Biographies des principaux Généraux de la Guerre Civile Américaine (1861~1865)

Biographies succinctes des principaux Généraux de la Guerre Civile Américaine (1861~1865)

USA


Stanton, Edwin McMasters
(1814-69) Union War Minister

Stanton was a lawyer and a Democrat who had served as Attorney General in President James Buchanan's administration. Stanton was against slavery, but he was also a strong supporter of states' rights. Although a bitter opponent of Lincoln, Lincoln believed him to be the ideal person to head the War Department. In 1862 he was invited into the Cabinet as the new Secretary of War, replacing Simon Cameron. There he ran a highly efficient administration. After the war Stanton remained in public office until 1868, dying in 1869.

Scott, Winfield
(1786-1866) Union General-in-Chief

Although he retired towards the end of 1861, Scott was the original architect of the Union's victory. He was probably the most important soldier of the war. When the Civil War began, Scott was ill, and too stout to mount a horse. A lone voice at the outset, he warned that the Union should not expect a swift and almost bloodless victory. With remarkable foresight, he devised the Anaconda Plan, which would relentlessly squeeze the South by stages. When executed by Grant, Scott's strategy won the war for the North and restored the Union. Scott retired in November 1861, aged 75, and died in 1866.

Grant, Ulysses Simpson
(1822-85) Union General

Grant was a reluctant soldier, sent to West Point in 1839 against his own wishes. After an unsuccessful army career, Grant returned home to a string of job failures, ending up as a clerk in the family business. When war broke out, he offered his services to the Union, raising a volunteer unit in Illinois. The regiment was sent south-west and at Belmont, his first major battle, his badly disciplined troops failed him. But, with increasingly larger forces, Grant went on to victories at Forts Henry and Donelson. Ultimately Grant became General-in-Chief of all Union Armies. In a spirit of courteous chivalry, he allowed Lee and his defeated army the most generous of terms. Grant's extraordinary military career was crowned by the presidency. After serving two terms, from 1869 to 1876, he retired and traveled around the world.

Banks, Nathaniel Prentiss
(1810-94) Union General

Banks was one of the few Democrats of note who supported Lincoln's Republican government at the beginning of the war. Consequently, he was given a generalship as a political gesture. It was an unfortunate appointment. A tactful, able politician, he was unsuited to field command. Not lacking in courage, he once won a back-handed compliment from Jackson: "He is always ready to fight and generally gets whipped." Banks returned to politics, serving his state long and well.

Burnside, Ambrose Everett
(1824-81) Union General

At the beginning of the Civil War he organized the Rhode Island Infantry and served as a brigade commander at First Bull Run. He became a Major General in command of IX Corps of the Army of the Potomac. At Antietam his determination to follow orders proved a weakness. His repeated attacks across Stone Bridge cost the Union valuable time and lives. Between September 1862 and early 1863 he was commander of the Army of the Potomac. After being relieved of senior command for a second time, a disillusioned Burnside resigned his commission. He went into politics, becoming three times Governor of Rhode Island and a Senator.

Butler, Benjamin Franklin
(1818-93) Union General

A Democratic politician from Massachusetts, Butler had backed the States' Rights candidate against Lincoln in the 1860 presidential race. But within a week of war breaking out, he arrived in Washington at the head of the 8th Massachusetts Regiment. Like Banks, another political General, Butler was a dismal failure in the field. He was finally relieved of his command in 1864, after a string of failures. He returned to politics as Congressman and Governor of Massachusetts.

Canby, Edward Richard Sprigg
(1817-73) Union General

A West Point graduate in 1839, Canby served as a chief of staff in the Mexican War. He became commander of the Department of New Mexico in May 1861, where he repulsed the attempted Confederate invasion, winning the important battle of Glorieta Pass / Apache Canyon, in 1862. Canby was promoted and brought to Washington where he became Assistant Adjutant General. In May 1864 he was promoted and given command of the Military Division of West Mississippi. Canby accepted the surrenders of Taylor and Kirby Smith at the end of the war. Canby continued his military career after the cessation of hostilities. In 1873 he was killed by Indians during a peace mission at Siskiyou, Colorado.

Custer, George Armstrong
(1839-76) Union General

At the bottom of his class of 1861 at West Point, and almost at the bottom in cavalry tactics, Custer nevertheless soon
joined McClellan's staff. By June 1863, he had won a reputation for courage and initiative, along with captain's rank in the Regular Army. His charge at Gettysburg stopped the Confederate cavalry's attempt to reach the Union rear and was an important contribution. Custer completed the trap that closed around Lee's army at Appomattox. After the war he returned to the Regular Army as Lieutenant Colonel. In June 1876 he led his regiment, with typical impetuosity, against the Sioux and Cheyenne at Little Big Horn. There, Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull trapped and killed Custer and 186 of his men.

