POLEMOS - American Civil War - General
One thing seldom considered in games is that an officer might be fine as a subordinate but completely at sea on their own when given higher command responsibility. Longstreet is one example from the Civil War, one from another war and time is Packenham. The following is highly subjective so please fell free to disagree and come up with your own ratings; war gamers can be very protective of their favourites as I also am.

Confederate army commanders east and west

P.G.T. Beauregard: a Competent Corps and army leader who became most effective in the immediate presence of the enemy. Removed from them he began hatching improbable schemes based on what looked easy on the map. He had a venomous relationship with Confederate President Jefferson Davis.

Joe Johnston: an excellent trainer and administrator who was loved by his troops and well regarded by his officers. He was extremely Cautious, abandoning his huge Centerville depot in 1862 without a shot fired. He also planned to evacuate his Yorktown lines later the same year but was forced to stay by Davis and Lee, eventually pulling out just before the Union attack. He only launched two attacks during the entire war, one at Fair Oaks/Seven Pines and the other near the very end of the war at Bentonville. His relations with Davis were best characterized as mutual hatred.

Albert Sidney Johnston: Since his tenure was so brief it he is hard to measure. My guess is that he was Competent. His cordon defence of Tennessee fell apart when one part of the line was breached by U.S. Grant. His Shiloh offensive was certainly audacious, though the execution was a little slow and confused due to the raw status of his army. He died at Shiloh from loss of blood after a minor wound.

Robert E. Lee: Exceptional, he was aggressive, Skilled and willing to take incredible risks. He was such a gentleman that people often overlooked the brawler in him. He made four frontal attacks on strong Union positions in his career – three at the Seven Days (Beaver Dam, Gaines Mill and Malvern Hill) and Pickett’s charge at Gettysburg. Three failed with heavy losses and one succeeded with extremely heavy losses. He invaded the north twice in hopes of ending the war at a stroke, each time silencing anti-war sentiment and rallying the populace around Lincoln. Fortunately for the Union there was only one of him. He always got on well with Davis. His polite orders left a lot of discretion to subordinates. Such orders to Jackson worked well, but Hill, Ewell and others could use them to take a break and ease off. Continued victory earned him the love of his under fed and raggedly clothed troops.

Braxton Bragg: Cautious, what military talent he had was undermined by the complete failure of his relations with both his rank-and-file troops and his Generals. He was subject to bouts of caution at the most inconvenient times. His Corps at Shiloh made successive piece-meal attacks against the Hornets Nest. Later in the war when Commanding a corps around Wilmington he made no serious attempt to relieve Fort Fisher. His main time on stage was as Commander of the Confederate Army of Tennessee. Twice his Generals petitioned Davis to remove him. Twice Davis sustained his brother-in-law. Bragg retreated after tied battles and wasted his one clear victory at Chickamauga by refusing to pursue, causing his Generals to rage against him. He finally resigned after presiding over the rout at Chattanooga.

John Pemberton: a Pennsylvanian who sided with the Confederacy. He was Competent but taken completely by surprise when Grant abandoned his supply line, refusing to follow ‘the book’. Accused of treachery by some Confederates, he was merely out-classed and out-fought.

John Bell Hood: a Commanding brigade and division commander who was Competent at corps level and Skilled but bull-headed and rash in command of an army. Lee said of him (as Army Commander), “He has too much of the lion and not enough of the fox”. Hood was astoundingly brave, having an arm lamed at Gettysburg and losing a leg at Chickamauga. He inherited Bragg’s contentious officers and eventually, in a rage, would send many of them to their deaths at Franklin.

Union army commanders east and west

Irwin McDowell: Inept, slow, and methodical, without a hint of the common touch, despised by his troops. He was also just plain unlucky (the worst mark in Napoleon’s book).

George McClellan: an excellent trainer and administrator, loved by his troops, no brawler, he pretty much created the Army of the Potomac. He was extremely slow and Cautious as army commander, always assumed the Confederates had 3 or 4 times as many troops as they actually did and maintained this long after the war was over. He also had dreadful relations with Lincoln and Congress, a fatal flaw when Commanding the Army of the Potomac. Personally brave, he stayed away from the front, probably because he could not bear to see the losses caused in battle. He almost always withdrew after a sharp fight with Lee, more aware of his own losses than those inflicted on the enemy. He ran for President against Lincoln in 1864 and lost.

John Pope: Inept, a braggart and a 24-carat fool, despised by his troops. He fouled up the 2nd Bull Run campaign so thoroughly that the whole army cheered wildly when informed that McClellan was back in charge. He signed his dispatches ‘headquarters in the saddle’, leading Lincoln to quip that his headquarters was where his hindquarters should be. He was sent back west to command small detachments against the Sioux, a job he should never have left.

