Generals We Remember. . . and Forget

[pamc153PA]

I was just browsing through an index of Confederate and Union Generals, some of which I was familiar with, and many I had never heard of. I got to thinking about those we all know--Lee, Meade, Longstreet, Reynolds, Pickett, Hooker--and those whose records were listed but whom I had rarely or never heard of, and I wondered what the difference was.

What makes a general "memorable" to history, and what makes one easily forgotten? Is it their record, their medals, their personality, their self-promotion--who they knew, what they did after the war, etc.? Any one thing, or a combination? I was able to, just in browsing the list, find familiar generals and unfamiliar generals (to me) who had, on paper, similiar military records. But what, in your opinion, sets the R.E. Lees apart from the H.A. Barnums?

Your thoughts?

Pam

 

[ole]

There must have been hundreds of Brigadier Generals who remained in that rank. We remember some because they got killed. We remember others because they advanced to division command.

Who remembers who was the commander of the third division of the XI Corps at Chancellorsville?

Ole

 

[Elennsar]

I think there are several things.

One is how prominent they were in their day. Lee was commander of the most famous (in its day) and most written about army of the Confederacy.

Some people are more colorful than others. More people would recognize Thomas J. Jackson than Richard H. Anderson not necessarily because of what they did as generals but because Jackson had a more distinctive, memorable personality.

Some - even if in general not very well known - stand out for something in particular. Pickett, for instance. Everyone knows of Pickett's charge, even if Pickett himself is mostly a "who?" - he's still remembered more than say, Issac Trimble.

Related to point #1, serving in the East generally helps, as does higher rank, but not necessarily. John Bell Hood is more recognizable than Albert Sidney Johnston.

So I think its mostly that some people caught the eye better. As such, more was publically written about them, and the aspects that originally drew attention became better known.

Ole: I might. But I'm hopelessly geeky. (von Steinwehr, I believe)

Edit: Oops. von Steinwehr is 2nd division. Carl Schurz is 3rd.

 

[Bladerunnernyc]

There must have been hundreds of Brigadier Generals who remained in that rank. We remember some because they got killed. We remember others because they advanced to division command.

Who remembers who was the commander of the third division of the XI Corps at Chancellorsville?

Ole

Better yet- who remembers the man who saved the AoT? The man that the Confederate Congress openly praised and with whom Lee said was one of the best commanders in the Confederacy?

Patrick Cleburne.

Or one of the true great military minds of the war- a man who enlisted as a private- and ended the war as a genius in logistics and mobile warfare- NBF.

And my absolute favorite- George Rains. The most brilliant scientist of the war- a man who kept the CSA in the war years after it would have been depleated of vital war materials- a man who was greatly praised by Davis, Lee and Longstreet- yet if you ask most people- even main stream writers- who George Rains was- they wouldn't know as his story went untold for over 100 years.

 

[Nytram01]

Generally, I think, it is usually the extremes that get remembered. The most and least successful generals are always the most frequently noted. This monopoly is broken by the most interesting characters or by specific moments of interest involving a general.

Few would note those who simply did their job without fuss or complaint, who did not excell at their job but were not bad at it, unless something extraordinary happened to them.

Thomas Benton Smith is one such man. If he had not been brutally attacked after he surrendered he would be even more unknown than he s today.

 

[captainrlm]

Good questions, but it's not just limited to the Civil War or to generals - think of sports teams for instance. Many people know Babe Ruth, but fewer know Earle Combs, both of the 27 Yankees.

I'm sure it applies to other industries as well - actors, astronauts, scientists, etc.

I don't know of any particular consistent reason why, but that's sort of how life plays out - some people become famous, while others may do their job just as well but miss out on the fame.

 

[Bladerunnernyc]

Good questions, but it's not just limited to the Civil War or to generals - think of sports teams for instance. Many people know Babe Ruth, but fewer know Earle Combs, both of the 27 Yankees.

I'm sure it applies to other industries as well - actors, astronauts, scientists, etc.

I don't know of any particular consistent reason why, but that's sort of how life plays out - some people become famous, while others may do their job just as well but miss out on the fame.

Col. Paul Revere- great grandson of 'Midnight Ride' Paul Revere died July 4, 1863- at GB.