The 5 GREATEST Lieutenant Generals of the American Civil War
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- Опубликовано: 8 фев 2025
- War is a crucible where legends are forged, and the American Civil War was no exception. Across the battlefields of this defining conflict, a select group of lieutenant generals rose above the chaos, shaping history with their brilliance, bravery, and strategic genius. But who were the greatest among them? In this video, we’ll uncover the stories of five extraordinary leaders-men whose names echo through time as symbols of courage and command. From daring Confederate tacticians to Union generals who turned the tide of war, join us as we count down “The 5 GREATEST Lieutenant Generals of the American Civil War.” Let’s dive in with number five on our list.
John Bell Hood was one of the most daring and aggressive commanders in the Confederate Army, known for his fearless leadership and willingness to lead from the front. Born on June 1, 1831, in Owingsville, Kentucky, Hood came from a family with strong military traditions. His grandfathers had served in the Indian Wars and the Revolutionary War, instilling in him an early appreciation for military life. After graduating from West Point in 1853-despite struggling academically and accumulating numerous demerits-Hood embarked on a career that would see him rise to prominence during the Civil War. Before the war, Hood served on the frontier with the U.S. Army, where he demonstrated his courage and leadership. In one notable incident near the Devil's River in Texas, Hood led a reconnaissance patrol against a Comanche camp, engaging in hand-to-hand combat despite being outnumbered. Wounded by an arrow in his hand, Hood’s bravery and disregard for personal safety became hallmarks of his military career. When the Civil War broke out, Hood resigned from the U.S. Army and joined the Confederacy, initially serving as a cavalry officer before being promoted to colonel of the 4th Texas Infantry Regiment. Under his leadership, this unit became part of what would later be known as Hood’s Texas Brigade-one of the most celebrated fighting units in Confederate history. Hood’s men adored him for his courage and dedication, and their loyalty to him remained steadfast even after the war.
Hood’s reputation as a bold commander was cemented during battles like Gaines’ Mill in 1862, where he personally led his old regiment, the 4th Texas Infantry, in a charge that broke Union lines-the largest charge of the war at that point. His fearlessness earned him rapid promotions; by October 1862, he was a major general commanding a division within James Longstreet’s First Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia. However, Hood’s aggressive tactics often came at great personal cost. At Gettysburg in July 1863, while leading an assault on Little Round Top as part of Longstreet's Corps, Hood was severely wounded when a shell nearly ripped off his arm. Despite being incapacitated for months, Hood returned to command in time for the Western Theater campaigns. At Chickamauga in September 1863, he was again gravely injured-this time losing his right leg to friendly fire during one of his bold attacks.
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Including Hood on this list means that nothing else in this video can be taken seriously.
Lt General Winfield Scott was in Command of All Union Armies until his retirement in Fall of 1861 from old age...
Hood should not be on this list. As a Division commander, he was brilliant . After he was severely wounded 2x --not so much. His actions destroyed his own army.(Battles of Franklin and Nashville)
Spot On. His subordinates hated him in large part as well. Davis liked him and that was his ticket.
Most of the Generals in the West for the Confederate side, did their best to make life that much harder for the Army of Northern Virginia.
@@abbottshaull9831 Good point. Jeff Davis was a generally poor identifier of talent and rigid in his rectitude. Cleburn and Forest were superior talents in the west. Both, too often wasted. Lincoln was much more pragmatic going through leaders until he found the winners.
Truely, at his Best, a Division was his Capacity, yes!
General U.S.Grant is the greatest
Hood was a good soldier and brave man but not fit for high command
Hood famously destroyed an army, the one he commanded. This pod cast is worthless. GOODBY!
Should be “GOOD BYE”.
Hood ask soldier don't you know what a retreat looks like? The soldier answered I ought to general I've been with you since the beginning.
Generals who should have made the list: Union: Sherman, Sheridan, Thomas, Mead; Confederate: Joe Johnston, Lee, Jackson, Stuart.
The problem is none of the Union generals were Lieutenant Generals. The rank of Lieutenant General was only ever held by Grant in the Union army during the war, and only held by Sherman, Sheridan, and briefly John M. Schofield before the rank was retired by Congress in 1895. That's what makes this video so ridiculous. They either deliberately chose a rank that allowed them to only use a single Union general, or they didn't understand how Civil War military ranks worked across the Union and Confederate armies.
Either way, this list is profoundly dumb.
Yet, Grant was the only Union General to hold the rank of Lt. General.
Particularly Gen. George "THE ROCK OF CHICKAMAUGA" Thomas who as a Military Instructor at West Point personally TAUGHT his later rival, John Bell Hood
Think you could added Forrest and jackson
Hood was by far, one of the worst commanders on either side. His mutilation of his own army at Nashville and Franklin made Cold Harbor and Picketts Charge look like a picnic. He was an asset to the union army the way he mangled what was left of the western rebel army while inflicting comparatively little causalities to his enemies, effectively hastening the wars end. What a terrible choice.
