Following on from my previous thread of this kind on Gettysburg, here's the Shiloh edition! This is a thread grading the Confederate corps and division commanders at the battle, the grading system used is ABCDF, and Incomplete.
GEN Albert Sidney Johnston (k),
GEN P. G. T. Beauregard
MG Leonidas Polk
- BG Charles Clark
- BG Benjamin F. Cheatham (w), BG Bushrod R. Johnson (w)
MG Braxton Bragg
- BG Daniel Ruggles
- BG Jones M. Withers
MG William J. Hardee
- BG Thomas C. Hindman (commanded an ad-hoc division)
BG John C. Breckinridge (nominally commanded a corps, functionally a division)
Albert Sidney Johnston: A+
Johnston's leadership was one of the primary reasons the Confederate attack was successful. "Amazingly, the attack worked on almost the entire front, mostly because of Johnston's personal leadership... Beauregard, who was no fan of Johnston, accurately wrote that Johnston gave resistless impulsion to his columns at critical moments" - historian Timothy B. Smith."The cohesion and persistency [of the Confederate army at Shiloh] in its attack... were really marvelous, and an enduring tribute to its commander" - historian A.L. Conger. The loss of momentum caused by Johnston's fall ruined any chance of success.
Pierre G.T. Beauregard: D
Beauregard was an ill man at the time of battle, and lost his nerve, wanting to cancel the attack. Prior to Johnston's death he acted as "a mere functionary forwarding reinforcements and munitions". Beauregard's main failure was his inability to obtain "critical intelligence about the location of target enemy camps" and topography of the battlefield "despite his being in the area from February 15. The planning Beauregard was early charged with involved preparing for various offensive options and included map making, procurement of local scouts, and the recruitment of effective spies. Yet the want of such created an informational void that Sidney Johnston was repeatedly compelled to cope with, often having to make critical decisions despite a lack of essential information." - historian Wiley Sword. Beauregard also failed to notice Buell's arrival on the evening of April 6.
Leonidas Polk: C
A mixed performance. Polk was personally courageous and inspired his men. The downside was his decision to permit Cheatham to bivouac so far to the rear on the evening of the first day, which resulted in delay and confusion on the second day of battle.
Braxton Bragg: D
Bragg too frequently resorted to frontal attacks which caused heavy casualties among the Confederate soldiers. He also managed to unnecessarily insult several subordinate commanders (e.g., Gibson) which planted the seeds of resentment towards him in the later Army of Tennessee.
William J. Hardee: B
A solid performance from Hardee. Considering the successes achieved by Hardee's corps (the first line of Confederate troops), its relatively limited size, and the width of the Union camp, he did well to drive Sherman and McClernand's divisions back so rapidly.
John C. Breckinridge: C
A mixed performance. The downside was that Breckinridge couldn't get his soldiers to charge the Union line in the Peach Orchard, resulting in Johnston taking over, but getting mortally wounded in the process. The upside was his effective rear-guard action during the Confederate withdrawal on the second day. Breckinridge was personally courageous, being struck twice by spent bullets.