Who should I promote? Robert E. Lee after the death of Thomas J. Jackson

After Stonewall Jackson was killed the Confederate high command had an important decision ot make. The Army of Northern Virginia had entered a state of change after the beloved commander of the Second Corps met his end by a volley fired by his own troops. Lee had six eligiable candiates to replace Jackson and if you look at the list you could form a second army around these guys.

Richard Ewell-->Served with distinction with Jackson in the Valley and the Second Bull Run campaign where he was wounded.

A.P. Hill-->Lee called him his best division commander. This was very difficult for anyone to argue because Hill's division saved the Confederate right at Sharpsburg and despite a questionable performance at Fredricksburg, Hill's division possessed one of the best fighting forces in America. This was due to the strength of Hill as a commander.

John Bell Hood-->Next to Hill he was argulably Lee's best division commander. Hood had smashed the Union line at Gaines Mill and saved the Confederate left at Sharpsburg in 1862.

Richard H. Anderson-->Had one of the best resumes of any of the six commanders. He served with distinction during the Seven Days Campaign, Antietam and Second Bull Run. Anderson also was a very humble man like R.E. Lee.

Lafayette McLaws-->Another division commander and like Hood he served with skill under the commands of James Longstreet and Jackson. Like Hill he fought in every single battle that the Army of Northern Virginia had ever seen.

Jackson died on May 10, 1863 and by May 23rd the gray-bearded Lee had made his decision. He would divide his army into three corps instead of the two that had previously existed. This would make it easier for Lee and his corps commanders to dictate orders and fight battles. Longstreet would remain in command of the First Corps. As successor to Jackson, General Lee decided that Richard Ewell would become the new commander of the Second Corps.

Meanwhile the command of the newly minted Third Corps would fall to A.P. Hill. Many in the army critisized the decision and stated that the army's commander picked Hill because he was a Virginian. Years later Jefferson Davis would put this theory to rest in his memorirs by stating "There had been complaints in certain quarters that Virginia was getting more her fair share of the promotions. But the truth is that A.P. Hill was clearly entitled to the place, both ont he account of his ability as a soldier and the meritorious services he had rendered, that General Lee did not hestiate to to recommend him, and I did not hestiate to make the appointment."

Source:

Robertson, James I. General A. P. Hill : The Story of a Confederate Warrior. New York: Random House, 1987.

A Generals Graveyard: The Battle of Franklin

The Confederate charge at Franklin completely destroyed a Confederate army and became the final major Confederate assault of the war. The cost of the battle is best told by the official casualty numbers, 1,750 men were killed and another 3,800 were wounded. An estimated 2000 others suffered less serious wounds. But the biggest loss for the Confederacy was in its officer ranks which were decimated in the attack.



Fifteen Confederate generals (6 killed or mortally wounded, 8 wounded, and 1 captured) and 53 regimental commanders were casualties.

Divisional Commanders KIA

Major-General Patrick Cleburne

Brigade Commanders KIA

Brig. Gen. John Adams
Brig. Gen. Hiram B. Granbury
Brig. Gen. States Rights Gist
Brig. Gen. Otho F. Strahl

Brigade Commanders Mortally Wounded

Brig. Gen. John C. Carter

Brigade Commanders Wounded

Brig. Gen. Arthur M. Manigault
Brig. Gen. Thomas M. Scott
Brig. Gen. Francis M. Cockrell
Brig. Gen. William A. Quarles
Brig. Gen. Zachariah C. Deas
Brig. Gen. John C. Brown
Brig. Gen. Arthur M. Manigault
Brig. Gen. Ellison Capers

Brigade Commanders Captured

Brig. Gen. George W. Gordon

As Shelby Foote once put it "The flower of the army fell" at Franklin. That may be true but surely no other battle in Civil War history claimed more top commanders than the Battle of Franklin. The leadership of the Army of Tennessee had been shot away. Major General Benjamin F. Cheatham's Corp command suffered the highest number of high command casualties. Its casualty list included; Cleburne, Granbury, Brown, Gist, Carter, Strahl were killed or wounded. Gordon became the seventh officer lost when he was captured. Lt. General Alexander P. Stewart's corps suffered as well and four of its generals were killed or wounded (Adams, Scott, Cockrell & Quarles).

