The American Civil War was a time of great strife for the United States, and considering they were having a
fight over being united, the Union had shrunken down, including the military. The Confederate States of America
were formed, leaving the Union States to have to battle the Confederate States of America. The battles were often
grisly and shocking, but they were ultimately often led by people of competence. Many of the generals in charge
had a sharp reputation though, either before or during the war. Much of this would contribute to the drama that
made the war so interesting. I’m going to be listing the top 10 infamous Civil War generals.
10 Infamous Civil War Generals
1. Nathan Bedford Forrest
Nathan Bedford Forrest was a Confederate general and Ku Klux Klansman who was born in Chapel Hill, Tennessee
in 1821. After his father died when he was 16, Forrest moved to the Memphis Delta, becoming a successful businessman and millionaire dealing in cotton, land, and slaves. When the American Civil War began, he volunteered as a private and raised an entire unit of his own, later being commissioned as a lieutenant colonel and issued this call to arms in June of 1861.
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In 1862, he and his unit were stationed at Fort Donelson when it was forced to surrender by General Grant, leaving
before the official surrender and fighting at the Battle of Shiloh two months later. He would become infamous for
making lightning raids and being among the most feared cavalry commanders of the war, being given the nickname
“the wizard of the saddle.”
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He was promoted to brigadier general later on in 1862, disrupting supply and communication lines to Grant during
the Vicksburg Campaign, later avoiding a near death attack from Union forces that could have surrounded them.
He would later take part in the Battle of Chickamauga, taking hundreds of prisoners as the Union retreated and
being again promoted to major general.
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His infamous episode of complete debauchery occurred in Tennessee at Fort Pillow in April of 1864, executing nearly 300 colored troops of the U.S. Colored Heavy Artillery after they had surrendered. He would later have great success at Brice’s Cross Roads, defeating a force twice the size of his own. Forrest would at this point become known as a thorn in the side of the Union and became lieutenant general, being the only person to rise so far in the ranks.
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Nathan later surrendered with Robert E. Lee to Grant in April of 1865, becoming a prominent member of the Ku Klux Klan. Forrest was raised to the spectacular rank of “Grand Wizard” until he ordered the dissolution of the organization in 1869, later dying of diabetes in October of 1877.
2. William Tecumseh Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman was an American Union general and businessman who was born in Lancaster, Ohio in 1820. Born into a distinguished family, later being appointed to go to the United States Military Academy by Senator
Thomas Ewing after his father had died. He would end up graduating sixth in his class in 1840, seeing a little
bit of combat in the Second Seminole War in Florida. He would later avoid the Mexican-American War to partake in business ventures in California instead.
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He resigned his commission in 1853, taking work in fields of banking and law before becoming superintendent of
the Louisiana Military Academy in 1859. The Civil War broke out and he decided to resign from the academy to head
north, being made a colonel of the 13th United States Infantry. Sherman then first saw combat at the Battle of
First Manassas, commanding a brigade and impressing Lincoln with his performance. He was then promoted to
brigadier general in August of 1861. He was later sent to Kentucky to begin the task of keeping the state from
seceding.
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He would later moved to St. Louis, serving under Henry W. Halleck and performing logistical missions during the
Union’s capture of Fort Donelson. Then, during the Battle of Shiloh, commanded a division before being overrun
by Confederates and later being promoted to major general of volunteers in May of 1862. After this, Sherman led
troops in the battles of Chickasaw Bluffs and Arkansas Post, commanding XV Corps during the Vicksburg Campaign.
At the Battle of Chattanooga, Sherman would end up at the Battle of Missionary Ridge, being made commander of all
the troops in the Western Theater after Grant was promoted to General of the Army.
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Sherman used this position to develop a tactic of “scorched earth,” believing that he must destroy the moral of
the Confederacy. This led him to bring total destruction during his campaign in Georgia, creating total destruction
to the civilian population in his path while in control of three armies. He captured Atlanta in September of 1864,
later continuing to cause a pain in the Confederate’s butts by harassing the Confederate Army of Tennessee.
