Most Beloved Generals

[MikeyB]

Obvious top answers would be Lee and McClellan. Other ones that come to mind - Sherman, Uncle John, Rosecrans and Thomas. Any other nominations? Would you characterize Hooker, pre Chancellorsville as loved by his men? Kearny? Hancock? Jackson beloved, or just respected?

My top 5 list:
1) Lee
2) Mac
3) Thomas
4) Rosecrans
5) Sherman

But I'm sure I am way way off after 1 and 2 and would be interested in hearing your thoughts!
mike

 

[major bill]

Were any cavalry generals loved by their men?

 

[donna]

I believe General John Hunt Morgan was.

 

[Jimklag]

Joseph E. Johnstone was, like McClellan, worshipped by his men.

 

[jackt62]

James McPherson was another beloved general.

 

[Patrick H]

Out here on the west side of the big ditch, General J.O. Shelby is still much admired and I believe was loved by his men, no matter how hard he drove them.

 

[Ole Miss]

Lee, Cleburne, McPherson, McClellan, Joseph Johnston and John Buford.
Regards
David

 

[Patrick H]

I'm also a bit surprised that Nathan Bedford Forrest hasn't been nominated yet.

 

[Jimklag]

Like McClellan, Joseph E. Johnston was beloved by his troops.

 

[Eleanor Rose]

James Longstreet was beloved by his troops. Longstreet was severely wounded near the end of the Civil War, but upon his return to service one of his men wrote that when he rode the lines there for the first time, the troops greeted him with wild cheers "for ' the old bull of the woods ' as they love to call him." There are numerous examples of their devotion to him over the course of the war and afterwards.

 

[Saruman]

Obvious top answers would be Lee and McClellan. Other ones that come to mind - Sherman, Uncle John, Rosecrans and Thomas. Any other nominations? Would you characterize Hooker, pre Chancellorsville as loved by his men? Kearny? Hancock? Jackson beloved, or just respected?

Albert Sidney Johnston.

Prior to the attack at Shiloh, Johnston was riding with his staff along one of the muddy roads. When his men "began to cheer his approach, he checked them, because it would call the attention of the enemy to their position."

One soldier recounted: "I was as ignorant of the military art at that time as it was possible for a civilian to be. I had never seen a man fire a musket. I had never heard a lecture or read a line on the subject. We were all tyros - all, the rawest and greenest recruits - generals, colonels, captains, soldiers. One thing I recollect, and that was the majestic presence of General Johnston. He looked like a hero of the antique type, and his very appearance on the field was a tower of more than kingly strength..."

 

[leftyhunter]

Obvious top answers would be Lee and McClellan. Other ones that come to mind - Sherman, Uncle John, Rosecrans and Thomas. Any other nominations? Would you characterize Hooker, pre Chancellorsville as loved by his men? Kearny? Hancock? Jackson beloved, or just respected?

My top 5 list:
1) Lee
2) Mac
3) Thomas
4) Rosecrans
5) Sherman

But I'm sure I am way way off after 1 and 2 and would be interested in hearing your thoughts!
mike

Was Sherman beloved by his men prior to the March through Georgia or after?
Sherman lost a lot of men at Shiolh, Vicksburg and from Missionary Ridge to Atlanta. Comparatively speaking the March through Georgia was a walk in the park compared to Sherman's other campaigns.
Leftyhunter

 

[Eleanor Rose]

I'm also a bit surprised that Nathan Bedford Forrest hasn't been nominated yet.

And I'm surprised @diane didn't beat you to it.

 

[luinrina]

Jackson beloved, or just respected?

I think respected rather than beloved. They liked him for winning, not because he went beyond himself for his men. Also, he quarrelled quite often with his subordinates. General Garnett comes to mind. The troops gave him the silent treatment for a while after he put Garnett in arrest.

What about Hancock? From what I've read so far, I've got the impression his men liked him, but it could be like with Stonewall, that they only respected Hancock rather than love him.

 

[Deleted User CS]

I would certainly highly nominate General Lee and of course Longstreet but also include Patrick Cleburne, the Stonewall of the West. I would like to mention Generals John F. Reynolds and Oliver Otis Howard. Both generals had a different command style which was not always enduring to the troops. I would compare Howard's command style to that of General George S. Patton in which the troops did not necessarily "belove", by the definition sense, their commander but certainly had a tremendous amount of respect for him. Howard and Patton were very strict disciplinarians who followed every rule by the book. With regards to Howard, everyone automatically points to Chancellorsville as a damaging event in this man's growth as a general and commander but I would defy any expert to defend any corps from any other army placed in the same situation and circumstances as Howard and the 11th Corps and just see how differently that commander and his troops would have responded to the on rushing troops of Stonewall Jackson. With respect to General Reynolds, he was not only one of the most beloved and respected commanders by his own peers but of course by his very own soldiers until his untimely and tragic death on July 1, 1863 at Gettysburg. David.

 

[diane]

Forrest's men might not have loved him, so I can't put him up for the nomination! BUT, that said, they sure respected him and trusted him with their lives. If they were in a heck of a scrape, one would eventually mutter: 'Ol Bedford will figure us a way out of this!' Once they decided they needed some down time with horse racing and the general said no, didn't want to use up the horses like that, so they decided to run over the top of him and do it anyway. They had the races and Forrest said nothing, even joined in as he loved racing as much as they did. Afterwards they came by and saluted the general, thanking him for his indulgence. Fine, fine. Now tote rails on your shoulders for a day or two! Son Willie was toting them, too, so he was an equal opportunity disciplinarian... They didn't try that again, however.

For a beloved cavalryman, though, I'd put forth Jeb Stuart. I think his men really loved him. He was stern, disciplined, firm and was thoroughly detested by them when he first took command. Over and over and over they kept doing the same thing, same thing, same thing. Jeb was a martinent, a pampered fool, a dandy knothead...then they got into a real fight. One soldier said he was so scared he had no idea what it was he did but he then knew why the endless drilling - Jeb wanted him to be able to do things so automatically he'd save his life in spite of himself! He also loved a good party, good music and, from time to time, a good wrassling match.

 

[MikeyB]

Thanks for the good reading!
How would you characterize the relationship between Grant and his troops - both in the West and then AoP? Would you ever see a wild affectionate mob of soldiers in either the East or West for him like you might have for Little Mac?

 

[Zella]

I think respected rather than beloved. They liked him for winning, not because he went beyond himself for his men. Also, he quarrelled quite often with his subordinates. General Garnett comes to mind. The troops gave him the silent treatment for a while after he put Garnett in arrest.

I'd agree with this for Jackson. From what I have read about Garnett and his various commands throughout the war, his men really tended to like him personally precisely because he seemed concerned about their well-being.

 

[Jimklag]

I think they even disliked Jackson - but they respected him.

 

[AUG]

Texas cavalry general Tom Green, known as "Daddy" Green by his troops. Probably one of the most popular generals west of the Mississippi.

Of course John Bell Hood by his Texas Brigade, as well as their next brigadier, Jerome B. Robertson, who was known as "Aunt Polly" by the brigade because he was always so concerned with their well-being.

Lots of other brigadier generals were as well, too many to name.