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US Civil War Generals

Ask questions here about famous US Civil War generals, on both the Union and Confederate side.

500 Questions

Who are general Nathan bedford Forrest's parents?

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Asked by Wiki User

On July 13, 1821, Nathan Bedord and his twin sister Fanny were born to William and Mariam Beck Forrest. He eventually had 5 brothers.

He was named Nathan after his grandfather and Bedford after the county he was born in. Most family and friends called him by Bedford.

Source: "A Battle from the Start" by Brian Wills

What did jeb tell max was her fatal flaw?

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Asked by Skye Murray

He has lost his left arm, but I have lost my right arm."

Did James Ewell Stuart 'jeb' have any kids?

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Asked by Wiki User

He had four children. The first, a girl, died in childbirth. Second, a girl named Flora, died of typhoid fever just before her fifth birthday. His third, a boy named James Ewell Brown Stuart Jr., who was called Jimmie. His fourth, a girl named Virginia.

Who was the last Union Civil War veteran who died in 1947?

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Asked by Wiki User

The last Union Civil War veteran to pass away was Albert Woolson. He died on August 2, 1956 at the age of 109.

When did Jeb Stuart marry Flora Cooke?

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Asked by Wiki User

Jeb Stuart married Flora Cooke on November 14, 1855.

What is the area of Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park?

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Asked by Wiki User

The area of Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park is approximately 2,587 acres.

When did Union General George Douglas Ramsay graduate from West Point?

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Asked by ChuckSiata

Union General Joseph Gilbert Totten graduated from West Point in 1805. He was the 10th cadet to graduate from West Point. He served under the much younger General George B. McClellan in the 1862 Peninsula campaign. He died in 1864, having spent his entire life in the US Army.

Why were US Civil War generals reluctant to change their strategies of fighting?

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Asked by Wiki User

US Civil War generals in both the Confederate and Union armies were used to turning the nation's policies of conducting warfare into their strategies for accomplishing the objectives of the US Civil War or any war. The problem US Civil War generals were not so much about changing strategies, they were concerned that political leaders were making decisions that should be left with the military high command. Having a well meaning President Lincoln or a President Davis making policy and strategy was demoralizing and unproductive.

When did Nathan Bedford Forrest II die?

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Asked by Wiki User

It is my understanding that Nathan Bedford Forrest IV, great grandson of the Confederate General of the same name died over Europe during WW2 while piloting a bomber on a mission.

What caused Confederate generals to perform offensive operations in the wake of the Union's improved defense?

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Asked by Wiki User

Many US Civil War historians trace the Southern conviction that offensive operations were preferred to tactical defense to the Mexican American War. In that war, US offensive actions proved to be effective against Mexican armies. Confederate generals ignored the success of tactical defenses in the Mexican War and thus placed great faith in offensive assaults in the US Civil War.

What did Union generals McClellan Burnside and Hooker have in common?

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Asked by Wiki User

Union General Henry Wager Halleck and Confederate General P.T. Beauregard had a number of things in common. They both had high level positions in their respective armies and both of them graduated within a year from each other from West Point. Each of them had written books on the science of war as well. Upon graduation they were each in the top five of their classes. They both knew French. This was native to Beauregard, and Halleck taught French at West Point. That "French connection" enabled both of them to study books on the science of war that at the time were only available in French. They were students of war and each new about how wars were fought in the Napoleonic Era. And, they each held commissions in engineering.

Was Lieutenant General Robert E. Lee a great general?

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Asked by Wiki User

That's a matter of opinion. If you share his views and agree with his decisions, he was. If you disagree, he wasn't. Historians should not answer this question because it's opinionated. Of course, that's just my opinion.

Lee was excellent on the defensive. His spoiling attacks repulsed several Union offensives. He was able to fend off vastly superior forces through rapid outflanking maneuvers, confounding the enemy command. He was far less successful on the offensive. Both of his invasions of the North were turned back after crushing defeats incurring great loss of life. His experience in the Mexican War may have worked against him on the offensive, where he had been able to dislodge numerically superior forces with superior firepower. At Gettysburg, that led him to order Pickett's Charge, which ended disastrously. He did take responsibility for the debacle, and never lost the respect of his men.

