A Brief History On July 23, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln finally found a replacement for General George B. McClellan as General-in-Chief of the Union Army when he appointed General Henry W. Halleck.
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On July 23, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln finally found a replacement for General George B. McClellan as General-in-Chief of the Union Army when he appointed General Henry W. Halleck. Lincoln had spent the previous 4 months as de facto head of the Army himself until he found another commander. Digging Deeper.
In Grant, Lincoln had finally found a general who would muster the full strength of the Union army against the Confederacy. Photograph by Alexander Gardner, October 3, 1862. Courtesy of the Library of Congress. Lincoln gave Gen. George McClellan the task of building and training the Union army in 1861.
Lincoln gave Gen. George McClellan the task of building and training the Union army in 1861. He was a superb organizer and popular with his troops, but an ineffective battlefield commander.
Summary List of Famous Union Civil War Generals during the American Civil War There were many important Union generals during the American Civil War. Some, like Ulysses S. Grant, William Tecumseh Sherman, George Mclellan and Joshua Chamberlain are household names.
These memos showed 425 actual, substantive generals of various grades or levels were duly appointed by the President of the Confederate States Jefferson Davis and confirmed by the Confederate Senate for the Confederate Army and 583 actual, substantive generals of various grades or levels were appointed by President of ...
The Generals and AdmiralsNathaniel Banks. Frank P. Blair.Ambrose E. Burnside. Benjamin Butler.John Dahlgren. John A. Dix.Samuel F. Du Pont. David Glasgow Farragut.John C. Frémont. James B. Fry.Ulysses S. Grant. Henry W. Halleck.Herman Haupt. Joseph Holt.Joseph Hooker. David Hunter.More items...
Ulysses S. GrantMessage of President Abraham Lincoln Nominating Ulysses S. Grant to Be Lieutenant General of the Army, February 29, 1864; Records of the U.S. Senate, RG 46. Major General Ulysses S.
In 1865, as commanding general, Ulysses S. Grant led the Union Armies to victory over the Confederacy in the American Civil War. As an American hero, Grant was later elected the 18th President of the United States (1869–1877), working to implement Congressional Reconstruction and to remove the vestiges of slavery.
Ulysses S Grant was the supreme Union general during the civil war and then later 18th President of the United States.
General George B. McClellanA tortured relationship ends when President Abraham Lincoln removes General George B. McClellan from command of the Army of the Potomac.
Union ArmyCommander-in-ChiefPresident Abraham Lincoln (1861–1865) President Andrew Johnson (1865)Commanding GeneralMG Winfield Scott (1841–1861) MG George B. McClellan (1861–1862) MG Henry W. Halleck (1862–1864) GA Ulysses S. Grant (1864–1869)8 more rows
The Battle of Antietam was the single bloodiest day of combat in the Civil War, and while it was presented as a Union victory in the Northern press, it was in effect a tactical draw. Frustrated that McClellan had again failed to destroy Lee's army, Lincoln officially removed him from command in November 1862.
President Lincoln wanted a commanding general who would take initiative and responsibility and act independently, freeing Lincoln from having to make military decisions. Grant was happy to oblige. He quickly put his senior command in place and set his basic strategy.
General George G. MeadeOn July 1, the advancing Confederates clashed with the Union's Army of the Potomac, commanded by General George G. Meade, at the crossroads town of Gettysburg.
Ulysses S. GrantUlysses S. Grant and the American Civil WarAllegianceUnited StatesBranch/serviceUnited States Army Union ArmyYears of service1861–1869RankGeneral of the Army12 more rows
However, General U.s. Grant was far away from Gettsyburg -- he was in command of the Union army laying siege to Vicksburg, Mississippi at the time. The commanding General of the union forces at Gettysburg was General George Meade.
When McClellan failed to pursue the Confederate army retreating after the Battle of Antietam in 1862, Lincoln removed him from command. This photograph shows Lincoln and McClellan in the general’s tent at Antietam, Maryland, about two weeks after the battle. Gift of Julia Dent Grant and William H. Vanderbilt, 1887.
Abraham Lincoln: An Extraordinary Life. Lincoln’s frustration and depression deepened as Union military defeats continued into 1863. The Union army had every advantage in resources, but failed to assemble the military leadership needed to mount a successful campaign. Lincoln replaced generals and changed the command structure ...
Lincoln replaced generals and changed the command structure of the army several times before he finally selected Ulysses S. Grant to take command. He had gained Lincoln’s confidence after winning crucial victories at Vicksburg, Mississippi, and elsewhere in the West.
A recent compilation by John and David Eicher show most historians who have studied the number have concluded that between 554 and 564 substantive-grade Union generals and between 398 and 401 substantive-grade Confederate generals were properly appointed, confirmed, accepted appointment and served as general officers.
A full, substantive grade promotion superseded and extinguished a brevet appointment to the same or lower rank. A Regular Army promotion, or brevet, ranked ahead of a Volunteer Army promotion or brevet appointment to the same grade. ^ On May 16, 1861 three appointments were made to Major General of U.S. Volunteers.
Similar to the procedures of the US, in the Confederate States of America ("CSA") an officer could legally be made a Confederate general only by appointment by the President of the Confederate States and confirmation by the Confederate States Senate.
At the outbreak of the Civil War, 296 U.S. Army officers of various grades resigned. Of these, 239 joined the Confederate Army in 1861 and 31 joined after 1861. Of these Confederate officers from the U.S. Army, 184 were United States Military Academy graduates.
Most of the brevet ranks were awarded posthumously or to rank from dates near the end of the war and many of them were not confirmed until 1866 or later.
