Top 10 American Civil War Generals
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Robert E. Lee (Confederacy)
Robert E. Lee served as the commanding general of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia from 1862 until 1865. A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, he previously distinguished himself during the Mexican-American War. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House, effectively ending the Civil War.
I remember when he surrendered to Grant. Don't get me wrong, Grant is a fantastic general, but he is nothing compared to Lee. When forced to surrender, Lee, being the gentleman he is, dressed in his finest uniform and brought a golden sword as a peace offering. General Grant showed up with mud all over his uniform and lit a cigar.
It's not just his good manners that make Lee superior to Grant. The Union had far more supplies, ammunition, weapons, and soldiers than the Confederacy, and the Confederacy came very close to winning. They couldn't have done it without a fantastic leader.
He was possibly the best military tactician in history. He was a patriot, statesman, warrior, and educator! He was an honest, God-fearing man much maligned by dishonest Yankees of today. This was not so by his contemporaries on both sides! We still love you, Bobby Lee!
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Ulysses S. Grant (Union)
Ulysses S. Grant rose to command all Union armies in 1864 following major victories in the Western Theater. He coordinated sustained campaigns that led to the surrender of Confederate forces in 1865. After the war, Grant became the 18th President of the United States.
Grant had to operate offensively, deep in Confederate territory, with hostile residents. He operated far from supply lines and occasionally separated from communication lines. Lee fought at home the entire war, with the exception of Gettysburg.
Grant was not the tactician that Lee was, but he was a better strategist. Grant had to conquer a "nation" of traitors, while Lee had to hope the US would tire of a long war. Grant realized after Vicksburg that a long war with the complete defeat of the South was the only resolution to secession.
Well, Dakota, he lost thousands of men just to win one battle. He never gave his army a break, and he smoked. Lee never did that and still had success.
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Stonewall Jackson (Confederacy)
Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson earned his nickname at the First Battle of Bull Run in 1861. He became one of the Confederacy's most effective corps commanders under Robert E. Lee. Jackson was mortally wounded by friendly fire at Chancellorsville in 1863.
Had he lived longer, he may have prolonged the war, but he would not have enabled the Confederacy to win the war. Think about it from a strategic, resource perspective. My opinion may not be popular, but it is more realistic. Every general had bad days and battles, Lee included.
I was named after Lee, but Jackson was the better commander. Having only ever lost one fight, he did extraordinary things with very few resources. In my opinion, he was one of the greatest military minds in history.
I'm not sure the South would have won the war if he had lived, but I believe the war would have ended in a stalemate.
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William T. Sherman (Union)
William Tecumseh Sherman commanded Union forces in the Western Theater and is best known for his March to the Sea. His campaigns emphasized the destruction of Confederate infrastructure and supply networks. After the war, he served as Commanding General of the United States Army.
The first real modern general. He understood the basics of total warfare before anyone else.
Hard-charging, relentless supporter of Grant's vision for victory.
A tank was named after him. Has anyone heard of a Stonewall tank?
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Nathan B. Forrest (Confederacy)
Nathan Bedford Forrest began the war as a cavalry commander and rose to the rank of lieutenant general. He was known for rapid movements and aggressive raids behind Union lines. After the war, he was associated with the early leadership of the Ku Klux Klan.
When Lee was asked who his finest soldier was, he commented, "A general I've never met: Nathan Bedford Forrest." Sherman echoed the same sentiment. Forrest had the greatest military mind on either side of the war. Despite his 3rd grade education and not being a West Point graduate, he excelled.
General Forrest displayed a tactical brilliance vastly superior to his education level, and in four years, he rose from private to general. He was an incredibly brave, strong, and fearless man.
Not that surrendering coward Robert E. Lee or that Sherman who stayed 200 miles south of Forrest out of fear. Nathan Bedford Forrest is all-time 7-1 in battles as a general of men.
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Winfield Scott (Union)
Winfield Scott was a senior U.S. Army general and a veteran of the War of 1812 and the Mexican-American War. At the start of the Civil War, he proposed the Anaconda Plan to blockade the Confederacy and divide it along the Mississippi River. He retired in 1861 due to age and declining health.
He came up with the plan that destroyed the South.
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James Longstreet (Confederacy)
James Longstreet served as a senior lieutenant general under Robert E. Lee. He played significant roles in battles such as Second Bull Run, Antietam, and Gettysburg. After the war, he worked for the federal government and supported Reconstruction policies.
Longstreet was a superb tactician, especially on the defensive. Working in a Republican administration after the war had a negative impact on his image in the South. This, in turn, may have negatively affected his rating as a Confederate general.
