Who was the greatest general in the American Civil War?

Answer 1

As the picture might disclose I nominate John Gordon. . During the subsequent Seven Days Battles, as Gordon strode fearlessly among his men, enemy balls shattered the handle of his pistol, pierced his canteen, and tore away part of the front of his coat. Assigned by General Lee to hold an essential position during the Battle of Sharpsburg, Gordon's luck ran out..
Gordon's men were tremendously outnumbered. Their only hope, he decided, was for his men to hold their fire until the enemy troops were practically on top of them and then all fire at once. It worked. Their first volley downed almost the entire Yankee front line. Subsequent lines of Yankees met a similar fate. However, many Confederates, too, went down at what came to be called the Battle of Bloody Lane (a sunken road), including Gordon. First, a mini ball passed through his calf. He soldiered on. Then, a second ball hit him higher in the same leg. He soldiered on. A third ball went through his left arm. He continued to lead his men despite the fact that the muscles and tendons in his arm were mangled, and a small artery was severed by this ball. A forth ball hit him in his shoulder. Despite pleas he go to the rear, he continued to lead his men. He was finally stopped by a ball which hit him in the face, passing through his left cheek and out his jaw. He fell with his face in his cap and might have drowned in his own blood if there hadn't been a bullet hole in the cap. Nursed back to health by his wife, who stayed as near to him as possible until late in the war when, incapacitated by the birth of a baby, she ended up behind enemy lines in Virginia, he returned to duty and was put in command of six Georgia regiments. He was promoted to brigadier general after the Battle of Chancellorsville.
At the Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse Lee's greatly outnumbered army was threatened with being cut in two. Only Gordon and his men could prevent this from happening. Lee was prepared to lead the charge of Gordon's men when Gordon rode up and said, in a voice loud enough for his men to hear: "General Lee, this is no place for you. These men behind you are Georgians and Virginians. They have never failed you and will not fail you here. Will you boys?"
"No, no, no, we'll not fail him," the men cried. Then they took up the chant, "Lee to the rear," and Gordon seized Lee's horse's bridle and ordered some men to take Lee to the rear.
Some believe that Gordon's success in turning back the Federals at this, the Bloody Angle, gave the Confederacy an additional year of life. Clearly, he inspired his men by his reaction to Lee's attempt to lead the charge.
Gordon's wife showed that she was made of similar stuff when she rushed out into the street at Winchester to urge Gordon's retreating troops to go back and face the enemy. Gordon was horrified to find her in the street with shells and balls flying about her.
Although he was never promoted to lieutenant general, when the War ended Gordon had both the responsibilities and authority of a corps commander and was, according to Lee's biographer, Douglas Southall Freeman, "Lee's principal confidant--as far as any man every enjoyed that status."


God Bless You and The Southern People

Answer 2

Lemme see the candidates:

Bobby Lee - outstanding strategic thinker, beloved by his men and respected by his foes, if only he didn't blunder at Cemetery Ridge.

Uly Grant - doesn't take much tactical thinking for sledgehammer attacks, winning by attrition alone.

Bedford Forest - getting there 'firstest with the mostest' men was his motto, daring cavalry general.

TJ - AKA Stonewall - best tactical general of the war, led from the front (which was his undoing). Had he been alive at Gettysburg, the course of the war would've been different.

Hancock - savior of Gettysburg (besides Colonel Chamberlain at Little Round Top - but he wasn't a general and Buford for holding the high ground in day 1). Hancocks leadership saved the day on the 1st two days, after the bungling Howard and death of Gen. Reynolds.

My pic is TJ, for his victories in the Shenandoah Valley and flanking movement at Chancelorsville, which made his boss look good. Without TJ, Gen. Lee was exposed as a poor tactical commander, that and his small HQ staff....but that's another discussion

Answer 3

Robert E. Lee, there can be no doubt about that, Robert E. Lee was an amazing man and general.

John Gordon is a magnificent choice, he really didnt rise to high rank until late in the war, but he did a magnificent job. It would be interesting to think of what he could have done with the command of an army.

Grant wasnt he had so many advantages, no wonder he won. Of course so did McClellan and he didnt, who knows?

Answer 4

I would vote for Stonewall Jackson also, but it's hard to compare him to Robert E. Lee because Jackson never had to command the entire Army like Lee did. They were both remarkable in their own right.

Two guys that intrigue me on the Union side that I'd like to find out more about were George Thomas (The Rock of Chickamauga) and John Gibbon. From the limited amount I've read on them, they both seemed like good men.

Answer 5

Stonewall Jackson is my favorite.

Lee sent him to the Shenandoah valley in 1862 and with a force of about 10000 men, he defeated in turn 4 larger Union forces of greater size. He played key roles in many of the most important battles as well, First and second Bull Run, Fredicksburg, and his role at the rout of the Union Chancellorsville. He also had roles in many other battles. His tactics were usually cutting edge for the Civil war as well and he has been studied extensively ever since.

Answer 6

Lee is supposed to have said Nathan Bedford Forrest was the South's greatest general.

Answer 7

By common consensus Robert E. Lee
He was a magnificent tactician, and fought the union to a standstill for years, with a weaker army, and poorer logistics. However, he was representative of a previous era, when Jomini was considered the master of modern warfare. The early run of Union generals were also Jominians.
Grant, however, was the first general in our history to wage war in the modern sense, with an understanding of the role war plays in politics and politics plays in war.
Sherman and Grant thought alike, and this is why as a team they were unbeatable.
If Grant and Lee could be transported to our time, Grant would be the one who could adapt to and assimilate modern war. For Lee, it would be an impossibility.

Answer 8

For military tactics, Robert E. Lee. He used an inferior force (size, equipment, and supplies) to keep the Union at bay for three years.

Some say Ulysses Grant, but he was commanding the superior force (size, equipment, and supplies). He didn't start going after Lee until late 1863 and he never let up until Lee surrendered. It was at a heavy cost, though. He lost more men at Cold Harbor than the Rebels had fighting the Union Army and that was just one bloody battle of several.

If the forces and the resources had been equal, Lee would have won.

Answer 9

I see every one forgot General John Buford, who was the true hero of Gettysburg. He denied the enemy forward motion and the high ground long enough for Reynolds to fully block the Rebs from the high ground. By dismounting his two cavalry brigades, he stacked up a far superior Rebel force, thus, setting the tone and ground for the coming battle.

Answer 10

There is a case to be made for Grant, Lee and Sherman, depending on your criteria for greatness. Pure tactics...Lee, Morale and decisiveness...Sherman..Leadership...Grant...but those are just my picks, I'm sure I'll be shouted down on all three.

Answer 11

Lee