Your Division Commander Promotion

[ivanj05]

Not long before his death, Joe Hooker gave an interview to the San Francisco Chronicle wherein he stated that had he known just how good John Buford was, he would have given Buford command of the Army of the Potomac's Cavalry Corps and not to George Stoneman. Buford's dear friend John Gibbon, in a post-war writing, said that he had no doubt that had Buford lived, he would have been given command of the AoP Cavalry Corps and not Sheridan.

Would Grant have chosen Buford over Sheridan given the western connection and whatnot?

 

[Miles Krisman]

Darrell Collins' biography of Rodes has been on my wish list for some time. He came to mind but since I haven't really read enough about him I didn't list him here. From what I have read, it sounds like Rodes had a pretty good record, with the exception of Gettysburg.

Collin's book was quite good. James K. Swisher also wrote a biography of Robert Rodes..."Warrior in Gray".

As to Gettysburg, Rodes arrived at about noon. He was positioning his lines for attack as the Union XI Corps came unseen through town and formed to Rodes' left. The Union troops continued to pour onto the field to his left as his troops went forward and his initial attacks were repulsed. However, by the end of the day, his Division joined Gordon's men as they drove the Federals back through the town and up on to Cemetery Hill.

 

[Eric Wittenberg]

Would Grant have chosen Buford over Sheridan given the western connection and whatnot?

There is no way to know, and I'm not going to speculate.

 

[americono]

Um, Mathew Brodick for the north and Richard Jordan for the south. Defiantly don't think they would be receiving any awards during the war.

 

[ivanj05]

There is no way to know, and I'm not going to speculate.

Fair enough.

 

[AUG]

Collin's book was quite good. James K. Swisher also wrote a biography of Robert Rodes..."Warrior in Gray".

As to Gettysburg, Rodes arrived at about noon. He was positioning his lines for attack as the Union XI Corps came unseen through town and formed to Rodes' left. The Union troops continued to pour onto the field to his left as his troops went forward and his initial attacks were repulsed. However, by the end of the day, his Division joined Gordon's men as they drove the Federals back through the town and up on to Cemetery Hill.

As I understand it, Rodes was criticized (particularly by Ewell) for not making the attack up Cemetery Hill on the second day, though that was partially due to trouble moving and aligning his troops through the town. I'm not criticizing his actions, but it sounds as though Gettysburg is sometimes seen as a stain on Rodes' record, even though his division had done hard fighting on the first day.

 

[JeffBrooks]

Breckinridge was a corps commander for a very short time (Nov.8,1863-Dec.15,1863) from Missionary Ridge until Atlanta when Johnston took over the army from Bragg . He reverted to division command until he was named Confederate Secretary of War.

Not a division commander, but a theater commander in the Shenandoah Valley and Southwestern Virginia.

 

[Jamieva]

Billy Mahone. Aside from a bad performance at Gettysburg in brigade command, his work as a division commander at the beginning of the Petersburg campaign was stout. His back to back attacks on the II and VI Corps were strong and evoked memories of what the ANV was capable of in 1862.