Choosing Your Army Commander

[kevikens]

If you had been a soldier in the ACW and had had the opportunity to choose what army commander you were going to fight under, who would you have chosen and why ?

My own choice would have been to fight under George Thomas who I happen to believe was the best overall army commander of the war in anybody's army, hands down. I believe him to have been the most professional, the most innovative, the most astute commander and, since this would be of obvious importance if he were to be calling the shots for the army I would be fighting in, careful of how he used his men and not wasteful of his men's lives. No Cold Harbors or Fredericksburgs with this general in charge. No pyrrhic victories, but solid successes at an acceptable cost. A decent man, to boot.

 

[hrobalabama]

My pick would be:Forrest, then D.H. Hill or Pat Cleburne or John B. Gordon. (Major Generals)
Hill, Cleburne and Gordon are all underrated.

 

[12th Missouri Yankee]

My picks are varied: General Forrest, General Stonewall Jackson, General Osterhaus, Admiral Farragut. Tenacious, brave, skilled leaders.

 

[Elennsar]

Army commander? Thomas.

I don't know if I'd say he was the best army commander, but of the candidates for that, I feel most confident in surviving the experience of him as the one ordering me into battle.

 

[ole]

Unfortunately, you didn't get to choose.

 

[Allie]

Mosby, because his guys had the most fun. Or McClellan if I wanted to get home alive - with any luck I'd muster out before he did anything!

 

[peteanddelmar]

From what I know these four would be at the top of the list. I would only exclude Forrest because he was So active,,dying would have been easy.

Johnston, Sherman, Thomas, Taylor with a nod to Cleburne.

 

[67th Tigers]

I'd pick the most effective combat commander - MG George B. McClellan.

 

[peteanddelmar]

I'd pick the most effective combat commander - MG George B. McClellan.

Was he a combat commander? I would think an army or theater commander would have been far from combat!

 

[67th Tigers]

Was he a combat commander? I would think an army or theater commander would have been far from combat!

Commanded more named battles than anyone except Grant and Lee.....

 

[Nytram01]

On the grounds that I'd like to actually survive if I had taken part in the Civil War, and adding personal preferance into the mix, then I would choose Joe Johnston - big surprise I know - because he was a prudent commander, careful to avoid risks and the most likely Confederate Commander the average soldier would survive under.

 

[Nytram01]

My pick would be:Forrest, then D.H. Hill or Pat Cleburne or John B. Gordon. (Major Generals)
Hill, Cleburne and Gordon are all underrated.

Not sure Cleburne's underrated - widely regarded to have been one of the best generals of the war and commanding arguably the finest division of either side - but I think I'd agree with D.H. Hill - since his personality resulted in his chances for glory being reduced and eventually led to him being drummed out of service at the moment the Confederacy could have benefitted most from him - though I dont know what I'd say about Gordon and how people rank him - seems well thought of by those who study the war but doesn't have much of a profile outside of that.

 

[Lt R. Blackwell 4th Texas]

On the grounds that I'd like to actually survive if I had taken part in the Civil War, and adding personal preferance into the mix, then I would choose Joe Johnston - big surprise I know - because he was a prudent commander, careful to avoid risks and the most likely Confederate Commander the average soldier would survive under.

Good choice if you don't care about who wins the war.

 

[Billy Yank]

W.S. Hancock, "The Superb," w/o hesitation.