2007-05-20 14:07:33 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ History
The worst Union or Yankee general award should be pinned on General Ambrose E. Burnside. He was a disaster at Fredericksburg and miserable failure at Petersburg (aka the Mine or Crater).
Some argue this opinion, or position, and state the worst Yankee general is Twiggs, who surrendered Texas to the South (Twiggs is a great runner-up!), McClelland (inability or failure to engage the enemy), or Sherman (for his so-called "March to the Sea". The South, at least a segment, view Sherman's March as a license to plunder, pillage and even murder. Most of the North, even today, however, views Sherman's March as an expeditious conclusion to the great rebellion). Please remember that the South also had some miserable failures.
http://thomaslegion.net/crater.html
2007-05-20 18:35:53 · answer #1 · answered by . 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Blunders there were plenty in the Civil War on both sides, but in my opinion, Ambrose Burnside was the worst commanding general on either side during the war. His decisions first to wait nearly a month for pontoon boats then once overin Fredericksburg to force a straight on frontal assault on Marye's Heights while at Fredericksburg would seem stupid enough but place on top of that letting several incompetant Generals run the Crater Explosion who would be later found sitting in a bombproof getting drunk. Showed that he had the rare ability not to be flexible when needed and not being a strong leader when he had to be one.
A Strong Second in this category would be ol Commisary Banks. Who during the Red River Campaiggn left enough behind to keep the Confederacy in Trans Mississippi going for awhile.
2007-05-20 22:07:05 · answer #2 · answered by Tom M 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
"Yankee" (or "Yanks") is a term used to describe all Americans. Are you asking which American general was the worst? A good question for the Polls & Survey category.
I would say General David E. Twiggs was the worst General.
2007-05-20 21:19:15 · answer #3 · answered by WMD 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That's open to interpretation. But, I'll go out on a limb and say John Pope. He was brilliant on a small scale out west, but he had no concept of operations above brigade scale.
People might say Burnside, but he was a very good Corps Commander. He just wasn't fit to command an army.
Ben Butler would be another good answer.
2007-05-20 21:12:48 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Banks, Butler or Burnside; your choice.
2007-05-20 22:01:50 · answer #5 · answered by Ammianus 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