Ambrose Burnside: Capable, a personable and honest man who didn’t have what it took. He had done well with an independent amphibious corps along the North Carolina coast against Wise and Branch. Then McClellan – always looking for reinforcements – called him up to Virginia. Burnside was not up to the major leagues. He could make a good plan, but when the original conditions that the plan was based on changed he would continue with the plan anyway. From this came the disasters at Fredericksburg and the Crater. He was slow in Corps command at Antietam and the Wilderness. He did hold off Longstreet at Knoxville in 1863. He retired due to ill-health in 1864. He told Lincoln he was not Competent, and rather described himself as being too Inept to command the army. He knew what he was speaking about.

Joseph Hooker: an aggressive, brave soldier and a conniver. He was a Capable firebrand Division Commander and Corps Commander. In top command, he proved to be Skilled; he out-manoeuvred Lee but then froze, leading to the debacle of Chancellorsville. He did well again as a Corps CO out west, until preposterous claims in a report led Grant to sack him. Popular with his troops, who he kept well-fed and supplied.

George Meade: a fiery Division Commander, a Capable Corps CO and a Skilled though Cautious Army CO. His army got to fight at Gettysburg without being handicapped by mistakes made at the top – a first. He proved adept at later fencing with Lee in Northern Virginia, snapping up an isolated division. But he was not the man to crush the rebellion on his own hook. Grant would have to rise to command all the armies before that policy was followed.

Don Carlos Buell: slow and Cautious, distant from his troops. He was relieved by Lincoln for his agonizingly slow pursuit after Perryville.

Henry Halleck: Cautious and poor in field command and Inept in over-all command. He translated Jomini's military works from French, gaining the nick-name "Brains". His one tour in a field command revealed him to be more Cautious than McClellan. His western reputation was a reflection of the victories of his subordinate Grant. His time as General-in-Chief showed him to be the sort of bureaucrat who specialized in avoiding blame - by avoiding decisions. Lincoln called him "little more than a first-rate clerk". A good look shows him behind numerous Union defeats.

U.S. Grant: Exceptional, aggressive, dogged, with a talent for writing simple, easy to understand orders. He was a good administrator. While he didn’t get on well with Halleck (who did?), he and Lincoln fit like hand in glove. He was an excellent General-in-Chief of the nation. He made mistakes early on, caught by surprise at Fort Donelson and again at Shiloh but coming back to win each time. His numerous failed attempts against Vicksburg were crowned by his final brilliant campaign. Between his losses at Shiloh and against Lee in the overland campaign, he has been labelled a simple butcher. While he was a brawler, it must be remembered that three Confederate armies were captured in combat operations during the war. All three surrendered to Grant. When urged to fire him after Shiloh, Lincoln said, “I can’t spare this man – he fights”.

William Rosecrans: an able administrator and a Skilled tactician. He was a Capable Corps Commander, able to conduct independent operations. He was Competent at Stones River where his dogged stand kept an early reverse from becoming a stampede. He then got too clever before and during Chickamauga, started with skill, and then was routed. He never got over the defeat and Grant sacked him.

George Thomas: a Union-loyal Virginian who was methodical, slow and stubborn. He was a Commanding Division and Corps Commander and a Skilled army CinC. Nick-named ‘Old Slow Trot’, he was almost sacked before the battle of Nashville for delaying his attack. When he finally did attack, the Confederates were shattered as rarely before. He was called ‘the Rock of Chickamauga’ after the stand he made when the rest of the army was routed there.

W.T. Sherman: an aggressive commander. He was a Commanding Division and Corps CO and a Skilled Army CinC in battle. He was an excellent operational commander, flanking Confederates out of any number of strong positions without major fights. Hated for his extensive burning of Confederate property, he pretty much brought the war to an end. His Western army marched all the way to the Eastern theatre, getting within a couple of weeks’ march of Lees’ rear by war’s end. He first thought Grant insane to abandon Union supply lines at Vicksburg. Once proved wrong, he adopted and improved Grant's technique. Sherman was no diplomat and needed Grant to shield him from the politicians.

McPherson: aggressive and Capable, and too brave as it turned out. Killed in the fighting around Atlanta.

Confederate Army commanders in minor theatres

Earl van Dorn: Skilled, had aggressive, even had grandiose plans but didn’t follow up well, in war or love. He was slain by a jealous husband!

Henry Wise, Branch, John Floyd: the worst examples of political generals – Inept and gun-shy to boot. Branch drunkenly ordered his artillery to fire on his own front line.

Gideon Pillow: Inept, a fool from the Mexican War who did not improve with age. He sent troops out to fight at Belmont without first filling their cartridge pouches.