Did Nathan bedford Forrest survive the civil war?

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Asked by Wiki User

Nathan Bedford Forrest began the war in a cavalry regiment and progressed quickly to a Colonel in command of a regiment. Later he became a cavalry general and commanded a cavalry Corps consisting of 2 Divisions of 2 brigades each. He was considered the most famous cavalry commander of the Civil War and one of the bravest. He was wounded several times and had many horses shot out from under him. After one battle, his cavalry was in charge of holding back the Union troops while the army retreated. He called a charge against the enemy but he was the only one to charge them. He had to fight his way out and he pulled one enemy soldier onto his horse as a shield but he was still shot in the back at close range---but survived. One of his most famous battle victories was the Battle of Brice's Crossroads. In this battle he attacked a force twice the size of his and completely routed them.

What type of people owned slaves?

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Asked by Wiki User

Well back then before the 1860's rich white men owned black poor slaves because of their color and what they didn't have or could not afford, so they considered them different.

What Union general lost a leg in the US Civil War?

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Asked by Wiki User

You're probably thinking of Richard S. Ewell, who lost his leg after being shot in the knee at the Second Battle of Manassas (or Bull Run) in August 1862. Ewell was away from the army for nearly a year recovering from the amputation, but was thought to be well enough to replace Stonewall Jackson in command of the Second Corps of General Lee's Army, after Jackson died from his wound received at Chancellorsville, in May, 1863. Chancellorsville was the big battle which immediately preceded Gettysburg, so Gettysburg was Ewell's first battle as a corps commander. Previously he had been a division commander, and a good one. But indecisiveness or timidity perhaps, maybe induced by his wound or his year-long absence from the fighting, or the paralysis of mind which afflicted many men when promoted one grade above their level of competence, some cause at any rate led to a performance at Gettysburg less effective than had been hoped. Ewell, though much liked personally, proved that he was certainly no Stonewall Jackson. Ewell had also married a widow woman during his year of convalescence, and spoke of "my wife, Mrs. Brown". Some ascribed his poor performance to her influence, but this seems unlikely to me. Ewell had to be strapped on a horse to get around the field, and in the end the rigors of service with the field army proved too much for him, and he was sent to command the defenses of Richmond. His departure in his reduced state was not much of a loss to the army.

Did jeb Stuart have any family members serve in the military?

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Asked by Wiki User

James E.B. Stuart was originally one of 11 children. By the start of the War, five of them had died. Only two of his brothers were living. Brother John Dabney Stuart, M.D., served with the 42nd and 54th Virginia infantries as a surgeon. Brother William Alexander ran the saltworks at Saltville, which provided tons of salt to the military and civilian populace, and his work was considered vital to the survival of the South.

Who were the top Confederate generals at the Battle of Gettysburg?

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Asked by Wiki User

Robert E. Lee was the General leading the Confederate Army at Gettysburg. Under Robert Lee was Lt. Gen. James Longstreet of the First Army Corps. Under him was Maj. Gen. Lafayette McLaws, he commanded McLaws' Division.

Brigade Commanders:

Kershaw Brigade

J.B. Kershaw

Barsdale's Brigade

William Barksdale

Semmes' Brigade

P. J. Semmes

Wofford's Brigade

W.T. Wofford

Artillery

Col. H.C. Cabell

Pickett's Division comes next.

Maj. Gen. George E. Pickett Commanding.

Garnett's Brigade

R. B. Garnett

Kemper's Brigade

J.L. Kemper

Armistead's Brigade

L.A. Armistead

Artillery

Maj. James Dearing

Hood's Division

Maj. Gen. John B. Hood

Law's Brigade

E. M. Law

Robertson's Brigade

J. B. Robertson

Anderson's Brigade

George t. Anderson

Benning's Brigade

Henry L. Benning

Artillery

Maj. M. W. Henry

Artillery Reserve

Col. J. B. Walton

Alexander's Battalion

Col. E. P. Alexander

Washington (Louisiana) Artillery

Maj. B. F. Eshleman

Who commanded the North Virginia army during the Civil War?