Farragut, David Glasgow
(1801-70) Union Admiral

David Farragut joined the navy as a boy in 1810, when only nine years old. He served with his mentor, Captain David Porter, through the war of 1812. By the age of 20 he was already an accomplished officer; by the time Civil War broke out, four decades later, he was an immensely experienced naval captain.He became a rear admiral, and played a key role in the Vicksburg campaign, running his fleet under cover of night through the gauntlet of Vicksburg's guns. After the fall of Vicksburg, he successfully took Mobile. A Vice-Admiralty followed.After the war he became the United States' first Admiral, commanding the European Squadron.

Halleck, Henry W.
(1815-75) Union General

Halleck graduated third in the class of 1839 at West Point. After a career of fifteen years he resigned his commission to become a lawyer and writer. 1861 saw his return, when he became Major General in the US Army in the Department of Missouri. In July 1862 he became General-in-Chief in Washington, and ultimately became the Chief-of-Staff. After the war he commanded the Divisions of the Pacific and of the South.


Hancock, Winfield Scott
(1824-86) Union General

Hancock graduated from West Point in 1844 and served with distinction in the Mexican War. At the outbreak of the Civil War Captain Hancock was made Brigadier General in the Volunteers. He was eventually promoted to the command of II Corps, with whom he fought at Gettysburg. Hancock was wounded, and it was six months before he resumed his duties. In 1864, troubled by his old wound, he took sick leave, and never returned to a field command. After the war, his personal popularity made him the choice as the Democratic candidate for the presidency in 1880, when he was only narrowly beaten by Garfield.

Hooker, Joseph
(1814-79) Union General

Hooker graduated from West Point in 1837. On the outbreak of the Civil War he was appointed Brigadier General in the Volunteers. After Fredericksburg, Hooker publicly criticized his commander, Burnside, who told the War Department that one of them had to go. It was Burnside who went, with Hooker replacing him as Commander of the Army of the Potomac. He rebuilt the morale of the badly beaten Army of the Potomac, restoring it as a fighting force. After Chancellorsville, Hooker was relieved of his Army command, but went on to fight successfully as a corps commander under Sherman.

McClellan, George Brinton
(1826-85) Union General

After graduating from West Point in 1846 McClellan served in the Mexican War. He resigned from the army in 1857 and worked for several railroad companies. At the beginning of the Civil War he was commissioned a Major General of the Volunteers. After the first Bull Run McClellan was given command the Army of the Potomac. In the Peninsula Campaign, McClellan led the Army of the Potomac against Richmond, and was relieved of command because of his excessive caution. In the 1864 presidential election, McClellan ran against Lincoln as the Democratic nominee, and, ironically, as a Peace Candidate. McClellan later averred that had he been elected, he would have continued the war. In any event, McClellan was beaten. However, he continued in politics, serving as governor of New Jersey.

McDowell, Irvin
(1818-85) Union General

McDowell graduated from West Point in 1838 and served as a staff officer in the Mexican War of 1846-48. Appointed Brigadier General of Volunteers at the beginning of the Civil War, he took part in the disastrous First Bull Run. Subsequently, he was left in command in Washington, before joining Pope's army as a corps commander. In July 1864 he was sent away from the war zone to administer the Department of the Pacific. After the war he returned to the Regular Army and held important administrative posts. He was made Major General in 1872, retiring in 1882.

Meade, George Gordon
(1815-72) Union General

Meade graduated from West Point in 1835, and saw service in the Mexican War. He served in the Peninsula Campaign where he was twice wounded. He went on to lead the Army of the Potomac at Gettysburg. Although he failed to follow up his advantage after the battle, he remained in command until the end of the war at Appomattox. Meade remained in the postwar army, commanding various military departments until he died in 1872, aged only 57, as a result of his war wounds.

Pope, John
(1822-92) Union General

Pope, a descendant of George Washington, graduated from West Point in 1838, aged only 16 years. He was appointed a Brigadier General of Volunteers in June 1861, despite never having had any command experience. He made his reputation at the capture of Island No. 10 on the Mississippi and was offered a command in Virginia, which he refused until Lincoln insisted. Failure at Second Bull Run led to his removal to Minnesota. After the war he commanded a number of military departments until retiring in 1886.


