The Best of a Bad Lot: Lincoln's Political Generals

Who are the best of Lincoln's political generals?

  • Edward D Baker

    Votes: 1 1.6%
  • Nathaniel P Banks

    Votes: 4 6.3%
  • Benjamin F Butler

    Votes: 18 28.6%
  • Daniel Butterfield

    Votes: 13 20.6%
  • John C Fremont

    Votes: 6 9.5%
  • Andrew Johnson

    Votes: 1 1.6%
  • James Henry Lane

    Votes: 1 1.6%
  • John A McClernand

    Votes: 11 17.5%
  • Robert H Milroy

    Votes: 1 1.6%
  • Daniel E Sickles

    Votes: 12 19.0%

  • Total voters
    63

ewc

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Both Lincoln and Davis found it necessary to appoint men to high rank in the army based purely or mostly on political considerations. Unfortunately a good number of Lincoln's political generals not only proved to be unworthy of their exalted ranks on the battlefront, but also proved to be millstones otherwise to Lincoln.

Choose one or two of the most fit generals or those who at least you consider troubled Lincoln the least.
 
Here is our list:

Edward Dickinson Baker- US senator from Oregon, not officially a general because he still held his Senate office while commanding his brigade, Lincoln had named him a MG, which to accept, Baker would have to resign his seat. A close friend of Lincoln's. Killed at Ball's Bluff 21 Oct, '61 while inexpertly commanding the US forces in that disaster. His death led Congress to create the Committee on the Conduct of the War, overseeing military affairs, and a great thorn in Lincoln's side throughout the war;

Nathaniel Prentiss Banks- a ranking MG, former Republican Speaker of the House and Massachusetts governor, no previous military experience save militia musters. Led corps, armies, and departments throughout the war, usually to the detriment of US forces in the field, however he did take the last Confederate bastion- Port Hudson, on the Mississippi opening that river in its entirety to the Union. Note, this was after Grant had taken the major bastion of Vicksburg the week before;

Benjamin Franklin Butler- a ranking MG, a prominent War Democrat who had been actively involved in the Massachusetts militia, leading the early Massachusetts contingent to Washington's defense. Secured Baltimore and Annapolis early to the Union. Established escaped slaves as contraband of war while holding Fortress Monroe, took and administered New Orleans, led the Army of the James till removed by Grant after the Ft Fisher fiasco, Jan, '65;

Daniel Butterfield- prominent New York militia leader and businessman, held various division, corps, and staff positions throughout the war. Notably Hooker's chief of staff at Chancellorsville and Meade's at Gettysburg, where he was wounded and subsequently shelved by Meade. A particular crony of Hooker and Sickles, he seems to have been an unlikable and conniving sort who rubbed most of his colleagues the wrong way;

John Charles Fremont- a prominent Republican and abolitionist with strong ties to Missouri and the West. Ranking MG in the Army when named by Lincoln 14 May, '61. this was not necessarily unfounded as he had previous military experience and was a major factor in securing California to the United States in the Mexican War. Commanded in Missouri in '61 and West Virginia in '62. Once removed, political differences with Lincoln led to his not receiving any further commands;

Andrew Johnson- Tennessee senator who remained loyal and Lincoln's 2nd term VP, shortly afterwards succeeding to the presidency upon Lincoln's assassination. Named BG and military governor of Tennessee March '62 to March '65 charged with succorring the Unionist element of Tennessee and running roughshod over partisans in the state, which he left to commanders in the field;

James Henry Lane- CW senator from Kansas, MG and leader of the Kansas militia and the notorious Jayhawkers, an irregular who fought irregulars in Kansas and Missouri in the irregular fashion noteworthy in the Trans-Miss. Helped blunt Price's Missouri Raid of '64;

John Alexander McClernand- prominent Illinois War Democrat, US Congressman of long standing, and another close friend of Lincoln's, MG, commanded divisions,corps, and the self-styled Army of the Mississippi during the Vicksburg Campaign. Fought in the major battles in the cis- Mississippi West till removed by Grant after the assault of the Vicksburg fortifications. A militant anti- West Pointer, was a major thorn in Grant's side in his western campaigns;