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He would later make his infamous “March to the Sea” and leave nearly sixty mile wide path of destruction through
the heartland of Georgia, winning for Lincoln the city of Savannah, too. He then took to South Carolina and paved
a path of destruction through there, his reasons being that they seceded from the Union first. He then captured
Columbia, South Carolina, causing destruction there and defeating forces in North Carolina during the Battle of
Bentonville. He accepted the surrender of Johnston and all of his troops of Georgia, Florida, and the Carolinas,
becoming the largest surrender of the war. After the war, he remained in the military and rose to the rank of
full general and serving as general-in-chief of the army from 1869-1883, later dying in 1891 and becoming a
household name.
10 Infamous Civil War Generals
3. Daniel Edgar Sickles
Daniel Edgar Sickles was an American Union general and politician who was born in New York City in 1819. At the
age of 28, Sickles gained a position of corporation counsel of New York City, serving as both a lawyer and
politician of New York State. His political connections even got him a State Senate seat, later being elected
to the United States House of Representatives and living a lavish lifestyle in Washington D.C..
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In 1859, being a married man, Sickles shot and killed his wife’s lover, Philip Barton Key, son of Francis Scott
Key and author of the Star Spangled Banner. He would later later be defended by the first successful use of the
“temporary insanity” defense in the United States, ending up staying with his wife and being considered a recluse.
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Sickles would later begin his military career by serving as Colonel for the 70th New York Infantry before being
appointed brigadier general of volunteers, then commanding New York’s Excelsior Brigade. He was then promoted to
major general in November of 1862, being brave in battle but gaining a nasty reputation for arguments with superior
officers. He would serve in the Peninsula Campaign, return to New York for much of 1862, and then commanded a
division at Fredericksburg before being in command of Third Corps before the Chancellorsville campaign.
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He later gained ground in a controversial engagement at Chancellorsville, gaining Hazel Grove after fighting his
way back to Union lines under the watchful eye of General Joseph Hooker. The next day, he gave up this ground by
force to the Confederates before withdrawing with Federal support. He later lost his right leg after disobeying
orders at Gettysburg and being driven from the field, but he was rewarded the Medal of Honor for his actions there.
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He then donated his amputated limb to the Army Medical Museum, keeping his limp on display. He was later sent
to the South to assess the effects of slavery by Abraham Lincoln, holding a variety of positions after the war,
including New York Sheriff, a congressman, chairman, minister, military governor, and diplomat. He later died
in 1914 after having been removed for a committee in 1912 for pocketing funds and establishing the Gettysburg
National Battlefield Park.
4. George B. McClellan
George Brinton McClellan was an American Union general and engineer who was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1826. He began his military career after entering the United States Military Academy in 1842, graduating second out of a class of 59 that consisted of many future full rank generals during the Civil War. He would later be appointed as a brevet second lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers, serving under General Winfield Scott during the Mexican-American War by helping construct roads and bridges. After being promoted to captain, he returned to West Point as an instructor after the war.
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McClellan went on other duties that included being an engineer at Fort Delaware, exploring the Red River, and
the exploration of possible routes for the transcontinental railroad, even being a military observer during
the Crimean War. He resigned from the military in 1857 to take position with the Illinois Central Railroad.
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McClellan was later appointed major general of Ohio Volunteers in April of 1861 after the war had broken out,
being commissioned a major general in the Regular Army. McClellan went to Kentucky then West Virginia to prevent
Confederate rule, later defeating General Irvin McDowell at the battle of First Bull Run and becoming the
commander of the Army of the Potomac and General-in-Chief of all Federal armies after Winfield Scott retired.
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He was later removed as General-in-Chief, remaining command of the Potomac Army and launching the Peninsula Campaign in Virginia. McClellan was known to have a great reputation among his men, but a mildly bitter one among other generals, being surprised by rebels at the Battle of Seven Pine before having to retreat back from Richmond to Washington because of Robert E. Lee during the Seven Days’ Battles.