Reynolds, John Fulton
(1820-63) Union General

Reynolds graduated from West Point in 1841, and by 1859 he was Commandant there. He was made Lieutenant Colonel in the Regular Army in 1861 and eventually appointed to command I Corps in the Army of the Potomac. He took part in the Fredericksburg battle, and led his corps under Hooker when Lee began his march towards Gettysburg. He initially commanded there, but was shot and killed early on the morning of the first day of the battle.

Rosecrans, William Starke
(1819-98) Union General

Rosecrans graduated from West Point in 1842. He saw Civil War service early, at the battle of Rich Mountain where he beat Lee. In 1862 he was given command of the Army of the Cumberland. At Chattanooga he was relieved by Grant in October 1863. Rosecrans then commanded the Department of the Mississippi until December 1864, when he went on leave until the end of the war. He resigned in 1867. In 1868, he became minister to Mexico, and eventually served as the Treasury Registrar in the House of Representatives.

Sheridan, Henry
(1831-88) Union General

Sheridan graduated from West Point in 1853, joining the infantry. He was appointed colonel of the 2nd Michigan Cavalry Regiment in May 1862. Sheridan went on to lead XX Corps at Chickamauga in September 1863, and came under the command of Grant during the attack on Missionary Ridge in the battle of Chattanooga. Grant, impressed, gave him command of the three cavalry divisions of the Army of the Potomac, and he was present at Lee's surrender. After the war, he became General-in-Chief of the United States Army in 1884.

Sherman, William Tecumseh
(1820-91) Union General

Graduating from West Point near the top of his class, Sherman served in the Mexican War of 1846. He resigned
from the army in 1851, working as a banker in New York, and practicing law. Sherman volunteered for service and was made Brigadier General of Volunteers, in August 1861. He was promoted to Regular Army Major General in August 1864 and became Commander in the West after Grant's departure eastwards. His campaign in the Carolinas in early 1865 dealt the final knockout blow of the Civil War.He succeeded Grant as General-in-Chief in 1869, holding the post until 1883.

Thomas, George Henry
(1816-70) Union General

Thomas graduated from the US Military Academy in 1840. He was promoted to Major in 1855. In January 1862 he won the important strategic victory of Mill Spring, in Kentucky. After Shiloh he was promoted again. He served at the siege of Corinth, was with Buell at Perryville, and with Rosecrans at Murfreesboro. Thomas was given command of the Army of the Cumberland after Bragg was sacked, leading it with great success from Chattanooga to Atlanta. In January 1865 Thomas was promoted to Major General in the Regular Army. He remained in command of theDepartment of Tennessee until 1867, and then led the Department of the Pacific until his sudden death in 1870.

Biographies succinctes des principaux Généraux de la Guerre Civile Américaine (1861~1865) (part 2)

CSA

Lee, Robert Edward
(1807-1870) Confederate General

He graduated second in the class of 1829 at West Point, and was commissioned into the engineers. During the Mexican War he served on Winfield Scott's staff. In 1861 Lee was offered command of the Union Armies, but declined until Virginia's position became clearer. When it seceded from the Union, Lee resigned from the US Army. He became a full General in the Confederate Army soon afterwards. In 1862 Lee took over the Army of Northern Virginia, retaining this field command until the surrender at Appomattox. He was given overall command of the Confederate forces in February 1865, but too late to retrieve the situation. After the war Lee took charge of a small college in Virginia. He urged reconciliation with the North and the peaceful rebuilding of the South. By the time of his death he had surpassed "Stonewall" Jackson as the most beloved soldier of the Confederacy. One of his fellow Virginians wrote after his death, "It is impossible to speak of General Lee without seeming to deal in hyperbole."

Beauregard, Pierre Gustav Toutant
(1818-93) Confederate General

Pierre Beauregard hailed from Louisiana and the West Point class of 1838. He served on Winfield Scott's staff and was
wounded twice. At the start of the War, he was soon made Brigadier General in the Confederate Army. He took command at the Battle of First Bull Run and after this success he was promoted to General. In June 1862 he became ill, passed over his command to Bragg and went home to recover. He returned to command the coastal defenses in the Carolinas and Georgia. Beauregard's force was later absorbed into Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, and he ended the war in the Carolinas, under Johnston. After the war he was offered the command of the Romanian and the Egyptian Armies. He declined both offers, and became president of a railway company instead.

Bragg, Braxton
(1817-76) Confederate General

A West Point graduate of 1837, Bragg eventually resigned from the army, and became a planter. At the beginning of the war Bragg was commissioned Brigadier General in the Confederate Army. Promoted in September 1861, he took command of II Corps. Bragg was then given command of the Army of Tennessee in 1862. Following Chattanooga, he was replaced by Joe Johnston When Lee became General-in-Chief, Bragg was given divisional command in Tennessee.
After the war Bragg became the state of Alabama's chief engineer.

