Bad Civil War Generals

Nathaniel Banks: Beaten in more places by more Reb generals than anybody else. He made even the mediocre ones look good. The sad thing is that he was courageous and always tried hard. He never seemed to realize that he wasn't any good.

Braxton Bragg: Never met a man he didn't hate, or an opportunity he couldn't fritter away.  The first American officer known to be the intended victim of a fragging (yes, this really happened!). His idea of the best way to discipline a man was to shoot him. Trouble is, you don't get much out of him after you've done that. Used his one and only victory (Chickamauga) to get rid of subordinates he disliked instead of driving the Yankees out of Tennessee.

Ambrose Burnside: The saddest case of all. Burnside knew he was not competent to command an army, and didn't hide the fact. It took the horror of Fredericksburg to show the North that he wasn't just being modest. With Antietam Creek fordable in at least one other spot, he couldn't think of anything better to do than charge right at the heavily guarded bridge. With all of Northern Virginia to maneuver in, he made a difficult and slow river crossing to assault prepared positions on high ground. Lee could have stayed in his tent and beaten Burnside.

Benjamin Butler: Maybe he wasn't a crook, but he sure acted like one. Clearly one of the ethically-challenged. His administration of New Orleans was solid but filled with faux pas. Meanwhile, his relatives and friends filled their pockets trading with the enemy. It was in field command that he really stank. His lethargy would have embarrassed McClellan. Instead of being a springboard for an offensive, Bermuda Hundred became the largest internment camp for Union soldiers in the whole war, and the Confederates didn't have to lift a finger.

John Fremont: Arguably the worst general of the Civil War, perhaps the worst in American history. The Union was saved only because he was not given greater responsibility. Whenever he was given a command, he would insulate himself behind a bizarre entourage of foreign military non-entities. Even his immediate subordinates could rarely see him. It was easier to get a private interview with the Sultan of Turdy. Orders were certainly greatly distorted by the time they seeped into or out of his headquarters. This would explain why almost every move he made in the field was precisely the wrong one.

Joseph Hooker: The Peter Principle poster child of 1863. Could give the Doobie Brothers lessons on partying (yep, that's where hookers got their name). Like Hood, he was a good, aggressive division commander. Some of the bloodiest moments of the war came when he and Hood happened to be on the same field at the same time. Lost his nerve just when he could have given Lee a hard time at Chancellorsville. He did some good service in the West later, but resigned over some political brou-ha-ha.

John Bell Hood: The Peter Principle poster child of 1864. He was a great brigade and division commander. Just wind him up and point him in the right direction and let him go. Giving him the Army of Tennessee was probably one of the lamest decisions old Jeff ever made. If Hood had had Sherman's resources, he would have been hell on wheels (if a frog had wings he wouldn't bang his behind on the ground, too!). Hood also had a disturbing tendency to lose parts of his body at every battle.

George McClellan: The most frustrating of generals. The only human being who would fold with a royal flush. Even long after the war, with Confederate records open for all to see, he would claim to have been greatly outnumbered. Of course, if you're badly outnumbered and you get beaten, then it really isn't your fault, is it? Probably a good study for a psychological study.

Gideon Pillow: Gained an unenviable reputation in the Mexican War. Grant, who knew him, held him in open contempt. How he managed to get a commission as a general in the Confederate army is mystifying. After contributing to the fiasco at Fort Donelson, he, along with General Floyd (who ought also to be on this list), left Simon Bolivar Buckner holding the bag, causing that fine officer, who was worth at least a dozen of Pillow and Floyd, to spend months languishing in a Federal prison camp. Fortunately for the South, Pillow and Floyd were never given another major command.

John Pope: If bombast could win battles, Pope would have saved the Union single-handedly. He gained some success in the West, then was transferred east and promoted to command the Army of Virginia while McClellan watched the grass grow at Harrison's Landing. He then proceeded to underwhelm everyone. Eastern veterans resented being lectured on how Westerners won battles. Lee, angered by Pope's treatment of civilians, determined to "suppress" him (It was best not to anger Lee. He was likely enough to whip you anyway without making him mad in the bargain). Lee sent Jackson to befuddle Pope, and Longstreet to smash him at Second Manassas. Pope was then sent to Minnesota to inflict his prose on the Sioux.