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Asked by Wiki User

The Army of Northern Virginia was commanded by Robert E. Lee

How was Union Major General William T Sherman important during the US Civil War?

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Asked by Wiki User

Answer

William T. Sherman:

•Served as a major general in the Union Army

•Lead Sherman's March, which started in Atlanta and travelled southeast through Georgia, destroying everything in his path and living off of the land along the way. This made it impossible for Confederate troops to use any resources in the area.

•Captured Savannah just before Christmas.

•Marched through (and destroyed) South Carolina to aid General Grant in his fight against General Lee.

•Provided support to General Grant at Fort Donelson.

•Commanded the Army of West Tennessee, where he then fought in the Battle of Shiloh, and won.

•Handed out food and other supplies when he reached North Carolina as he anticipated the end of the war.

•Started campaigns that led to the fall of the Confederate strongholds near the Mississippi River, where he helped with the routing of the Confederate armies in Tennessee.

•Captured the city of Atlanta, which contributed to the re-election of President Abraham Lincoln.

•Accepted the surrender of all the Confederate armies in North and South Carolina.

•Succeeded General Grant as Commanding General of the Army for his outstanding war strategy and skill.

•Published his Memoirs, which became one of the best-known accounts of the Civil War.

* Sherman earned the reputation of being a ruthless commander. This he carried on after the war when killing Native Americans.

What generals led the Southern armies in the US Civil War?

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Asked by Wiki User

There were many Confederate generals that led Southern armies in the course of the four year long US Civil War. Names of note included generals such as:* Robert E. Lee * John Bell Hood * James Longstreet * JEB Stuart * Earl Van Dorn

* Joseph Johnston

* Albert S. Johnston

* PT Beauregard

* Stonewall Jackson

* AP Hill

* Braxton Bragg


These are just a few of the many Confederate generals.



How did General In Chief George B. McClellan plan to protect Washington DC while he was fighting in the Peninsula?

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Asked by ChuckSiata

The US Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton wanted to know from General George B. McClellan, his plans for protecting Washington DC while the main part of the Army of the Potomac was engaged in battle in the Peninsula campaign. Both he and US President Lincoln were concerned that while McClellan was in Virginia fighting his Peninsula campaign that there was a possibility of a Confederate assault on Washington DC.McClellan outlined for Stanton his plans for this. The troops he would leave in and around Washington DC would number 55,500 including the 35,000 troops in the Shenandoah. As General in Chief, McClellan assumed that all of these troops would remain under his command as he parted for Fort Monroe.

What prompted Union General Joseph Hooker to be allowed to attack Richmond in 1863?

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Asked by Wiki User

As General Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia continued their march northward, Union leaders increased their preparation to safeguard Pennsylvania and Maryland. Hooker believed he saw an opening to cause serious damage to the Confederacy. On June 10, 1863, Hooker proposed to President Lincoln a plan to devastate the Confederacy. Hooker believed that he had absolute and reliable information that Confederate cavalry Major General JEB Stuart was preparing for a raid against the North. Hooker, however, was unsure whether the Confederates would send a large number of infantry along with their cavalry. He had to see this as a distinct possibility. If this was the case, then the Rebels would have left only a small force guarding Richmond. He pressed Lincoln to allow him to assault Richmond.

Who was the best cavalry leader in the US Civil War?

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Asked by Wiki User

Bedford Forrest of the Confederates.

The only reason he wasn't promoted higher was that the Confederate president, Jefferson Davis, preferred to promote West Point graduates, preferably from high-class backgrounds like himself.

After the war, Davis said his biggest mistake was not promoting Bedford Forrest.

Bedford was a great commander, however, it may be a toss up between him and Confederate commander JEB Stuart.