Early, Jubal Anderson
(1816-94) Confederate General

Graduating from West Point, Early eventually became a Virginian lawyer. He voted against secession in 1861, but when Virginia left the Union, Early's loyalty followed. He accepted a colonel's commission and took command of the 24th Virginia Infantry. He was promoted to Brigadier General after First Bull Run. In 1863 he was promoted to Major General and served under Lee in the Army of North Virginia until the end of the war. After the war he went abroad, but then returned to his Virginia law firm.

Forrest, Nathan Bedford
(1821-77) Confederate General

From humble beginnings, by the time of the war he was a successful planter and slave trader. He enlisted in the army as a private, but he quickly received a commission. Forrest was an example of the possibilities of promotion by merit, regardless of previous military experience. He was successively a Brigadier General, a Major General and ended the war a Lieutenant. General. By all accounts he was considered the best cavalry commander on either side. After the war he returned to planting and in 1868 he became "Grand Wizard" of the Ku Klux Klan.

Hardee, William Joseph
(1815-73) Confederate General

From West Point class of 1839, Hardee served in the Mexican War. Born in Georgia, he joined the Confederate army and became a Major General a few months later. He earned a reputation as one of the South's best Generals. He was promoted to Lieutenant General in October 1862 and offered command of the Army of the Tennessee after Bragg left. He declined. He ended the war as a corps commander, and afterwards he became a planter in Selma, Alabama.

Hill, Ambrose Powell
(1825-65) Confederate General

"A.P", as he was known to his contemporaries, graduated from West Point in 1847 and served in the Mexican Wars. At the outbreak of the Civil War he accepted command of a Virginia Infantry Regiment. In May 1862 he was promoted to Major General serving under "Stonewall" Jackson. After successes at Antietam and Chancellorsville, Hill took command of III Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia. He was killedat Petersburg just before the end of the war.

Hood, John Bell
(1831-79) Confederate General

Hood was a member of West Point class of 1853, and he served in Texas until the start of the Civil War. He then resigned his commission, and rose through Confederate ranks to become a divisional commander in the Army of Northern Virginia. He was badly wounded at Gettysburg and again at Chickamauga. He recovered and eventually took charge of the Army of Tennessee. He suffered major defeats at Franklin and Nashville, and many believed that he had been over-promoted. Hood died during a yellow fever epidemic in 1879.

Jackson, Thomas Johnathan
(1824-63) Confederate General

Born in Virginia, Jackson graduated from West Point in 1846. After heroic service in the Mexican War, he became a Professor of Artillery and NaturalPhilosophy. When the war began he was given command at Harper's Ferry. In June 1861 he was promoted to Brigadier General. At First Bull Run he and his brigade earned the epithet "Stonewall" for their courageous stand. He became Major General in 1861, and helped to drive all Union troops out of the Shenandoah Valley. Jackson defeated Pope soundly at second Bull Run, capturing many supplies and driving Pope's army back into the Washington defenses. The evening after a brilliant victory at Chancellorsville, while scouting between the lines, he was accidentally shot by one of his own sentries. His arm had to be amputated and he died when pneumonia set in.

Johnston, Albert Sidney
(1803-62) Confederate General

A.S. Johnston graduated from West Point in 1826. After a long military career, he commanded the Department of the Pacific until Civil War broke out. He was immediately commissioned a full General and given command of all troops west of the Alleghenies. He attacked Grant at Shiloh. There, he was hit in the leg by a bullet and bled to death. Grant judged him harshly, as being "vacillating and undecided in his actions". But Jefferson Davis considered him to be among the best soldiers of the war.

Johnston, Joseph Eggleston
(1807-91) Confederate General

A West Point graduate in 1829, Johnston saw service in the Mexican Wars. In 1861 he became a confederate Brigadier General. He reached the First Bull Run battlefield in time to secure victory. He was promoted to Major General, and commanded in the Peninsula in 1862 against McClellan, until he was wounded at the Seven Pines battle. He was then given command of the Army of the Tennessee when Bragg was sacked. Eventually he was replaced by Hood, and he saw no more action until the last few months of the war. Two weeks after Lee had surrendered at Appomattox Johnston brought the remnants of his army into Goldsboro, North Carolina, to surrender to Sherman.

Kirby Smith, Edmund
(1824-93) Confederate General

A West Point graduate of 1845, Kirby Smith served in the Mexican War. He took his commission as a Confederate brigadier in June 1861. He led his men at First Bull Run, where he was badly wounded. In October 1862 he was given command of all forces west of the Mississippi. In January 1863 he was ordered to Richmond and eventually was placed in command of Texas, Louisiana. and Arkansas. In June 1865, he surrendered the last military force of the Confederacy.

