Brigadier General John Pegram, LEE’S Paradoxical Cavalier

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Scott Laidig
A Research Paper SUBMITTED TO DR. EDWARD HAGERTY,

CW 516
By: Scott Laidig
February 1998

This is an interesting item for those that like to read.

Scott Laidig
A Research Paper SUBMITTED TO DR. EDWARD HAGERTY,
CW 516
By: Scott Laidig
February 1998

A short read for all.

Many extraordinarily gifted lieutenants served General Robert E. Lee. Among the most famous were Lieutenant Generals Thomas (Stonewall) Jackson, James Longstreet, A. P. Hill and Richard Ewell, and Major Generals J. E. B. Stuart, George Pickett, Fitzhugh Lee and W. F. (Rooney) Lee.1 Most of these men were Virginians who shared a social background similar to Lee; all were, like Lee, West Point graduates and former officers in the U. S. Army.2 Lee had reputation for ridding his army of mediocre commanders as well as men whose demeanor and bearing did not resemble his own. Of those famous "lieutenants" named above, only George Pickett, forever remembered for his division’s fateful charge at Gettysburg, was a mediocre commander during the war. True, Hill and Ewell did not distinguish themselves as corps commanders, but they had done extremely well at the brigade and division level. What were the prerequisites for promotion in Lee’s army? Did social, as opposed to political, position play a role? Were there Virginia cavaliers whose performance more closely resembled Pickett’s than Jackson’s or Stuart’s? Arguably, there was at least one.
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https://ehistory.osu.edu/articles/brigadier-general-john-pegram-lee’s-paradoxical-cavalier
 
Is this another example of Lee's prejudice in favor of fellow Virginians? It seems so.

Although the prejudice seems evident, I have never seen any writer argue that it harmed the performance of ANV. Does anyone out there know of any such argument?
 
How can anyone say Lee only favored Virginians when Longstreet of SC/GA was easily one of his favorite subordinates and people? Lee loved commanders he could trust no matter where they were from. Also, keep in mind what the name of his army was; "The Army of Northern VA" which understandably was filled with Virginians. While Johnston was the commander before Lee gained control after Johnston's wounding in '62, it was really Lee's army thru and thru.
 
Wasn't he the one who married Hefty Cary?
Yes he was Polloco:
954A17AC-4DE2-4D7B-8626-D008A295EB92.jpeg
 
One observation concerning the article that leads me to question the research. While discussing Pegram's service under Kirby Smith, Laidig states that Kirby Smith was "probably was sent West by Robert E. Lee". Kirby Smith was relieved from duty in the Department of Northern Virginia on February 21, 1862 (OR Series 1, Volume V, page 1078). He was assigned to command troops in East Tennessee under Albert Sidney Johnston on February 25 (OR Series 1, Volume 7, page 908). At the time Robert E. Lee was serving as the commander of the Department of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. He would not be ordered back to Richmond until March 2 (OR Series 1, Volume VI, Chapter XV, page 400). I think it unlikely Lee was involved with the transfer at all. I also question why Laidig would suggest the possibility of Lee's involvement when he cannot provide evidence thereof.
 
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