Robert Huston Milroy- prominent Indiana militiaman and judge, a MG, held division and district command mostly in Ky/Ten and western Virginia, known for his depradations in the Shenandoah and western Virginia, crushed by Ewell at Winchester at the start of Lee's Gettysburg Campaign when he rashly thought he could hold the town against Lee's legions;

Daniel Edgar Sickles- a Tammany Hall politico, became a fierce War Democrat and later Radical Republican, MG, raised a brigade at the war's commencement at his own expense and held brigade, division, and corps assignments in the Army of the Potomac until losing his leg in the Peach Orchard at Gettysburg. Denied command upon his convalescense by Meade and Halleck, he became a troubleshooter for Stanton till the war's end, then becoming a postwar military governor in the defeated South. Unliked by the professional soldiers of the Army of the Potomac, but a favorite of Stanton. Had a long running feud with Meade particularly over Gettysburg. Later as a US Congressman, he was instrumental in creating the Gettysburg National Military Park.

Please note I left out any leader out of West Point or any prominent political men who had seen extended service in the Army or commanded at high rank in the Mexican War (John A Dix, Robert Patterson) or had been educated in academies, held ohigh office, or been active in foreign wars (Franz Sigel, Carl Schurz.) A number of the men listed had previous military experience- Milroy had been a captain and Lane, Baker, and Fremont had held the rank of colonel in the Mexican War. I list these men here as it is primarily their political influence which led to their important commands in the Civil War- Fremont most notably, who became if I am not mistaken the senior ranking officer in the Army with his appointment, which was to the US establishment and not to the volunteers and as he was the most prominent politician of military credentials in the Republican Party.

I am also leaving out generals who would qualify for this list who were some of Lincoln's successes. They held command at the corps level, but not higher ( Francis P Blair, John A Logan, Robert C Schenck). These men mostly commanded in the loose and informal West, where under the easy going tutelage of the likes of Grant, Halleck, Sherman, Thomas, and McPherson, they found success that seemed to evade their Eastern based brethren. As it was, professional men who had not fluorished in the East managed to thrive in the West as well, Oliver O Howard and Henry W Slocum come to mind.
 
That's kind of cheating, refusing to list any of the succesful or competant Generals the Lincoln appointed... of those listed I think only Fremont was worth anything... and that isn't saying much in comparison to the other names listed.
 
johan_steele said:
That's kind of cheating, refusing to list any of the succesful or competant Generals the Lincoln appointed...

Shane- I explained why the generals you refer to are not listed. They rose to corps command, but not higher, and that while in organized 'armies', and also this is a development as the war progressed. None of them held high or independent command, and did not exert any influence early in the war when it would make a difference to Lincoln. Of the ten generals listed, only 2- Milroy and Sickles, could be considered of that category. Milroy exercised independent command for most of his tenure in the East, and Sickles rise in the Eastern army was rather rapid. besides, he's too interesting a character to leave off the list. And after his wound at Gettysburg, undertook missions of a military/political nature for Stanton, which again places him out of the ordinary run of generals.

Most of these generals listed attained high rank, significant military and political authority early in the war, and troublesome enough natures so as to bedevil Lincoln. If I have left anyone off the list who does not meet my exceptions, I'd be glad to know who that might be. Generals like Patterson, Curtis, McClellan, and McDowell who attained high rank and authority early through political clout do not merit consideration here as all are West Pointers or had significant previous military experience.

And remember, the question asks best of a bad lot. But I would like to know of any worthy generals who merit conideration.
 
Sorry about that, in all honesty I missed the rising no higher than Corps Command stipulation. I am particularly fond of Logan & Howard but I've always had mixed emotions about Blair.
 
Actually the list is somewhat arbitrary, as Fremont a regular engineer officer and important figure in California in the Mexican War is included, but Franz Sigel whose war experience was gained in the 1848 Prussian Uprisings is excluded though his appointment by Lincoln was for primarily political reasons. His history as an educated, trained, and tried Prussian officer and military leader of the '48 revolt I considered too great to ignore though he is commonly thought of as a 'political general'. Fremont's political clout was too great to ignore and he was considered a 'political general', so I included him though too his military experience was great.