In the Union Army, major generals commanded armies as well as corps and divisions, the armies’ largest units. Seniority was determined by the date of rank stated in the Senate's confirmation resolution, which could have been a date earlier than the confirmation date. Otherwise, rank would be determined by the order of names on the lists of multiple officers confirmed in the same resolution on the same date to rank from the same date.
Some officers who were promoted to full actual grade general received brevet promotions first. Some actual brigadier generals received the brevet rank of major general. Therefore, it can not be assumed that all officers who received brevet general awards necessarily were not actual substantive generals.
Hooker was chagrined and chastened. Mr. Lincoln closed the letter to Hooker: “And now, beware of rashness. Beware of rashness, but with energy, and sleepless vigilance, go forward, and give us victories.” 4. When the generals did not live up to the President’s expectations, Mr. Lincoln changed them.
Other generals visited frequently — often because of their political connections. General Benjamin Butler was a perpetual thorn in the side of the Lincoln administration but unlike other thorns -such as Frémont—President Lincoln was unwilling to pull him out of the Union effort. So Butler kept coming up with new ideas for employment ...
President Lincoln’s primary concern was the conduct of the Civil War so it was natural that military leaders would be frequent visitors to the White House. Union commanders like Winfield Scott, George B. McClellan and Henry Halleck made their headquarters in Washington and visited the White House often. But it was not always the most important ...
His direct command experience was very limited but he, like Illinois’ John Pope, had the good sense to join President Lincoln’s inaugural entourage to Washington. Hunter’s ego was wounded by a presidential order in the fall of 1861 to take a command which he considered beneath his exalted rank.
From the outset of the war, Mr. Lincoln had problems with generals who held the title of general-in-chief—like Winfield Scott, McClellan and Henry Halleck —but failed to exercise the authority of that post or give advice to the President so that he could exercise it.
Regardless of their political leanings or constituencies. generals often had big egos. They thought they knew better than the civilians in Washington and were often jealous of prerogatives of their rank, seniority, and authority.
The Peacemakers (David Dixon Porter, Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman) President Lincoln’s primary concern was the conduct of the Civil War so it was natural that military leaders would be frequent visitors to the White House. Union commanders like Winfield Scott, George B.
Although this plan was ridiculed at the time because of the scarcity of ships in the US Navy to enforce such an ambitious idea , eventually the Anaconda Plan would become a giant constrictor around the throat of the Confederacy and would greatly assist the Union Victory. Scott died in 1866 at the age of 79.
Grant served 2 terms as President and died in 1885 at the age of 63. (He was only 46 years old when he was inaugurated as President.) After his Presidency, Grant and his wife toured the world, meeting the leaders of countries including Kings and Queens and even the Pope. In 1880, Grant ran again for the Republican nomination for President, ...
During the Civil War the US Army (or Union Army if you prefer) had a total of 4 men assigned as General-in-Chief, more or less akin to today’s designation as Chief of Staff of the Army as the top soldier. The Union started the War with General Winfield Scott in charge, the 3 rd Commanding General of the US Army, serving from 1841 to 1861, ...
Too old and infirm to lead in the field, Scott’s main contribution to the Union cause was to espouse the “Anaconda Plan,” a scheme of blockading Southern ports to cut off the Confederacy from arms and trade with other countries. Although this plan was ridiculed at the time because of the scarcity of ships in the US Navy to enforce such an ambitious ...
The failure of the Union Army to make any noticeable progress against the Confederates made Union politicians and newsmen anxious and frustrated, so President Lincoln felt compelled to finally replace the elderly Scott on November 1, 1861. McClellan seemed competent and meticulous, but in practice this attention to detail did not translate ...
On July 23, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln finally found a replacement for General George B. McClellan as General-in-Chief of the Union Army when he appointed General Henry W. Halleck. Lincoln had spent the previous 4 months as de facto head of the Army himself until he found another commander, having earlier relieved McClellan of such duty.
McClellan seemed competent and meticulous, but in practice this attention to detail did not translate into effectiveness in battle as McClellan seemed unable to make rapid and fluid changes as the situation evolved.
When a brigadier general was captured along with some horses and mules, he apparently said: “I don’t care so much for brigadiers; I can make them. But horses and mules cost money.”.
Starting as a Major and ending as a Brigadier General, Robert Anderson is best known for surrendering Fort Sumter, the first engagement of the Civil War. Learn more about Robert Anderson
There were many important Union generals during the American Civil War. Some, like Ulysses S. Grant, William Tecumseh Sherman, George Mclellan and Joshua Chamberlain are household names. Others are less well known but are still important, as the northern generals were the commanders that led the troops and helped decide the ultimate outcome of most civil war battles. Here is a list of important union generals, along with links to more information and articles about each one.
General William Tecumseh Sherman. General William Tecumseh Sherman fought in many battles and his best known for taking Atlanta followed by his brutal by effective “march to the sea.”. Learn more about William Tecumseh Sherman.
General Irvin Mcdowell was an army officer who is better known for the defeat at First Battle of Bull Run. McDowell had at his disposal the army of Northeastern Virginia which unfortunately was inexperienced and not ready. He launched his attack due to pressure from Washington and though the strategy was imaginative, his troops were not ready to carry it out. McDowell died in 1885 and was buried at the San Francisco National Cemetery. Read more about Irvin Mcdowell
General John Buford was an officer of the Union Cavalry during the Civil War and one of his most important roles took place at Gettysburg. Read more about John Buford
General Ulysses S. Grant led the Union Army during the later years of the civil war, and later became the President of The United States. Learn more about Ulysses S. Grant