Civil War Military Leaders

Stuart was the commander of the cavalry companies of the Army of the Shenandoah, where he was known for his mastery of reconnaissance. Stuart is most famously known for his failure at Gettysburg. He was caught off guard by a Union Cavalry attack and was unable to contact Lee for several hours, causing the Confederate troops to be unaware of Union movements.

J.E.B Stuart

Longstreet served as one of Lee's foremost generals, and earned many famous victories both defensive and offensive. At the Battle of Gettysburg, Longstreet questioned Lee's orders stating the the Union was too well positioned. Longstreet was ignored and reluctantly led his troops up Cemetery Hill into a disastrous defeat.

James Longstreet

Joseph Hooker commanded two corps at the battle of Fredricksburg, and despite suffer a major defeat as well as being openly subordinate to his commanding officers, he was offered the position of the Commander of the Potomac Army. However he was soon relieved of command after he failed to attack the much smaller Confederate Army.

Joseph Hooker

Johnston relieved Jackson of command of the Army of Shenandoah at Harper's Ferry. Johnston, the highest ranking U.S Army officer before his resignation, felt as though he was entitled to be the highest ranking officer in the Confederate Army. When Lee was placed in command instead, this led to bad blood between Johnston and Jefferson Davis which lasted throughout the war.

Joseph Johnston

Forrest enlisted in the Tennessee cavalry, and although he had no prior military experience, he displayed great leadership qualities and was given command of his own unit, "Forrest's Cavalry Corps." Forrest was known for leading many successful raids and reconnaissance missions far into Union territory, as well as his brilliant tactics which allowed him to defeat much larger forces on several occasions.

Nathan Bedford Forrest

Beauregard attended the United States Military Academy at West Point where he graduated second of his class. Beauregard became the first Confederate General Officer, and was later appointed as one of the seven Generals in the Confederate Army. He is most known for his defense at Petersburg, Virginia preventing Union forces from capturing Confederate capitol Richmond.

Pierre Beauregard

Robert Anderson was recognized to the Union as a national hero for his defiance of the secession of South Carolina (even though Robert Anderson was a pro slavery southerner.) Anderson moved his troops from Fort Moultrie to Fort Sumter where he was bombarded by Confederate General Beauregard for 48 hours until finally surrendering in the first battle of the Civil War.

Robert Anderson

Lee was originally offered command of the Union Army, however he declined due to the fact that his family was from Virginia and he refused to fight against his relatives. Lee was timid at the beginning of the war, but after several key victories his reputation as a great leader grew, causing many Union generals to fear Lee and not engage him on several instances.

Robert E. Lee

Jackson earned his famous nickname "Stonewall Jackson" after the Battle of Bull Run, where his well trained and disciplined troops formed a stonewall and turned the confederate retreat around and pushed the disorganized Union army back.

Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson

After winning several major battles, as well as gaining control of the Mississippi River and dividing the Confederacy, Grant was placed as Commanding General of the Union Army. Grant did what the previous generals failed to do, he engaged Lee in several bloody battles and finally forced Lee's surrender at the Appomattox.

Ulysses S. Grant

Sherman served under Grant for the majority of his military career. When Grant was called east to command the Union forces there, he appointed Sherman as the head of the Military Division of the Mississippi. Sherman is best known for his "March to the Sea," in which he cut communications and marched south with 62,000 men capturing Franklin, Nashville, and Savannah.

William Tecumseh Sherman

At the start of the Civil War, Scott was 74 years old and was not in the best of health. Scott disagreed with most of the Norths thought of a quick war that would crush the rebellion, instead he made the "Anaconda Plan" of cutting of supplies and put it in to action. After suffering a defeat at Manassas which Scott took responsibility for he was replaced as General-in-Chief by McClellan and afterwards resigned.

Winifield Scott

General Burnside was successful in his military campaigns at North Carolina and Tennessee. These victories led to him being placed in command of the Army of the Potomac, where he suffered several major defeats at the Battle of Fredricksburg and the Battle of the Crater. After these defeats he was replaced as general-in-chief of the Union by General Joseph Hooker.

Ambrose Burnside

Replaced McDowell, for a short time, as general-in-chief of the Army of the Potomac (the Union's largest army.) McClellan was a meticulous planner and prepared well for battle, however he was unable to adapt well to his enemies movements. Due to a lack of trust between McClellan and President Lincoln and McClellan's lack of ability to confront the Confederate Army.

George B. McClellan

Pickett is known for his actions at the Battle of Gettysburg where he led the famous charge on union forces, Pickett's Charge. The Union suffered 1,500 casualties while the Confederacy suffered several times that. After that major defeat Pickett was unable to be consoled. He served in the Battle of Five Forks, before surrendering with Lee at Appomattox.

George E. Pickett

After Hooker's resignation, Meade was offered command of the Army of the Potomac. Three days later he engaged Lee at the Battle of Gettysburg, where he was able defend Gettysburg skillfully with quick reactions to Lee's advances as well as turning the battle with a daring move, which is known as Pickett's Charge.

George Gordon Meade

First General of the Union Army however, due to his complex plans and lack of experience, he suffered a defeat in the first major battle of the Civil War, the Battle of Bull Run, resulting in President Lincoln demoting him and replacing him with General McClellan.

Irving McDowell