Luckiest General?

[tony_gunter]

I saw a question about which general saw the hardest fighting of the civil war, and most of the responses were generals from the east because of the long string of major battles in that theater along a mostly static front. Thinking about the west, it's really more a war of maneuver in which the Federal side attempts to land a blow against portions of the enemy in detail. We really only see five toe-to-toe major engagements, Shiloh, Perryville, Stones River, Chickamauga, and Atlanta.

So I started thinking: which general had the *easiest* fighting? One name really jumps off the screen: AJ Smith.

He somehow avoided any real toe-to-toe combat for the duration of the war.
Saw only skirmishing at Chickasaw Bayou, Port Gibson, and Champion Hill.
Pitched in at the very end of Big Black River and accepted the surrender of an isolated Tennessee regiment.
Missed the first assault on Vicksburg, remained mostly in reserve during second assault.
Served as rear guard during retreat of the Red River Campaign.
Sent to take command of large reinforcements sent to hunt Forrest as punishment for Fort Pillow, resulting in Battle of Tupelo (13,000 infantry vs 7,000 cavalry).
Chased Price into Kansas after he had already decided to abandon Missouri.
Assaulted the Confederate lines at Nashville after they had already begun to crumble.

Any other civil war generals with so much proximity to toe-to-toe fighting who had such an easy time of it?

 

[bayouace]

At Pleasant Hill Smith's Gorillas saved Banks derrierre. Perhaps all the light fighting his men had elsewhere led to their energetic reputation regarding depredations against civilians.

 

[Belfoured]

I saw a question about which general saw the hardest fighting of the civil war, and most of the responses were generals from the east because of the long string of major battles in that theater along a mostly static front. Thinking about the west, it's really more a war of maneuver in which the Federal side attempts to land a blow against portions of the enemy in detail. We really only see five toe-to-toe major engagements, Shiloh, Perryville, Stones River, Chickamauga, and Atlanta.

So I started thinking: which general had the *easiest* fighting? One name really jumps off the screen: AJ Smith.

He somehow avoided any real toe-to-toe combat for the duration of the war.
Saw only skirmishing at Chickasaw Bayou, Port Gibson, and Champion Hill.
Pitched in at the very end of Big Black River and accepted the surrender of an isolated Tennessee regiment.
Missed the first assault on Vicksburg, remained mostly in reserve during second assault.
Served as rear guard during retreat of the Red River Campaign.
Sent to take command of large reinforcements sent to hunt Forrest as punishment for Fort Pillow, resulting in Battle of Tupelo (13,000 infantry vs 7,000 cavalry).
Chased Price into Kansas after he had already decided to abandon Missouri.
Assaulted the Confederate lines at Nashville after they had already begun to crumble.

Any other civil war generals with so much proximity to toe-to-toe fighting who had such an easy time of it?

Now this is an interesting angle. Of course, AJ would probably quote Branch Rickey: "Luck is the residue of design."

 

[Pollaco]

The stress of operating such a big department like Texas probably wasn't a healthy thing but General John Magruder wasn't exactly in the thick of the actual fighting.Lots of planning but not a whole lot of combat.I wouldn't say he had it easy but did avoid the fighting.

 

[Stryker65]

Just found this thread:
- Galusha Pennypacker started the war as a QM Sgt. at age 16, and ended the war as a volunteer Brevet Major General and a regular Colonel with a Medal of Honor.
- Lt. Peter C. Hains later became a Major General in WWI, and was famed for his work on the Panama Canal. During the war, he was a leading engineer in the Siege of Vicksburg.
- Brig. Gen. Romeyn Ayres started off the war as an artillery captain at Bull Run, and later led a V Corps division for three years. He was never wounded.

 

[DixieRifles]

- Lt. Peter C. Hains later became a Major General in WWI, and was famed for his work on the Panama Canal. During the war, he was a leading engineer in the Siege of Vicksburg.

Which side??

 

[DixieRifles]

James H. Wilson started out as a topographical engineer and ended up a Maj General commanding a cavalry corps. I dont know if it was luck or because he followed on the coat tails of General US Grant.

 

[Stryker65]

Which side??

Union. He was a regular battery commander at Bull Run.

 

[Stryker65]

James H. Wilson started out as a topographical engineer and ended up a Maj General commanding a cavalry corps. I dont know if it was luck or because he followed on the coat tails of General US Grant.

And George McClellan.

 

[RobertP]

I may be mistaken but it seems that most CW generals wanted to be at the tip of the spear rather than avoiding it. At least that's what they wrote. Given that wouldn't A. J. Smith have been one of the unluckiest, never having a real chance to shine?

 

[Stryker65]

I may be mistaken but it seems that most CW generals wanted to be at the tip of the spear rather than avoiding it. At least that's what they wrote. Given that wouldn't A. J. Smith have been one of the unluckiest, never having a real chance to shine?

He had the distinction of also being the first colonel of the Second California Cavalry.