Sam Heintzelman

[MikeyB]

Re-reading Sears book about the high command of the AoP. I'm only through Seven Days. But I'm wondering - why didn't Heintzelman have a longer, more prominent role of service in the AoP? It seems like he conducted himself fairly well from Williamsburg and onwards. He had some aggressive (Kearny) and competent (Hooker) subordinates, but nonetheless his corps performed relatively well. He wasn't in the doghouse w/ Mac like Keyes was, but on the other hand, he was by no means a McClellanite so should have avoided taint by association like a Porter. Considering there are guys like Sumner who held on for much longer, why was he kicked out? At least as it comes to the Peninsula Campaign, I think he served just as well as any of the corps commanders?

I'm guessing something bad must happen in the upcoming 2nd Manassas campaign given he was not at Antietam. was it politics? really bad performance? fair or unfair?

 

[NedBaldwin]

Re-reading Sears book about the high command of the AoP. I'm only through Seven Days. But I'm wondering - why didn't Heintzelman have a longer, more prominent role of service in the AoP? It seems like he conducted himself fairly well from Williamsburg and onwards. He had some aggressive (Kearny) and competent (Hooker) subordinates, but nonetheless his corps performed relatively well. He wasn't in the doghouse w/ Mac like Keyes was, but on the other hand, he was by no means a McClellanite so should have avoided taint by association like a Porter. Considering there are guys like Sumner who held on for much longer, why was he kicked out? At least as it comes to the Peninsula Campaign, I think he served just as well as any of the corps commanders?

I'm guessing something bad must happen in the upcoming 2nd Manassas campaign given he was not at Antietam. was it politics? really bad performance? fair or unfair?

His corps was pretty beat up at 2nd Manassas and remained in DC during Antietam. From October 62 to October 63 he was in command of the defenses of DC but Im not sure why he just fades away after that.

 

[rpkennedy]

His age may have played a role in his sidelining. After the Second Manassas Campaign and while his corps recovered, he was deemed too old (and not aggressive enough) for field service (he was 57 at the time) and that's why he was kept in Washington and then quietly pushed aside about a year later.

Ryan

 

[Belfoured]

His age may have played a role in his sidelining. After the Second Manassas Campaign and while his corps recovered, he was deemed too old (and not aggressive enough) for field service (he was 57 at the time) and that's why he was kept in Washington and then quietly pushed aside about a year later.

Ryan

Those are good points. He was one of those older officers whose command experience was in large part the typical antebellum, smaller unit type. He didn't seem to adapt to the needs of commanding larger forces and his tenure at the head of the III Corps was pretty lackluster - although to some extent, of course, anybody might have been in the shadow of his two ambitious and aggressive division commanders, Hooker and Kearney.

 

[PJO]

When thinking of Heintzelman, I'm reminded of John J. Hennessy's bonmot that the PA Dutch's leadership during the Second Manassas Campaign was comparable to a "ninth-place finish in a horse-race". "The general indeed had not done well", wrote his sole biographer. "Age, confusion in the Union High Command, but most of all his lack of leadership all combined to discredit him".

 

[rpkennedy]

Those are good points. He was one of those older officers whose command experience was in large part the typical antebellum, smaller unit type. He didn't seem to adapt to the needs of commanding larger forces and his tenure at the head of the III Corps was pretty lackluster - although to some extent, of course, anybody might have been in the shadow of his two ambitious and aggressive division commanders, Hooker and Kearney.

Having those 2 as division commanders would have driven a corps commander to drink, for sure. One would need an equally strong and aggressive nature to keep Hooker and Kearny leashed. Heintzelman just wasn't that man.

Ryan

 

[Nathan Towne]

When the Army of Virginia was absorbed into the Army of the Potomac and as part of the larger renumbering scheme meant to ensure that every Federal Corps had a numerical designation which would place it in the entire U.S. Army, it's three Corps' became the First, Eleventh and Twelfth U.S. Army Corps.

The Army of the Potomac was then fielding eight U.S. Army Corps, along with Couch's division which had been detached from Fourth Corps. As the Army pulled back towards Washington, Third and Eleventh Corps were pealed out of the Army, temporarily, to be rebuilt at Washington.

Hence, McClellan operated with six Corps' in the Maryland campaign.

 

[Belfoured]

Having those 2 as division commanders would have driven a corps commander to drink, for sure. One would need an equally strong and aggressive nature to keep Hooker and Kearny leashed. Heintzelman just wasn't that man.

Ryan

The name Jefferson C. Davis (the "other" Jeff Davis) comes to mind ...