Richard Taylor: the son of (anti-secessionist) President Zachary Taylor. He was aggressive and Skilled, popular with the troops. He got along badly with his superior, Price.

Sterling Price: a Capable Division Commander who got promoted way above his level of competence.

Union Army commanders in minor theatres

Ben Butler: Inept, a political appointee. He found a way to get troops around the secessionist mob of Baltimore and into Washington DC early in 1861. He never displayed a hint of military talent after that, though he was popular with his Black troops. He was truly homely. His political connections were so good that Grant couldn’t sack him until early 1865.

Nathaniel Banks: Inept, another political general. Stonewall Jackson thumped him in the Shenandoah, capturing so many supplies Confederates named him "Commissary Banks". He hoped to succeed Lincoln as President, a wish dashed in the Red River debacle. He was brave, but no kind of General.

Frederick Steele: a Competent commander of small armies west of the Mississippi who thrashed the Confederates at Pea Ridge/Elkhorn tavern.

Confederate Corps and division commanders East

Stonewall Jackson: nearly always aggressive and often brilliant, Exceptional in independent command. He had some failures, notably being so exhausted during the Seven Days that he failed to intervene in much of the fighting, here he can be considered Inept. He also left a gap in his line at Fredericksburg that was found by Meade and gave the Confederates their one bad moment during the battle, here he would be considered Cautious. His action in the Shenandoah, his movements against Pope and his final attack at Chancellorsville are textbook examples of how to wage war, this would make him a Commanding officer. Extremely eccentric, continued victory made him popular with his troops, who called him ‘Old Blue-Light’ after the unusual expression he would sometimes get in combat.

Peter Longstreet: a Capable, methodical and slow Corps Commander, poor in independent command. An excellent trainer, his corps was often noted as the best drilled and equipped in the Army of Northern Virginia. He became the scapegoat of Confederates after the war since he committed two huge sins: criticizing Lee on his actions at Gettysburg and by joining the Republican Party. While he was slow and methodical, it should be noted that the largest attacks made by Confederates in the war were all commanded by him: Second Bull Run, Second day at Gettysburg, Pickett’s charge, his attack at Chickamauga and his attack at the Wilderness. Pickett’s charge – made under protest and the source of much of his anger at Lee – this was the only outright failure, while his attack on the second day of Gettysburg was not successful enough to win the battle. But Second Bull Run, Chickamauga and the Wilderness were stunning successes in a war where defence often had the upper hand, a Commanding officer. His defence line at Fredericksburg was impenetrable and lethal. He was Lee’s ‘old war horse’.

JEB Stuart: bold cavalier, an aggressive raider and scout. He had the Union cavalry tied up in knots until about mid-1863, literally riding circles around the Union Army he could be rated as Commanding or Skilled. He reported the positions of Union troops while keeping Union scouts at arm’s length. An excellent scout, he played to the newspapers with his exploits. Such grandstanding led to his ill-fated ride around the Yankees before Gettysburg, leaving Lee without his ‘eyes’ at a critical juncture, here he would be rated as Capable.

AP Hill: aggressive and rash Division Commander, often at odds with his superiors, called ‘Little Powell’. As Corps CO he was hesitant and Cautious at Gettysburg, growing into the job in time to become Capable. Saved the day at Antietam where he would be rated as Commanding. He was killed near the end of the war in the Petersburg/Richmond trenches.

Richard Ewell: a good Division CO, Capable, who lost an arm at Groveton to the Iron Brigade. He, like AP Hill was out of his league as Corps CO at Gettysburg and continued to be Cautious afterwards.

Jubal Early: a Commanding Divisional CO, Capable Corps CO. In independent command he was bold and aggressive, but Capable of lapses both offensively and defensively, he could be rated as Skilled. He got to the gates of Washington DC.

John Brown Gordon: Commanding Division Commander. He was often wounded in battle.

Lafayette McLaws: Capable Division CO who never exceeded his orders.

Harry Heth (pronounced heath): not a great Division CO, unlucky, Cautious.

George Pickett: unlucky, his division was committed to heavy battle twice and was decimated both times – at Gettysburg and Five Forks, he would rated as Capable.

Union Corps and division commanders East

Fitz-John Porter: a brave, Skilled Corps CO who clashed with Pope. He was made scapegoat for the loss at 2nd Bull Run and the sins of others.

Edwin Sumner: a brave soldier who should never have been promoted above division command, where he would be rated as Capable. Had his Corps been led properly at Antietam it might have crushed Lee’s army, here he would be rated as Cautious.

John Reynolds: a Skilled Division and Capable Corps CO, shot dead by a sniper at Gettysburg.

