Having the benefit of hindsight, were any of Lincoln's political generals that important to the war effort from a political point of view? Many if not most of his political generals were subpar commanders, so looking back on what happened historically, was any of their political support so necessary and powerful to outweigh appointing a professional soldier in their place?
Some quick names that come to mind include Butler, Fremont, Banks, Sigel and Hunter.
Perhaps asked another way, looking back, would the Union cause have been just fine without the political contributions of these generals, or does history understate just how important their non-military contributions were to the effort?
Some quick names that come to mind include Butler, Fremont, Banks, Sigel and Hunter.
Perhaps asked another way, looking back, would the Union cause have been just fine without the political contributions of these generals, or does history understate just how important their non-military contributions were to the effort?