J. Stanley
Private
- Joined
- Dec 22, 2019
Yeah, I'm definitely not going to rock the boat on this. Hardee over Polk any day of the week. It's like choosing between a fresh cup of milk and a cup of milk left in the sun for a week.
That said, I do think Hardee is fairly overrated for being one the few competent Confederate corps commander in the Western Theater. He had several superb days (Stones River, Averasboro, Bentonville), but his lesser qualities tend to be under-emphasized.
Hardee's main issue was his awful personality problems. He seemingly disliked the responsibility of army command and then got shocked whenever somebody else was chosen. He also was critical of anyone who took the position - he criticized Bragg, Joseph Johnston, and Hood. IIRC Earl J. Hess noted Bragg's enemies largely came from Hardee's Corps rather than Polk's (which is what I had assumed). His personality problems had pretty negative consequences for the Army of Tennessee, most notably Tullahoma and Peachtree Creek.
At Tullahoma, Hardee was slow to report on vital information about Rosecrans' left hook to Bragg, which endangered Bragg's rear. Now, Bragg's communication of his strategy to his subordinates was very poor, it must be said. But by withholding vital information, Bragg almost committed to a counterattack with Polk's Corps that would have ended in disaster. Only Polk's obstinate refusal prevented a disaster (wow Polk being useful for once).
At Peachtree Creek, he basically threw a hissy fit about Hood being promoted over him, disobeying orders and being reluctant to verify them, and failing to press the attack. He squandered a pretty good opportunity to gobble up Newton's isolated division of O.O. Howard's IV Corps.
Overall, I'm inclined to say that given he is the best Confederate Corps commander in the Western Theater, it is not a surprise the Army of Tennessee succumbed.
That said, I do think Hardee is fairly overrated for being one the few competent Confederate corps commander in the Western Theater. He had several superb days (Stones River, Averasboro, Bentonville), but his lesser qualities tend to be under-emphasized.
Hardee's main issue was his awful personality problems. He seemingly disliked the responsibility of army command and then got shocked whenever somebody else was chosen. He also was critical of anyone who took the position - he criticized Bragg, Joseph Johnston, and Hood. IIRC Earl J. Hess noted Bragg's enemies largely came from Hardee's Corps rather than Polk's (which is what I had assumed). His personality problems had pretty negative consequences for the Army of Tennessee, most notably Tullahoma and Peachtree Creek.
At Tullahoma, Hardee was slow to report on vital information about Rosecrans' left hook to Bragg, which endangered Bragg's rear. Now, Bragg's communication of his strategy to his subordinates was very poor, it must be said. But by withholding vital information, Bragg almost committed to a counterattack with Polk's Corps that would have ended in disaster. Only Polk's obstinate refusal prevented a disaster (wow Polk being useful for once).
At Peachtree Creek, he basically threw a hissy fit about Hood being promoted over him, disobeying orders and being reluctant to verify them, and failing to press the attack. He squandered a pretty good opportunity to gobble up Newton's isolated division of O.O. Howard's IV Corps.
Overall, I'm inclined to say that given he is the best Confederate Corps commander in the Western Theater, it is not a surprise the Army of Tennessee succumbed.
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