Oliver Howard: a sanctimonious and proper soldier, who was a Cautious Corps Commander in the east, did a very poor job at Chancellorsville. He and his ill-starred Corps were sent out west where they reinvented themselves in typical American fashion and became part of Sherman’s 60,000 hard-marching, hard-fighting veterans chosen for the march to the sea. An Inept Corps CO in the east who became Capable out west, he lost an arm at Antietam.

Winfield Scott Hancock: Commanding in Brigade and Division Command, called ‘the Superb’. He was a Capable Corps CO, doing excellent service at Gettysburg and after.

Daniel Sickles: an incredible character who invented the ‘temporary insanity’ defence plea after killing his wife’s lover. A brave politician/soldier promoted above his level to corps command, where he would be rated as Cautious. Nearly lost Gettysburg for the Union and paid for it with his leg. He later hired writers to claim he saved the day at Gettysburg.

John Sedgwick: a brave and Capable Corps CO, Cautious when on his own. He was badly wounded at Antietam and shot dead by a sniper at Spotsylvania after quipping “What’s all that ducking? At this range they couldn’t hit an Elephant.”

Alfred Pleasanton: a decent trainer and administrator but an Inept commander. He got the Union cavalry up to a level where they could meet the Confederate cavalry on an even field, but seems not to have believed it deep down.

Phil Sheridan: started as a crack Union cavalry Colonel, when such were few and far between. He then became a firebrand in command of a Western infantry division, Commanding. Next he excelled in command of the cavalry corps of the Army of the Potomac, defeating the Confederate cavalry and killing JEB Stuart at yellow Tavern, where he would be rated as Commanding. He was then given command of the Union Army in the Shenandoah, smashing General Early and devastating the Valley, where he could be rated as Exceptional. He then returned to the Army of the Potomac and shattered Lee's flank at Five Forks.

John Gibbon: excellent trainer, Brigade and Division CO, a Commanding officer, he trained the iron Brigade, and stopped Pickett’s charge. He went on to become a Capable Corps CO. After the war he dropped back to Colonel and was badly wounded leading a couple hundred infantry against Chief Joseph’s camp.

John Buford: a good Cavalry Division CO, Capable. He started the battle of Gettysburg. He died of typhoid fever later that year.

George Custer: a brave, aggressive and flashy cavalry commander. He led Yankee cavalry like they were Confederates. Good and aggressive in brigade and division command, he proved to be a Capable officer. He would prove too aggressive against the Sioux after the war and get a very short haircut at the Little Big Horn.

Abner Doubleday: brave but not a very good Division CO, a Capable officer, supposed to have invented baseball.

Confederate Corps and division commanders West

Leonidas Polk: the Episcopal Bishop of Louisiana and General. He was Capable and sometimes Cautious, killed by a round shot north of Atlanta in 1864.

William Hardee: known for having translated a French Chasseur drill manual known as “Hardee’s Tactics”, used as manuals on both sides. He was a Capable Corps CO, often at war with Braxton Bragg.

John Breckinridge: a politician who had run against Lincoln in 1860. He was a Capable Division CO and a Cautious Corps CO.

Patrick Cleburne (pronounced clayburn): Irish immigrant, an excellent trainer and Division CO, a Commanding officer, he was killed at Franklin. His division was the best in the Army of Tennessee.

Nathan Bedford Forrest: a self made man, too uncouth for the Southern planter aristocracy, called ‘the Wizard of the Saddle’. He was an aggressive and Commanding cavalry commander, at home leading dismounted troopers in a charge against entrenched enemy and raiding deep into the rear. He once threatened to shoot Bragg. His complete victory against heavy odds at Brice’s Crossroads, where he would be rated as Exceptional, has been studied at Sandhurst Military Academy. Forrest’s command was also accused of murdering Black prisoners at Fort Pillow. He went on after the war to become the first leader of the Klu Klux Klan.

Union Corps commanders West

Alexander McCook: an in Competent Corps CO, totally Inept, he was finally sacked after the debacle of Chickamauga. His poorly deployed corps at Stones River nearly lost the battle.

Jefferson Davis: a strange name for a Union general. He was Capable in Division and Corps command. He murdered a superior officer in broad daylight in 1862 and beat the charge by being well-connected. He ended up marching to the sea with Sherman.

John Schofield: a Capable Corps Commander.

Joseph Mower: a Capable Corps Commander, Sherman's favourite.

John Logan: a political general who grew into the job, initially rated Inept, he became a Capable Corps Commander.

Francis Blair: another politician who learned to be a soldier and a Capable Corps Commander.

James Wilson: an aggressive, Capable cavalry Corps Commander who finally defeated Forrest at Selma.