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General officers in the Confederate States Army

The general officers of the Confederate States Army (CSA) were the senior military leaders of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War of 1861–1865. They were often former officers from the United States Army (the regular army) before the Civil War, while others were given the rank based on merit or when necessity demanded. Most Confederate generals needed confirmation from the Confederate States Congress, much like prospective generals in the modern U.S. armed forces.

Confederate States Army general officers collar badge

Like all of the Confederacy's military forces, these generals answered to their civilian leadership, in particular Jefferson Davis, the President of the Confederate States of America and therefore commander-in-chief of the Military forces of the Confederate States.

History edit

 
Robert E. Lee, the best known CSA general. Lee is shown with the insignia of a Confederate colonel, which he chose to wear throughout the war.

Much of the design of the Confederate States Army was based on the structure and customs of the United States Army[1] when the Confederate States Congress established the Confederate States War Department on February 21, 1861.[2] The Confederate States Army was composed of three parts; the Army of the Confederate States of America (ACSA, intended to be the permanent, regular army), the Provisional Army of the Confederate States (PACS, or "volunteer" Army, to be disbanded after hostilities), and the various Confederate States State militias.

Graduates from United States Military Academy and Mexican–American War veterans were highly sought after by Jefferson Davis for military service, especially as general officers. Like their U.S. Army counterparts, the Confederate Army had both professional and political generals within it. Ranks throughout the CSA were roughly based on the U.S. Army in design and seniority.[3] On February 27, 1861, a general staff for the army was authorized, consisting of four positions: an adjutant general, a quartermaster general, a commissary general, and a surgeon general. Initially, the last of these was to be a staff officer only.[2] The post of adjutant general was filled by Samuel Cooper (the position he had held as a colonel in the U.S. Army from 1852 until resigning) and he held it throughout the Civil War, as well as the army's inspector general.[4]

Initially, the Confederate States Army commissioned only brigadier generals in both the volunteer and regular services;[2] however, the Congress quickly passed legislation allowing for the appointment of major generals as well as generals, thus providing clear and distinct seniority over the existing major generals in the various state militias.[5] On May 16, 1861, when there were only five officers at the grade of brigadier general, this legislation was passed, which stated in part:

That the five general officers provided by existing laws for the Confederate States shall have the rank and denomination of 'general', instead of 'brigadier-general', which shall be the highest military grade known to the Confederate States ...[6]

As of September 18, 1862, when lieutenant generals were authorized, the Confederate States Army had four grades of general officers; they were (in order of increasing rank) brigadier general, major general, lieutenant general, and general.[7] As officers were appointed to the various grades of general by Jefferson Davis (and were confirmed), he would create the promotion lists himself. The dates of rank, as well as seniority of officers appointed to the same grade on the same day, were determined by Davis, "usually following the guidelines established for the prewar U.S. Army."[8]

 
P. G. T. Beauregard, the Confederacy's first brigadier general, later the fifth-ranking general

Brigadier general edit

These generals were most often infantry or cavalry brigade commanders, aides to other higher-ranking generals, and War Department staff officers. By the war's end, the Confederacy had at least 383 different men who held this rank in the PACS and three in the ACSA: Samuel Cooper, Robert E. Lee, and Joseph E. Johnston.[9] The Confederate States Congress authorized the organization of regiments into brigades on March 6, 1861. Brigadier generals commanded them, and these generals were nominated by Davis and confirmed by the Confederate Senate.[2]

Though close to the U.S. Army in assignments, Confederate brigadiers mainly commanded brigades, while U.S. brigadiers sometimes led divisions and brigades, particularly in the first years of the war. These generals also often led sub-districts within military departments, with command over soldiers in their sub-district. These generals outranked Confederate States Army colonels, who commonly led infantry regiments.

This rank was equivalent to brigadier general in the modern U.S. Army.