Read Longstreet's autobiography didn't get all this from reading that so I may have to reread it. Listening to new biography. Longstreet's postwar life is remarkable and inspiring. He fought actively for racial equality and reconstruction of New Orleans and Louisiana before. Retiring to Georgia. Haven't finished the book yet. He served as one of Grant's groomsmen at Grant's Wedding.
Hood was a brave and dedicated divisional commander. He was not cut out for army command, as demonstrated. Patrick Cleburne, Nathan Bedford Forrest, and Stonwall Jackson should have been mentioned.
Seriously - Hood? Ewell? What are your metrics. Hood was a decent division commander - but a disaster as an army commander. Ignoring the lack of political and strategic vision (he could have delayed Sherman until the 1864 elections) he was more focused on romantic but self serving goals of glory. Ewell was OK - as long as he only needed to follow orders. Hancock was good - but you ignore Sheridan (whose aggressive leadership secured the Shenandoah - and cornered Lee at Appomattox), and Thomas - who saved the Armey of the Cumberland and finished Hood at Nashville - not to mention Stones River and other western theater engagements.
Well Ewell did served as Corps Commander in the AoNV.
Lee asked Ewell to attack Culp's Hill, not Cemetery Hill.
Sherman, Jackson. Longstreet, Sheridan and Grant. Not Hood, Ewell or Lee. Hancock with an honourable mention. Hood was brave but dumb. Ewell was indecisive at Gettysburg and Lee had vision but his tunnel vision at Gettysburg showed he too had flaws
Lee's tunnel vision at Gettysburg may have been to a suspected heart attack.
Yet Sherman nor Sheridan were promoted to the rank of Lt. General until after the war. At the end of the Civil War both were still Major Generals.
Considering the Union only promoted one person to Lt. General leaves it obvious that the other 4 will be Confederate Generals. Just saying.
Jackson saved the South, Lee was the moral rally cry, Longstreet was the brains, Grant won the battles, Sherman won the war, if you have only 5 these have to be there.
Dickens, Hancock, and Sherman were very effective leaders for the Union. Lee ,Jackson ,Johnson were very effective for the South. lower ranking officers were also successful. Mosby, Terry and Forest for the south. Chamberlain , Buford for the North.
Well, where do I start? If you are comparing men with the same command responsibilities, i. e. corps commanders, then fair enough, but the CSA and USV had different ranking systems. US corps commanders were major generals - Hancock was never Lt. Gen, but was a very good corps commander - so comparing them by rank alone is pointless. Grant never commanded a corps in battle being elevated to army command before the corps system was formalised.
How anyone can include Ewell but ignore Jackson beggars belief but hey, it's about opinions.
Incidentally, the picture purporting to be Hancock at 13.45 is a photo of Joshua Chamberlain.
I do however find the videos interesting and entertaining and look forward to them.
Hood? Not great in any sense. Good Regiment commander, terrible army commander. Ewell? Failure at Gettysburg.
How about Forrest? Greatest calvary commander of the war. Rose from pvt to LtGen. Tactical genius. Stonewall Jackson? Another tactical genius.
Sherman
I would agree. I actually think William Tecumseh Sherman was the best general of the Civil War. He understood modern war and executed it. We could have used his philosophy in both Viet Nam and the Middle East. He understood war and how it had to be fought to win.
Hood!?!? Are you daft? He was a terrible General...
Hood was an excellent subordinate general. He was a good example of the "Peter Principal" was says people are promoted until they reach a level that is beyond their abilities. As Lee stated when told by Jefferson Davis that Hood would replace Johnson in the Atlanta campaign . "Hood is a bold fighter, as to his other abilities I am in doubt."
@@frankfowlkes7872Please, Hood was promoted beyond his abilities. This was painfully obvious when he suicided his whole army at Franklin and Nashville.
Yankees didn’t need to shoot straight, because rebels were shooting themselves: Hood, Jackson, Longstreet, etc. Those friendly fire incidents were not kill shots, of course.
1. James Longstreet. 2. Nathan Bedford Forrest. 3. Stonewall. 4. Patrick Cleburne. 5. Jubal Early.
Patrick Cleburne highest rank was Major General.
Stonewall Jackson
Hancock wasn't a Lieutenant General
correction dickens = Thomas
What Hancock had only gained the rank of Major General. He never got the nod to become a Lt. General. Just saying.
Where is Nathan Bedford Forrest? He was the best soldier the war produced!! Also pat cleburne and the rock of chicamagua (Thomas) are severely underappreciated.
Stonewall Jackson should be on here!
Thomas johathan "stonewall Jackson, if he had survived his friendly fire incident and was promotwd to Lt. Gen.
Love your videos aways stirring up 💩”To all the unbelievers of Robert E. Lee if he had chosen death on the battle field this county would be very different. You should be thankful he chosed peace. God Bless, “Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia.”
Why isn't Stonewall Jackson on this list?
Hood was catastrophic the 2nd worse general after Bragg.
I just read that you left jackson off this list? But added hood? I wont waste anymore time on this ai bs.
Do you think this was clearly one side. Most of these guy. Lost.
Hood should not be on the list.
Confederate fan boy stuff.
besides grant---1) Sherman, 2) Sheridan, 3) Thomas, 4) MacPherson, 5) Hancock
Sherman
Sherman