I hope that everybody is enjoying their summers!

Eight Full Confederate Generals

During the short history of the Confederate States Army there were only seven full generals. Here is a list of them.

Samuel Cooper
Albert Sidney Johnston
P.G.T. Beauregard
Joseph E. Johnston
Robert E. Lee
John Bell Hood
Braxton Bragg
Kirby Smith

Thomas J. Jackson and James Longstreet were not full generals even though the average Civil War buff will tell you that. The Confederate Congress and Jefferson Davis only appoved eight full general commissions during the course of the war. Cooper never took the field, Johnston was killed in 1862, Beauregard/Johnston had checkered histories as field officers, Hood was a failure, Smith bitched a lot but did nothing. Only Lee was successful. Braxton Bragg, like Johnston and Beauregard struggled as a field commander.

Confederate General Benjamin Franklin Cheatham: A forgotten Civil War General

On September 4, 1886 Confederate General Benjamin Franklin Cheatham died. The old general had served during the entire war within the army that was known as the Army of Tennessee. Cheatham rose from brigade to corps commander during the conflict and proved himself a capable commanding officer.Originally a farmer, Cheatham served with distinction during the Mexican War as colonel of the 3rd Tennessee. As the Civil War drew near he was a senior officer in the Tennessee state milita before its eventual merger with Confederate forces. After fighting at Belmont faithfully he led a division at Shiloh where he was wounded. After recovering he was promoted to major general and served in many of the remaining Army of Tennessee campaigns.Cheatham led bravely at the battles of Perryville, Murfreesboro, the Tullahoma Campaign and the fierce fighing at Chickamauga. At all of these places his division was well led and fought the Union armies hard. When General William J. Hardee left the army Cheatham took command of the corps after he led with distinction during the Atlanta Campaign. It is claimed that his troops inflicted more casualites on Sherman's attacking forces than any other Confederate unit that served during the Battle of Kenesaw Mountain. But the biggest test of Cheathams service record was during at Spring Hill, Tennessee during Hood's invasion of the state.Despite his battle performances controversy tended to follow Ben Cheatham everywhere.

He clashed with his superior officers including General Braxton Bragg with whom he fought repeadily. Historians debate feriously about Cheatham's actions near Spring Hill on November 29, 1864. Hood ordered Cheatham to head his invading coloumns but his corps failed to attack the Federals at Spring Hill or block all the escape routes. The Union army was able to slip away during the night and marched unimpeded northward where they entrenched near a town called Franklin. John Bell Hood had a short fuse to begin with and the Union escape enraged him. The two men met the following day and a verbal argument ensued which lasted until Hoods death in 1878. Hood continued to allow Cheatham to be the lead coloumn and at Franklin Cheatham's corps bore the brunt of the fighting. The unit suffered appalling casualties and Cheatham never forgave Hood for the disgrace of attacking an unattainable Union position. General Bragg even entered the fray accusing Cheatham of losing the Confederate initiative at Spring Hill. General Cheatham responded in kind and those two also had another war of words.Two weeks later Hood's army was severly defeated at Nashville and Cheatham retreated with the rest of the army. He would continue to serve with that Army of Tennessee and surrender with General Joseph E. Johnston in North Carolina on April 26, 1865.After the war Cheatham farmed in Coffee County, lost an 1872 congressional race, and served as superintendent of the state prison system. He was postmaster of Nashville at the time of his death on September 4, 1886. He was a interesting character and his record was solid despite conflicts with other army officers.

Suggested Reading(s): Losson, Christopher, Tennessee's Forgotten Warriors: Frank Cheatham and his Confederate Division (1990).Connelly, Thomas Lawrence. Army of the Heartland; The Army of Tennessee, 1861-1862. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1967. Connelly, Thomas Lawrence. Autumn of Glory; The Army of Tennessee, 1862-1865. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1971. Horn, Stanley Fitzgerald. The Army of Tennessee. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1953. Horn, Stanley Fitzgerald. The Army of Tennessee. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1953. Hood, John Bell. Advance and Retreat Personal Experiences in the United States and Confederate States Armies. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1996.