattery.com