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James Hewitt Ledlie was a Union general from New York. He commanded the First Division of the IX Corps at Petersburg, gaining division command prior to the Battle of the Crater. Ledlie spent the attack, which his troops led, 400 yards behind the lines in a bombproof drinking rum with Edward Ferrero. In his Memoirs, Grant described him this way: " . . . being otherwise inefficient, proved also to possess disqualification less common among soldiers," by which he meant cowardice. Ledlie resigned in January of 1865 and became a civilian engineer, which was his training, which he was apparently good at. He built the breakwater for Chicago's harbor and was later a railroad president and chief engineer.
If you can get some back issues of Civil War Times, there's an article on him titled, "The Union's Worst General" in the June, 1975 issue.
***Union: Brig. Gen. S.D. Sturgis; a West Point Grad who let a lil' ol' civilian soldier named Gen. N.B. Forrest, CSA, whip him bad at the battle of Tishomingo Creek (Brices Cross roads), Mississippi, while Sturgis possessed a superior number of men and artillery.
***Confederate: Brig. Gen. J.R. Jones: 3-12-1827-4-1-1901; commanded a brigade in Trimble's Division; During the battle of Chancellorsville he left the field "owing to an ulcerative leg" (now this was a lame excuse ;-) and was cashiered from service. Captured at Smithsburg, Tennessee on 4 July, 1864, Jones was placed in Johnson's Isand & at Fort Warren from which he was released on 25 july, 1865. No concerted effort by the CS Gov't was done to procure his exchange.
Sigel was very good at Pea Ridge. It's funny how some generals were very good at one level and incredibly bad at another. Hood was an excellent brigade commander: but look at his action at Franklin. Burnside was a decent corps commander; but look at Fredericksburg. Lee sucked in West Virginia; but........Some were just flat out good at whatever position. Gordon comes to mind. Gibbon, too. Some had good days and bad days....Hooker and Jackson come to mind. Both armies had some real losers....mostly those who had buddies in high places and were given generalships rather than earning them.
Calicoboy
__________________ My dear mother:- I have come safely through two more terrible engagements with the enemy, that at South Mountain and the great battle of yesterday (Antietam). Our splendid regiment is almost destroyed. We have had nearly 400 men killed and wounded in the battles. Seven of our officers were shot and three killed in yesterday's battle and nearly 150 men killed and wounded. All from less than 300 engaged. The men have stood like iron....Maj. Rufus Dawes, 6th Wisconsin Volunteers
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