Battles with Union commander from a Confederate State and Confederate commander from Union state

spurrier458

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I was just reading about the Battle of Mobile Bay the other day, and I noticed the irony of Farragut (born in Tennessee) commanding the Union fleet and Buchanan (born in Maryland) commanding the Confederate fleet. I'm curious if there were other engagements where the Union commander came from a Confederate loyal state, and the Confederate commander came from a Union loyal state.

The only other one I can think of would be Nashville with Thomas being from Virginia and Hood from Kentucky, though I associate Hood more with Texas. I'm curious if anyone here who knows more about these things than myself would be able to pull some more examples. Of course we could quibble about the relative Confederateness of Missouri and Kentucky since they had dual governments, but for this exercise I count those two states as Union states.
 
Well, we could also quibble about the relative "Confederateness" of Tennessee, considering that it was among the most politically divided states of the south, but I see your meaning.

It is worth noting two things; first, national - rather than state - loyalty was the norm in the navy; Buchanan was a rare creature in this regard. State loyalty was less of a concern for men who had largely been at sea fir years, sometimes since before they were even teenagers.

Second, Union service by southerners - particularly southern officers - is far more common than we tend to think. If the 350 Confederate state-born officers in the US Army in 1860, 30 resigned and served with neither side; of the remaining 320, 162 - in other words nearly half - remained in the Union Army.
 
Well, we could also quibble about the relative "Confederateness" of Tennessee, considering that it was among the most politically divided states of the south, but I see your meaning.

It is worth noting two things; first, national - rather than state - loyalty was the norm in the navy; Buchanan was a rare creature in this regard. State loyalty was less of a concern for men who had largely been at sea fir years, sometimes since before they were even teenagers.

Second, Union service by southerners - particularly southern officers - is far more common than we tend to think. If the 350 Confederate state-born officers in the US Army in 1860, 30 resigned and served with neither side; of the remaining 320, 162 - in other words nearly half - remained in the Union Army.

East Tennessee was bitterly divided, at least in the beginning. Middle and west Tennessee were predominantly Confederate.
 
I was just reading about the Battle of Mobile Bay the other day, and I noticed the irony of Farragut (born in Tennessee) commanding the Union fleet and Buchanan (born in Maryland) commanding the Confederate fleet. I'm curious if there were other engagements where the Union commander came from a Confederate loyal state, and the Confederate commander came from a Union loyal state.

The only other one I can think of would be Nashville with Thomas being from Virginia and Hood from Kentucky, though I associate Hood more with Texas. I'm curious if anyone here who knows more about these things than myself would be able to pull some more examples. Of course we could quibble about the relative Confederateness of Missouri and Kentucky since they had dual governments, but for this exercise I count those two states as Union states.

Probably not exactly what you had in mind. This Confederate general was from Maine His "adopted" State was Alabama. He served a good deal in east Tennessee. Probably had occasion to go up against units made up of southern Unionists.

Brigadier-General Danville Leadbetter
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Brigadier-General Danville Leadbetter was a native of Maine,
born in 1811; was graduated at the United States military
academy in 1836 as second lieutenant, and was assigned at
first to the artillery and then transferred to the engineer
corps.

He served on garrison duty at Oswego Harbor, NY., 1839-45; was
in charge of the engineer agency in New York for the purchase
and shipment of supplies for the construction of
fortifications, 1845-48; as member of joint commission of
naval and engineer officers for examination of the Pacific
coast of the United States, also as superintending engineer of
the repairs of Fort Morgan, and the building of Fort Gaines, at Mobile, Ala.

The custom house at Mobile was built under his supervision.
Like many other officers of Northern birth his residence as an
army officer among the Southern people had caused him to
become identified with the South in sentiment. He regarded
Alabama as his State, and, upon her secession, determined to
espouse her cause.

Accordingly he resigned his commission as captain in the army
of the United States and, accepting from his adopted State the
commission of lieutenant-colonel, was placed in command of
Fort Morgan. Later he was made a brigadier-general in the
army of the Confederate States (February 27, 1862) and sent
into east Tennessee.

When the Union army was moving upon Chattanooga in 1862,
General Leadbetter was engaged in quite a spirited affair at
Bridgeport, in which, although the Confederates were worsted,
considerable delay was caused to the movements of the enemy.
His skill as an engineer caused him to be sent soon afterward
to superintend the construction of the defenses of Mobile.

In 1863 he was for a short time chief of the engineer
department of the army of Tennessee, and he served in this
capacity during the construction of the lines along Missionary
Ridge, while the army of General Bragg was investing
Chattanooga. A short while before the battle of Missionary
Ridge General Leadbetter accompanied the brigades of Bushrod
Johnson and Gracie on their march to reinforce Longstreet near
Knoxville.

They reached Longstreet on the 24th of November. As
Leadbetter had once been stationed at Knoxville, he was
familiar with its fortifications, and for that reason had been
sent to give General Longstreet such help as might be expected
from an experienced engineer.

After three days spent in reconnoitering the position of the
enemy, an attack upon Fort Sanders was decided upon. The
result, however, was disastrous to the Confederates.

General Leadbetter continued to serve the Confederacy
faithfully until the close of the war, when he went to Mexico
and afterward to Canada. He died at Clifton, Canada,
September 26, 1866, at the age of fifty-five.

Source: Confederate Military History, vol. VIII, p. 424
 
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