Lee called him "My Old Warhorse." Lee also stated on numerous occasions that Old Pete was his best lieutenant. Old Pete was a great battlefield strategist. Unfortunately, the blatantly incompetent Ewell worked hard to tarnish Longstreet's name after the war.
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George Thomas (Union)
George Henry Thomas commanded Union forces at major battles including Chickamauga and Nashville. He earned the nickname "Rock of Chickamauga" for holding his defensive position under intense Confederate attacks. After the war, he continued military service during Reconstruction.
Widely considered to be the best defensive general of the war, Sherman and Grant also held this opinion. He never lost a battle in which he had command, and he never lost his portion of a battle, no matter who was in command. He was also a force to be reckoned with when on the offensive.
Only twice in the entire war was a major Confederate army driven away from a prepared position in complete rout: at Chattanooga and at Nashville. Both times, the blow came from men under his command. He was also the only general of the Civil War to completely annihilate an opposing army at the Battle of Nashville.
If he cared about self-promotion (which he didn't. He even turned down a promotion to the rank of lieutenant general), he could have been as well-known as Sherman or Jackson.
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Patrick Cleburne (Confederacy)
Patrick Cleburne was an Irish-born Confederate general who served in the Western Theater. He fought in major battles such as Shiloh, Chickamauga, and Franklin, earning a reputation as one of the Confederacy's most capable field commanders. Cleburne was killed in action at the Battle of Franklin in 1864.
He was smart and cared for the men he commanded. His troops respected him. He was a great strategist. Even though he may not have liked some of the generals above him, he still showed them respect and believed in the cause. Cleburne deserves much more respect and attention.
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J.E.B. Stuart (Confederacy)
James Ewell Brown "J.E.B." Stuart was the chief cavalry officer of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. He became well known for bold reconnaissance missions and long-distance raids around Union armies. Stuart was mortally wounded at the Battle of Yellow Tavern in 1864.
They named a tank after him also.
He saved countless lives.
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William J. Hardee (Confederacy)
William Joseph Hardee served as a Confederate corps commander in the Western Theater and was known for his strict discipline. Before the war, he authored Hardee's Rifle and Light Infantry Tactics, a manual used extensively by both Union and Confederate armies. He surrendered with Confederate forces under Joseph E. Johnston in North Carolina in 1865.
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Stand Watie (Confederacy)
Stand Watie, a Cherokee leader, commanded Native American troops fighting for the Confederacy. He conducted raids and fought engagements primarily in Indian Territory and nearby regions. Watie became the last Confederate general to surrender, doing so in June 1865.
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Winfield Scott Hancock (Union)
Winfield Scott Hancock commanded Union forces in several major battles, including Gettysburg. He was recognized for his leadership during Pickett's Charge, where he was wounded while directing Union defenses. After the war, he remained in the army and later ran for president in 1880.
Hancock was indispensable to the Union victory at Gettysburg. On the first day, he established the outline of the entire Union position, from Culp's Hill to Little Round Top, and advised Meade that the site was defensible with good troops.
On the second day, his quick decisions maintained the Union position on several occasions, most notably when he used the 1st Minnesota Regiment to buy enough time to plug a gaping hole in the Union line. On the third day, his Second Corps bore the brunt of and successfully repulsed Pickett's Charge.
It should be remembered that a decisive Confederate victory at Gettysburg would have, in all probability, won the war for the South, notwithstanding Grant's success at Vicksburg.
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Philip Sheridan (Union)
Philip Sheridan served as a Union cavalry commander in both the Eastern and Western Theaters. His aggressive tactics were instrumental in Union victories during the Shenandoah Valley Campaigns of 1864. After the war, he became Commanding General of the United States Army.
He understood modern warfare.
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P.G.T. Beauregard (Confederacy)
Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard commanded Confederate forces during the bombardment of Fort Sumter, the opening battle of the war. He also held senior command roles at First Bull Run and Shiloh. Later in the war, he served in administrative and departmental positions within the Confederacy.
He likewise saw that the South should have followed a defensive/Fabian strategy that gave ground to fight at times and places where it was to their advantage.
He knew how to build a defense.
He was a good engineer.
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A.P. Hill (Confederacy)
Ambrose Powell Hill commanded the Confederate Third Corps in the Army of Northern Virginia. He participated in major campaigns including Antietam, Gettysburg, and the Overland Campaign, first as a division commander and later at the corps level. Hill was killed during the final days of the war in 1865 near Petersburg.
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George Meade (Union)
George Gordon Meade assumed command of the Army of the Potomac shortly before the Battle of Gettysburg. His leadership contributed to the Union victory in that engagement, particularly during the defensive phases of the battle. Meade remained in command of the Army of the Potomac for the rest of the war, operating under Ulysses S. Grant after 1864.
This guy fought the Battle of Gettysburg against Lee and won.