In truth, Logan could be justly considered in that he was a War Democrat & Congressman of much influence, his rise like Sickles's was rapid, and he was very nearly named twice to command 'armies'. However, his contribution came mainly under immediate command of trained generals -and he was too successful and would all too likely trounce the opposition in the poll, where I want the polltaker to consider the merits of 'Napoleon' P Banks ( as his men in New Orleans dubbed him) and 'Beast' Butler, McClernand, and Fremont, all of whom I believe helped Lincoln lead plenty of sleepless nights.

I really thought you were going to come at me with generals who exercised some independent commands ably- like Lew Wallace, Jacob Cox, Stephen Hurlbut, all of whom were Major Generals. Frankly they do warrant being on the list. I had considered Hurlbut but forgot about him when I put the list to pen & paper. He has the extravagant experience of being rousted out of Memphis while out carousing with 'lady friends' (which ended up saving his hide) by a raid by Bedford Forrest.

It is interesting to note the great number of generals who did have some previous military experience, usually as officers. Of those mentioned only Banks, Sickles, Cox, and Johnson (a purely political appointment to a primarily political job) had no previous experience. Hurlbut, Wallace, and Logan all had been in previous campaigns of war as officers (Wallace & Logan in Mexico, Hurlbut against the Seminoles). McClernand had served as a private in the Black Hawk War. Butler and Butterfield both had been involved in their state militias at high levels for many years.

Again, many consider Lincoln's 'political generals' to be a serious burden to the Union management of the war, and it's mainly these men I was looking at.
 
I picked John A McClernand on the rationale that he seemed the least offensive to me. Barely. Dang tough question and a pretty neat one at that.
 
Sickles? How in the blooming blue blazes did Dan Sickles deserve mention? (Although he DID upset Longstreet's apple cart at Gettysburg....) Hmmph! Of course he would have been a trouble-shooter for Stanton. He had to pay him back somehow for being his attorney! Just think, the War Sec. PROVED Sickles was crazy.
 
I would like to throw in Edward Hatch of Maine as an example of one of those generals who served with some distinction in spite of his background as a lumberman. He went on to command the western district including the group known as the Buffalo Soldiers. He was in North Alabama and here in Nashville giving minimal guidance to my gg grandfather, his best and shortest blacksmith.
 
Why, Beast Butler of course. But for a predisposition with silver spoons, an excellent administrator and military governor. Perhaps his greatest contribution was to coin the term, "contraband," in reference to runaway slaves. This created a "legal" cause to give refuge to them and deny their services to the Confederacy. Many of those runaways would later enlist in the Union Army. Of course, his military ineptness would have caused Napoleon to sack him or relegate him to garrison duty. Augustus Caeser would have sent him to Britannia where he couldn't harm the interests of the Empire.
 
The reinterpretation that Tim Smith gives on McClernand in his book on Champion Hill is interesting...I have to look into it more before making up my mind, but I think that McClernand at least deserves a second glance.
 
My choice isn't on the list: John A Logan.

He performed very well at Vicksburg and Atlanta. He saved the day at Bald Hill.

He was such a good general that Grant was ready to replace Thomas at Nashville with Logan.
 
Logan was I think the best political general to come out of the war...but in this case it doesn't matter...the thread creator apparantly agrees on Logan and thus left him out:


I am also leaving out generals who would qualify for this list who were some of Lincoln's successes. They held command at the corps level, but not higher ( Francis P Blair, John A Logan, Robert C Schenck).

But was Schenck a success? Hmmm...
 
Do you think Logan should have been given the AOT? Howard was a fine general, an underrated one I'd say, and of course it wouldn't have affected the war's outcome...but Logan was just as deserving I'd say. I understand why he was passed over though.


Respectfully
 
I have never really thought about it to be honest.

I'm not really a fan of Howard but he did have seniority over Logan and he didn't antagonize people the way Hooker did.

I am a little biased towards Hooker so I will have to ponder on this.

However, I do find it interesting that when many eastern generals and regiments were shipped west they performed much better.
 
Wasn't Schenck at First Manassas? That's about all I know. If someone could give me some info on him it would be appreciated.
 
Wasn't Schenck at First Manassas

Yeah he had a brigade in Tyler's division I believe. He was in the Shenandoah in 62 and had a division at 2nd Manassas...don't know what happened to him after that.



Yeah, it is hard to choose. You kind of have to go with you sat on their behinds the most and did the least damage.
 
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