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Confederate and Union Generals of the American Civil War
For most of the American Civil War the Union Army assigned only
two general ranks: brigadier-general and major-general. In 1864 the
rank of lieutenant-general was reactivated and assigned to Ulysses Simpson Grant. The three grades were distinguished by their
insignia: one star for brigadier-general, two for major-general, and three for lieutenant-general.
In 1862 there were four general grades in the Confederate
Army: brigadier-general, major-general, lieutenant-general, and general being the highest attainable rank. All wore the
same insignia making it impossible to identify a general's rank by his insignia. General Robert E. Lee, nevertheless, wore the insignia of colonel. During informal communication, however, each may be addressed as general.
The general grades may also be abbreviated in various forms: major-general, for example, may
be abbreviated to Maj. Gen. Jones; Maj. General Jones; Maj-Gen. Jones, etc. Formerly, however, it is Major General Jones or
Major-General Jones.
27% of North Carolina's generals were killed-in-action; the generals truly led by example and they epitomized the adage and embodied the motto: "I
shall never request my men do what I, myself, would not."
Recommended
Reading:
Generals in Gray Lives of the Confederate Commander (Hardcover). Description:
When Generals in Gray was published in 1959, scholars and critics immediately hailed it as one of the few indispensable books
on the American Civil War. Historian Stanley Horn, for example, wrote, "It is difficult for a reviewer to restrain his enthusiasm
in recommending a monumental book of this high quality and value." Here at last is the paperback edition of Ezra J. Warner’s
magnum opus with its concise, detailed biographical sketches and—in an amazing feat of research—photographs
of all 425 Confederate generals. Continued below...
The only exhaustive
guide to the South’s command, Generals in Gray belongs on the shelf of anyone interested in the Civil War. RATED 5 STARS!
Recommended
Reading:
Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders (Hardcover). Description:
More than forty years after its original publication, Ezra J. Warner’s Generals in Blue is now available in paperback
for the first time. Warner’s classic reference work includes intriguing biographical sketches and a rare
collection of photos of all 583 men who attained the rank of general in the Union Army.
Here are the West Point graduates and the political appointees; the gifted, the mediocre, and the inexcusably bad; those of
impeccable virtue and those who abused their position; the northern-born, the foreign-born, and the southerners who remained
loyal to the Union. Continued below...
Warner’s valuable introduction
discusses the criteria for appointment and compares the civilian careers of both Union and Confederate generals, revealing striking differences in the two groups. Generals
in Blue is that rare book—an essential volume for scholars, a prized item for buffs, and a biographical dictionary that
the casual reader will find absorbing.
Recommended
Reading: Civil War High Commands (1040 pages: Hardcover).
Description: Based on nearly five decades of research,
this magisterial work is a biographical register and analysis of the people who most directly influenced the course of the
Civil War, its high commanders. Numbering 3,396, they include the presidents and their cabinet members, state governors, general
officers of the Union and Confederate armies (regular, provisional, volunteers, and militia),
and admirals and commodores of the two navies. Civil War High Commands will become a cornerstone reference
work on these personalities and the meaning of their commands, and on the Civil War itself. Errors of fact and interpretation
concerning the high commanders are legion in the Civil War literature, in reference works as well as in narrative accounts.
The present work brings together for the first time in one volume the most reliable facts available, drawn from more than
1,000 sources and including the most recent research. The biographical entries include complete names, birthplaces, important
relatives, education, vocations, publications, military grades, wartime assignments, wounds, captures, exchanges, paroles,
honors, and place of death and interment. Continued
below...
In addition
to its main component, the biographies, the volume also includes a number of essays, tables, and synopses designed to clarify
previously obscure matters such as the definition of grades and ranks; the difference between commissions in regular, provisional,
volunteer, and militia services; the chronology of military laws and executive decisions before, during, and after the war;
and the geographical breakdown of command structures. The book is illustrated with 84 new diagrams of all the insignias used
throughout the war and with 129 portraits of the most important high commanders.
Recommended
Reading: Rebels and Yankees: Commanders of the Civil War (Hardcover), by William C. Davis (Author),
Russ A. Pritchard (Author). Description: Davis and Pritchard have created a wonderful
work that is sure to become a hit with anyone who studies the Civil War. This book uses words and a generous amount
of pictures and photographs to tell the story of the leaders, both talented and flawed, that held together the two
struggling armies in a time of chaos and devastating loss. Continued below...
Although many
of the stories have been told in one form or another.... Commanders compiles this study in a single book that makes
it very easy to compare and contrast the styles and techniques employed by officers of both armies. I thoroughly enjoyed the
book and highly recommend it.
Recommended Reading: Battles
and Leaders of the Civil War, Volume 6 (Battles & Leaders of the Civil War) (632 pages) (University of Illinois Press)
(May 30, 2007). Description: Sifting carefully through
reports from newspapers, magazines, personal memoirs, and letters, Peter Cozzens' Volume 6 brings readers more of the best
first-person accounts of marches, encampments, skirmishes, and full-blown battles, as seen by participants on both sides of
the conflict. Alongside the experiences of lower-ranking officers and enlisted men are accounts from key personalities including
General John Gibbon, General John C. Lee, and seven prominent generals from both sides offering views on "why the Confederacy
failed." Continued below...
This volume includes one hundred and twenty illustrations, including
sixteen previously uncollected maps of battlefields, troop movements, and fortifications.
Recommended Reading: Who Was Who in the Civil War (600 pages: Hardcover), by Stewart Sifakis. Description: It provides
biographical sketches of all the major participants of the Civil War: Generals, politicians and even famous - or infamous
- characters such as Jesse James and Bloody Bill Anderson. RATED A SOLID 5 STARS. Continued...
Recommended Reading: Who Was Who in the Union, by Stewart Sifakis. Description: It provides
more than 1500 biographical sketches of all the major Union participants of the Civil War.
Recommended Reading:
Who Was Who in the Confederacy, by Stewart Sifakis. Description:
It provides biographical sketches of all the major Confederate participants of the Civil War.
Civil War Generals List of Union Confederate Generals, Details of American Civil War Generals Photos,
Photo, Pictures, Photographs, History, Generals Killed, Wounded, Summary, Facts, General Biography Diary
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