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He would eventually be pushed out then back into the post of Army of the Potomac, moving to protect Maryland after the Union defeat at Second Manassas in 1862. He would then fight through the Blue Ridge mountains and battle at Antietam, leaving the Confederate Army to retreat back into Virginia. McClellan would later be relieved of his command that November because of his cautious behavior and declining relationship with Lincoln after not winning a decisive victory.
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Later on, McClellan entered politics, and in 1864, he ran for president against Lincoln, promising peace terms
with the Confederates. Lincoln would end up winning a second term, the war already being seen to be within the
grasp of the Union. McClellan ended up resigning his army commission, later working as an administrator for a
number of engineering terms and being elected as Governor of New Jersey.
10 Infamous Civil War Generals
5. P.G.T Beauregard
Pierre Gustave Toutant-Beauregard was a Confederate general born in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana in 1818. He
ended up going being trained as a civil engineer at West Point before serving as an engineer in the Mexican-American War. He later served became the first prominent general in the Civil War after serving as a superintendent of the
Military Academy in 1861. He became the first Confederate brigadier general, commanding the defenses of Charleston,
South Carolina at the start of the Civil War at Fort Sumter in April, 1861.
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He then won the First Battle of Bull Run, commanding armies in the Western Theater at the Battle of Shiloh and
Siege of Corinth. He was defender of Charleston once again in 1863, defending against naval and land attacks before
saving the cities of Petersburg, Virginia and Richmond from overwhelming Union forces in 1864. He had a poor relationship with Jefferson Davis and other generals, later surrendering their remaining forces to Sherman in April of 1865. After the war, Beauregard was wealthy, having played a prominent role in promoting the Louisiana Lotter before dying in 1893.
6. Braxton Bragg
Braxton Bragg was a Confederate general who was born in Warrenton, North Carolina in 1817. Bragg, from his
dad, was sent to West Point at 16 and graduated at the top of his class in 1837, ahead of many other to-be generals.
He would serve in the Second Seminole War by commanding Fort Marion, Florida, showing his first signs of argumentation and controversy. Bragg then served in the Mexican-American War, winning promotions for bravery during the Battle of Buena Vista. He later resigned from the military in 1856, purchasing a sugar plantation in Louisiana and becoming famous from Jefferson Davis.
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Bragg opposed secession, but he organized troops in Louisiana during the secession crisis, seizing the Federal arsenal at Baton Rouge in early 1861. Bragg was later appointed major general before joining the Confederate Army in March, being in command of the Department of West Florida and supervising troops there. He was then under the command of another general, being promoted after the Battle of Shiloh to full general.
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After the loss of Corinth, Bragg was appointed as commander of the Army of Mississippi, winning partial victories
at Perryville, Stones River, and Chickamauga. He later lost at Chattanooga and was resigned as army commander, having gained a poor reputation for combative behavior and partial victories. Jefferson Davis resigned him, Bragg later
serving till the end of the war as military advisor to Davis and corps commander at the Battle of Bentonville in 1865.
At the end of the war, he attended the final cabinet meeting of the Confederate government, later having his prewar
home confiscated by the U.S. Government. He later died in 1876 at 59 after having a brief stint at a life insurance
company and railroad inspector.
10 Infamous Civil War Generals
7. Jubal Early
Jubal Anderson Early was a Confederate general and lawyer who was born in Franklin County, Virginia in 1816.
He graduated near the top of his class at West Point in 1837. He fought in Florida during the Second Seminole War,
leaving to be a lawyer at the Virginia House of Delegates before going back to serve as major of Virginia volunteers
during the Mexican-American War.
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Even though he was against secession, he accepted role as Colonel of the 24th Infantry, being promoted to Brigadier General after the Battle of First Manassas. He would serve in the Eastern Theater in battles such as the Seven
Days Battles, Second Bull Run, Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville, receiving promotion to major general
in early 1863. He then served important service during the Salem Church and Gettysburg campaigns during the Battle
of the Wilderness, Cold Harbor, and Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, being promoted to lieutenant general in May
of 1864.
