Which Civil War General Do You Love to Hate?

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I was recently struck by a comment another poster made in which they pondered how someone who was loyal to the Southern Cause could criticize a renowned Southern general like James Longstreet. I have often wondered that myself. This phenomenon is common on both sides. For example, there are plenty of loyal Unionists who seem to take pleasure in trying to prove that General Grant was an alcoholic. Perhaps the answer is simple – folks love having someone to hate.

So, which general do you love to hate? And please tell us why!

I’ll get us started. I love to hate General Sherman. While I understand how his tactics brought an end to the Civil War, I hate them. The idea of terrorizing women and children just makes me cringe. I think Sherman’s “total war” strategy was despicable
 
The Lieber Code of Conduct was introduced on April 24th 1864, that clearly stated that defenceless Citizens were NOT to be attacked or Cities & Towns plundered.
Yet Sherman attacked Roswell, in July 1864 during the Atlanta campaign, burned down the Mills, and deported 400 innocent Women & Children to the north............just for this one incident I hate the Man !


I think there was also an instance, I believe around Memphis, that either Sherman or Grant's wagon train was bushwacked, and even though they did not know who did it, in return they burnt all the houses nearby, regardless if that family took part or knew about the attack before hand........

But I do understand why some can love Sherman, if they can love John Brown, why not Sherman.

The real problem is how they wish to view the war. . . .blinders.

Respectfully,

William Richardson
 
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My favorite is "Little Phil" Sheridan for his scorched earth policy in the Shenandoah Valley - "A crow flying over the Shenandoah
Valley would have to carry its own rations" as he gleefully reported. His depredations were even worse during the Indian Wars.The phrase "The only good indian is a dead indian" is attributed to him.
 
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It might have saved a lot of lives and spared a lot of grief had he explained it to the blacks who foolishly put their confidence in such a man. They would have been better off had they stayed back on the farms picking cotton
Better to die on ones feet then live on ones knees. It's interesting that you think it's horrible for Butler to verbally insult white woman dumbing bed pans on soldiers heads but it's ok to beat or kill black woman and their children seeking freedom.
Leftyhunter
 
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Better to die on ones feet then live on ones knees. It's interesting that you think it's horrible for Butler to verbally insult white woman dumbing bed pans on soldiers heads but it's ok to beat or kill black woman and their children seeking freedom.
Leftyhunter

Would you produce the post where I said it was OK to kill black women and children, or for that matter where I said it was OK any women or children? As for Benjamin F. Butler, his incompetence was too valuable an asset to the Confederate cause for me, personally, to ever call him horrible.
 
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All wars are cruel.
And all wars produce incompetents.

So cruelty and incompetence are not proper measurable standards, IMHO.

I'd limit 'hate' to generals who violated the code of conduct for warfare in his given era.
 
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I was recently struck by a comment another poster made in which they pondered how someone who was loyal to the Southern Cause could criticize a renowned Southern general like James Longstreet. I have often wondered that myself. This phenomenon is common on both sides. For example, there are plenty of loyal Unionists who seem to take pleasure in trying to prove that General Grant was an alcoholic. Perhaps the answer is simple – folks love having someone to hate.

So, which general do you love to hate? And please tell us why!

I’ll get us started. I love to hate General Sherman. While I understand how his tactics brought an end to the Civil War, I hate them. The idea of terrorizing women and children just makes me cringe. I think Sherman’s “total war” strategy was despicable
 
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… So, which general do you love to hate? And please tell us why!

I’ll get us started. I love to hate General Sherman. While I understand how his tactics brought an end to the Civil War, I hate them. The idea of terrorizing women and children just makes me cringe. I think Sherman’s “total war” strategy was despicable
You might also want to check out Maj. Gen. David "Black Dave" Hunter and his depredations around Harper's Ferry and the Shenandoah Valley in the Summer of 1864.
 
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Sherman and Sheridan. For reasons already stated:

I love to hate General Sherman. While I understand how his tactics brought an end to the Civil War, I hate them. The idea of terrorizing women and children just makes me cringe. I think Sherman’s “total war” strategy was despicable
I'll go with Sheridan (Grant's hit man). He was needlessly brutal--to the point that I suspect he enjoyed it. And his treatment of General Warren was very troubling. I think he enjoyed that, too.

As for any Confederate general, to do him justice, I love to hate Braxton Bragg also.

All three sure have their merits and I do see these, but to me their brutality and inhumanity prevail.
 
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I think there was also an instance, I believe around Memphis, that either Sherman or Grant's wagon train was bushwacked, and even though they did not know who did it, in return they burnt all the houses nearby, regardless if that family took part or knew about the attack before hand........

But I do understand why some can love Sherman, if they can love John Brown, why not Sherman.

The real problem is how they wish to view the war. . . .blinders.

Respectfully,

William Richardson

Which is not your view.

As for understanding how other people view the war, that's a gift that has yet to be granted to me.

Where did you find yours? On the road to Damascus?
 
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It's true that every time something happened to Union troops in the area around Memphis, people got a knuckle sandwich - deserved or not. The country was full of Forrest's family - and they were pretty much a tribe! Most of what was done in West Tennessee, was - according to Hurlbut - to 'grub up Tennessee'. The idea was to make it unprofitable for the rebel forces and of no survival value to the civilians if they supported the rebels. When you see what was going on there...it makes Sherman's quick trip through Georgia look like a waltz.
 
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My favorite is "Little Phil" Sheridan for his scorched earth policy in the Shenandoah Valley - "A crow flying over the Shenandoah
Valley would have to carry its own rations" as he gleefully reported. His depredations were even worse during the Indian Wars. The phrase "The only good indian is a dead indian" is attributed to him.
In partial defense of Sheridan - and mainly because c*ap like this has become all-too-common ever since the 1960's - there's more to this legend than meets the eye:

Supposedly Sheridan while leading an expedition was looking for one of his trusted scouts when he was confronted by another who volunteered his questionable services, thumping his chest and proclaiming himself to be a good Injun, prompting Sheridan's pithy and deliberately sarcastic reply, "The only 'good Indians' I've ever seen have all been dead."
 
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All wars are cruel.
And all wars produce incompetents.

So cruelty and incompetence are not proper measurable standards, IMHO.

I'd limit 'hate' to generals who violated the code of conduct for warfare in his given era.
So we are to assume that you belong to the school of thought that winning is the only measure of the man?
 
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