Longstreet, James
(1821-1904) Confederate General

A graduate of West Point in 1842, he was given a field command as Brigadier General in June 1861. Noteworthy service at First Bull Run and further battles led to his appointment as Lieutenant General in 1862. He was always criticized for acting slowly at Gettysburg, after which he served under Bragg at Chickamauga. He was with Lee at Appomattox. He died in 1904.

Morgan, John Hunt
(1825-64) Confederate General

Morgan served in the Mexican War as a cavalry lieutenant. At the outbreak of the Civil War he joined the Confederate Army. After Shiloh he was made colonel, and given his own regiment. In July 1862 he made the first of his famous cavalry raids, and in December 1862 he defeated the Union garrison at Hartsville, Tennessee. In July 1863 he entered Kentucky with 2,500 men and succeeded in capturing Bardstown and Brandenburg. However, at Buffington Island near Portland Morgan lost about 600 men, with a similar number forced to surrender. Morgan was eventually imprisoned, but escaped in November 1863. In the spring of 1864 he was put in virtual command of the whole of south-western Virginia. In September 1864 he died after being shot in a garden at Greenville,Tennessee. Apparently, he was betrayed to the Union.

Pickett, George Edward
(1825-1875) Confederate General

A native of Virginia, Pickett graduated at the bottom of his class at West Point in 1846. Joining the infantry, he saw service in the Mexican War. Pickett did not resign his Union rank until June 1861, but when he did he was made a colonel in the Confederate army. In February 1862 he was promoted to Brigadier General, and fought in the Peninsula war. He was promoted to Major General in October 1862, and commanded a division at the battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862. It was Pickett's force which lost at the battle of Five Forks, with the subsequent loss of Richmond and Lee's surrender at Appomattox.

Pemberton, John Clifford
(1814-81) Confederate General

Pemberton graduated from West Point in 1837 and had distinguished service in the Mexican War. At the outbreak of war he resigned, becoming a Confederate Brigadier General and then Lieutenant General in 1862. He was given command of the Department of Mississippi and East Louisiana, and was ordered to hold Vicksburg by President Davis. He surrendered on July 4, 1863. Taken prisoner, he was later exchanged for a captive Union officer. Since convention required no further "active" role on the part of exchanged prisoners, Pemberton resigned his commission.

Polk, Leonidas
(1806-64) Confederate General

Six months after graduating from the US Military Academy, Polk resigned from the army to train for the ministry. He was consecrated Episcopal Bishop of Louisiana in 1841. At the outbreak of war, he accepted a commission in the Confederate Army. He was given the very high rank of Major General and sent to Kentucky, where he fortified Columbus and held off Grant's reconnaissance in strength at Belmont in November 1861. In 1862 "Bishop" Polk was given a field command, and in April was at Shiloh as a corps commander under A.S. Johnston, and then Beauregard. In October 1862, Polk was promoted to Lieutenant General, commanding a corps in Bragg's Army of the Tennessee.
Polk was killed on June 4th 1864, during the Atlanta Campaign, near Marietta.

Sibley, Henry Hopkins
(1816-86) Confederate General

A West Point graduate of 1838, Sibley took part in the Mexican Wars. Commissioned a Major in May 1861, he resigned and travelled south to seek a Confederate commission. He planned to drive a force through New Mexico all the way up to San Francisco, and persuaded Jefferson Davis that his scheme was worthwhile. He never reached further than Santa Fe. Later in the war, he was court-martialled for a command failure. He never again held a command.

Stuart, James Ewell Brown
(1833-64) Confederate General

J.E.B. Stuart graduated from West Point in 1854. By 1862 he was a Major General, commanding a corps-sized force in the Confederate Army. The inexperience of the Union cavalry at the start of the war possibly exaggerated his own performances. At Brandy Station he suffered much sterner opposition. And at Gettysburg his naive tactics helped to contribute to the defeat of the Confederate army. He was ultimately killed in battle against Sheridan's cavalry at Yellow Tavern.

Taylor, Richard
(1826-79) Confederate General

Graduating from Yale University in 1845, Richard Taylor became a state senator. In spite of no command experience, he made an impression at First Bull Run and became a Major General in 1862, serving in Louisiana. There Taylor repulsed Banks and was promoted to Lieutenant General. Later in the war he continued the fight in the South while all around the Confederacy was falling apart. On May 4th 1865, four weeks after the surrender at Appomattox, he surrendered his force to Canby at Citronelle, near Mobile.

Très, très intéressant et instructif