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Early was later in charge of the 2nd Corps, proving victorious in Shenandoah Valley and Wallace at Monocacy, later
being right at the Union capitol to attack before being prevented by reinforcements. Afterwards, he was defeated
at Sheridan, Fisher’s Hill, and Cedar Creek. After his command was dispersed, he fled to Mexico in disguise, returning
to America later in his and dying in 1894.
8. John Bell Hood
John Bell Hood was a Confederate general who was born in Owingsville, Kentucky in 1831. He was known for his
rapid promotions in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. Hood started in West Point before serving in
California and Texas, resigning his commission in 1861 to serve for the Confederacy as cavalry captain. He was
then promoted to colonel of the Texas 4th Infantry. He served with distinction during many battles during the
Peninsula Campaign, Battle of Second Manassas, Battle of Gaines’ Mill during the Seven Days Battles.
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He would later promoted to major general in 1862, serving at Sharpsburg, Fredericksburg, and Gettysburg, before
being injured and losing a leg at Chickamauga. He soon recovered and was promoted to lieutenant general before
serving in the Atlanta Campaign at Peachtree Creek and several other offensives in 1864. Having lost Atlanta,
he left and burned as many military supplies as possible.
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He went to Tennessee after this, being destroyed at the Battle of Franklin and Nashville and leaving his rank
in as full general in January of 1865. He then returned to his post as lieutenant general, later dying of yellow
fever in 1879 after a desire he had to take over the Texas army towards the end of the war and surrendering
in May of 1865 in Mississippi.
10 Infamous Civil War Generals
9. George Pickett
George Edward Pickett was a Confederate general who was born in Richmond, Virginia in 1825. He struggled,
graduating last in his 1846 class at West Point in 1846 before serving in the Mexican-American War. During
his time battling, he gained a promotion for his contribution during the Battle of Chapultepec. After the war,
Pickett was assigned to the Washington Territory, a place where he got involved in a Great Britain land dispute
called the Pig War.
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He was later appointed colonel in the Confederate Army, being appointed as brigadier general in 1862 after
commanding defense of the Lower Rappahannock River. He then first saw combat during the Peninsula Campaign,
leading battles at Williamsburg, Seven Pines, and Gaines’ Mill before getting injured and later promoted to
major general. He was then under General James Longstreet, making him present with his division at Fredericksburg
and Suffolk Campaign.
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He then participated in a large failure at Gettysburg, known as “Pickett’s Charge” before continuing on during
the Overland Campaign and Siege of Petersburg. He then helped the Confederates lose the war by losing the battle
at Five Forks, causing great defeat and the eventual surrender of the Confederate forces.
10. Benjamin Butler
Benjamin Butler was an American Union general who was born in Deerfield, New Hampshire in 1818. He gained a
reputation as a extremely disliked general during the Civil War on both sides, starting in Colby College in
Maine in 1838. He was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 1840, establishing a criminal practice before
being elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1853. Butler was then elected to the Senate
of Commonwealth in 1859. He entered the Massachusetts Militia in 1839 before being promoted to brigadier
general in 1855, in spite of no formal training.
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He played several important roles at the beginning of the war, protecting the capital in case of Maryland’s
secession. Butler then got a promotion from Lincoln to major general in May of 1861, first seeing action in
Big Bethel and being defeated. Butler then commanded Fort Monroe, identifying slaves as contraband of war
before battles at Hatteras Inlet in North Carolina. He then went to New Orleans in May after the city had
surrendered.
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He was appointed as military governor, running New Orleans in controversial ways, including the theft of goods
of Southern houses he was watching and Order 28, leading him to consider woman who showed contempt to the
Union as prostitutes. Butler was then considered an outlaw by Jefferson Davis and gained the nickname “Beast Butler.”
Butler was removed in late 1862 and given command of the Department of Virginia and North Carolina by the end of 1863.
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Benjamin gained control of the “Army of the James” and performed poorly during the Bermuda Hundred campaign, Fort Fisher, later resigning his commission in late 1865. He then returned to politics, being elected governor of Massachusetts in 1882, congress in 1878, and presidential candidate in 1884.
10 Infamous Civil War Generals
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10 Infamous Civil War Generals