A genius on defense, but a bad temper hurt his reputation.
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Ambrose E. Burnside (Union)
Ambrose Everett Burnside commanded Union forces at the Battle of Fredericksburg in 1862. His leadership there resulted in high Union casualties during repeated frontal assaults. After the war, he served as governor of Rhode Island and later as a United States senator.
He seemed to be a pretty good strategist. His biggest flaw was sticking with a plan even if circumstances made it not as good, such as Meade removing the U.S.C.T. at the Crater and the late pontoon bridges at Fredericksburg. He also managed to launch successful campaigns in North Carolina as well as East Tennessee.
He doesn't get much credit, however, because he was an honest man and never tried to make his reputation something it wasn't, unlike many other generals.
His only major defeat was Fredericksburg. Maybe he wasn't the best, but he wasn't as bad as many people see him. Most generals had a major defeat at some point, for instance, Lee at Gettysburg and Grant at Cold Harbor.
He was not a great general, but not horrible either. He did fine as a corps commander and didn't want command of the entire army. He declined twice and only accepted when he was told it was either him or Hooker (who also failed).
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Joseph Hooker (Union)
Joseph Hooker led the Army of the Potomac in early 1863. He commanded Union forces at the Battle of Chancellorsville, which resulted in a significant Confederate victory. Later, he served in the Western Theater, including at the Battles of Chattanooga.
"Cough cough," Chancellorsville, anyone?
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Joshua Chamberlain (Union)
Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was a Union officer from Maine who commanded troops at Gettysburg. He played a decisive role defending Little Round Top during the second day of the battle. After the war, he served as governor of Maine and later as president of Bowdoin College.
He treated everyone with respect. When he received the Confederate surrender (Grant chose him because he knew he would treat them with respect), he saluted them, and General John B. Gordon called him the knightliest officer of the Union army.
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Albert Sidney Johnston (Confederacy)
Albert Sidney Johnston commanded Confederate forces in the Western Theater. He was mortally wounded at the Battle of Shiloh in 1862 while leading an attack. His death was considered a major loss for the Confederacy at that stage of the war.
I'm surprised that Johnston wasn't already on here. Though he was not the greatest (that distinction belongs to Lee), he did a good job in command of the Western Theater, considering what he had. After his death at Shiloh, the Western Theater went awry, and it was all downhill from there.
States' rights (Confederacy) killed his defense efforts in the West. He surprised the Union Army at Shiloh rather than sitting back for the inevitable.
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John F. Reynolds (Union)
John Fulton Reynolds was a senior Union commander at Gettysburg. He was killed in action on the first day of the battle in 1863 while deploying troops north of town. His death was a significant blow to Union leadership early in the engagement.
Unfortunately, he died on the first day of Gettysburg.
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Braxton Bragg (Confederacy)
Braxton Bragg commanded the Army of Tennessee during much of the war. He led Confederate forces at battles such as Perryville, Stones River, and Chickamauga. After the war, he worked in civil engineering and held various administrative and advisory roles.
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Joseph E. Johnston (Confederacy)
Joseph Eggleston Johnston commanded Confederate forces in both the Eastern and Western Theaters. He played key roles in the Peninsula Campaign and later led Confederate armies opposing William T. Sherman in the Atlanta and Carolinas campaigns. Johnston surrendered his army to Sherman in April 1865.
He should be rated much higher. Grant and Sherman both rated him above Lee. He had a grand strategy of defensive/Fabian warfare that might have worked for the South. Lee never did. He stood up to Jeff Davis. Lee acquiesced.
Probably the best defensive general in the war. He kept Sherman at bay for many months.
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Galusha Pennypacker (Union)
Galusha Pennypacker was promoted to brigadier general at the age of 20, making him the youngest general in the Union Army. He distinguished himself at the Second Battle of Fort Fisher in 1865 despite being severely wounded multiple times during the war. Pennypacker continued his military career after the war, eventually reaching the rank of major general.
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George B. McClellan (Union)
George Brinton McClellan organized the Army of the Potomac and served briefly as general-in-chief of Union forces. He commanded during the Peninsula Campaign and the Battle of Antietam. McClellan later ran for president in 1864 against Abraham Lincoln as the Democratic nominee.
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John Bell Hood (Confederacy)
John Bell Hood commanded Confederate forces at battles including Gettysburg, Chickamauga, and Atlanta. He became commander of the Army of Tennessee in 1864 after serving under Joseph E. Johnston. Hood's army suffered heavy losses during the Franklin-Nashville Campaign.
Definitely not the very best, but a really great soldier and general. He followed orders and executed them flawlessly without complaint.
From Texas. A hard fighter who inspired his men to follow his leadership. He still fought and rode even after his leg was amputated.