Who was the Greatest Civil War General? (poll)

Who was the Greatest Civil War General?

  • Jubal Earl

    Votes: 2 0.5%
  • George Gordon Meade

    Votes: 2 0.5%
  • James Longstreet

    Votes: 17 4.7%
  • George Henry Thomas

    Votes: 11 3.0%
  • Robert E. Lee

    Votes: 118 32.4%
  • Ulysses S. Grant

    Votes: 129 35.4%
  • Philip Sheridan

    Votes: 1 0.3%
  • Nathan Bedford Forrest

    Votes: 25 6.9%
  • Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson

    Votes: 30 8.2%
  • William T. Sherman

    Votes: 15 4.1%
  • Don't Know

    Votes: 14 3.8%

  • Total voters
    364
Give me some parameters and then I will vote.

In other words:
Which general achieved the most
Which general did the most with the least
Which general was the most cunning
Which general......... well....you get my drift.
 
Give me some parameters and then I will vote.

In other words:
Which general achieved the most
Which general did the most with the least
Which general was the most cunning
Which general......... well....you get my drift.

As you correctly point out there are a number of factors both tangible and intangible which go into trying to decide who is the 'greatest'.

I leave it to the individual to decide how they want to weigh those factors in deciding who is the 'greatest'.
 
I have a certain admiration for nearly all these guys ( not so much Early though). Voted don't know :nah disagree:. But looking at greatest as against favourite go with this guy :grant:. He got there in the end.
 
When it comes to generals, only the surrender document really matters.
I have no problem with bestowing a 'greatness' mantle on Grant. But I think using the 'because he won' matrix is flawed. I liken it to sports whereas the best teams do not always win. They may have won on a particular day but perhaps not overall. That's why they say it's hard to beat the same team twice. There are always intangibles that come up and can interfere with the outcome. I'm not a military historian and don't claim to be, but wasn't Grant's army almost twice the size of Lee's at the start of the Overland Campaign? That's one heck of an advantage.
 
This Guy! :lee:

lee_sword.jpg
 
I voted for Lee but I would say the argument against him being #1 was that his greatest victories was aided by incomptence at the highest level of command of the AotP/Army of Virginia (2nd manassas, fredericksburg, chancellorsville)
 
Beyond the obvious, that Grant won, Grant also developed his subordinates. He grew the men who would play key roles in defeating the confederacy. Which of Lee's subordinates was able to excel in larger roles?
I would use the term shielded his buddies rather than developed his subordinates.
 
Beyond the obvious, that Grant won, Grant also developed his subordinates. He grew the men who would play key roles in defeating the confederacy. Which of Lee's subordinates was able to excel in larger roles?

Jubal Early, Wade Hampton, and John Gordon spring immediately to mind.
 
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