Major general edit

 
Maj. Gen. Benjamin Huger, CSA

These generals were most commonly infantry division commanders, aides to other higher-ranking generals, and War Department staff officers. They also led the districts that made up military departments and had command over the troops in their districts. Some Major generals also led smaller military departments. By the end of the war, the Confederacy had at least 88 men who had held this rank, all in the PACS.[10]

The Confederate States Congress authorized divisions on March 6, 1861, and major generals would command them. These generals were to be nominated by Davis and confirmed by the Confederate Senate.[2] Major generals outranked brigadiers and all other lesser officers.

This rank was not synonymous with use in the U.S. Army, where major generals led divisions, corps, and entire armies. This rank was equivalent in most respects to a major general in the modern U.S. Army.

Major generals by seniority edit

Not further promoted

  • Abbreviations: KIA = killed in action, MW = mortally wounded, NC = non-combat death

Evander Mclver Law was promoted to the rank of Major General on March 20, 1865, on the recommendation of Generals Johnston and Hampton just before the surrender. The promotion was too late to be confirmed by the Confederate Congress however.

Lieutenant general edit

 
Lt. Gen. James Longstreet, CSA

There were 18 lieutenant generals in the Confederate States Army, and these general officers were often corps commanders within armies or military department heads in charge of geographic sections and all soldiers in those boundaries. All of the Confederate lieutenant generals were in the PACS.[10] The Confederate Congress legalized the creation of army corps on September 18, 1862, and directed that lieutenant generals lead them. These generals were to be nominated by President Davis and confirmed by the C.S. Senate.[7] Lieutenant generals outranked major generals and all other lesser officers. Most were graduates of the United States Military Academy and were former officers in the United States Army, with the exceptions of Richard Taylor, Wade Hampton, and Nathan Bedford Forrest.

This rank was not synonymous with the U.S. Army's use of it; Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885) was one of only two U.S. lieutenant generals during the war, the other being Winfield Scott (1786–1866), General-in-Chief of the United States Army 1841–1861, at the beginning of the American Civil War who also served in the War of 1812 (1812–1815), and led an army in the field during the Mexican–American War (1846–1849), received a promotion to brevet lieutenant general by a special Act of Congress in 1855. Gen. Grant was the only U.S. Army lieutenant general in active service at the time of his promotion on March 9, 1864. Grant became General-in-Chief, commander of the United States Army ("Union Army"), answering directly to President Abraham Lincoln and charged with the task of leading the U.S. Army to victory over the Confederate States Army. The CSA lieutenant general rank is also roughly equivalent to lieutenant general in the modern U.S. Army.

The Confederate Congress passed legislation in May 1864 to allow for "temporary" general officers in the PACS, to be appointed by President Jefferson Davis and confirmed by the Confederate Senate and given a non-permanent command by Davis.[12] Under this law, Davis appointed several officers to fill open positions. Richard H. Anderson was appointed a "temporary" lieutenant general on May 31, 1864, and given command of the First Corps in the Army of Northern Virginia commanded by Gen. Lee (following the wounding of Lee's second-in-command, Lt. Gen. James Longstreet on May 6 in the Battle of the Wilderness.) With Longstreet's return that October, Anderson reverted to a major general. Jubal Early was appointed a "temporary" lieutenant general on May 31, 1864, and given command of the Second Corps (following the reassignment of Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell to other duties) and led the Corps as an army into the third Confederate attack on the United States in July 1864 during the Battle of Monocacy near Frederick, Maryland and the Battle of Fort Stevens outside the U.S. capital city, Washington, D.C., until December 1864, when he too reverted to a major general. Likewise, both Stephen D. Lee and Alexander P. Stewart were appointed to fill vacancies in the Western Theater as "temporary" lieutenant generals and also reverted to their prior grades as major generals as those assignments ended. However, Lee was nominated a second time for lieutenant general on March 11, 1865.[13]

Lieutenant generals by seniority edit

  • Abbreviations: KIA = killed in action, MW = mortally wounded

General edit

 
Gen. Samuel Cooper, CSA

Originally five officers in the Confederate States Army were appointed to the rank of general, and only two more would follow. These generals occupied the senior posts in the Confederate Army, mostly entire army or military department commanders and advisers to Jefferson Davis. This rank was equivalent to the general in the modern U.S. Army. The grade is often referred to in modern writings as "full general" to help differentiate it from the generic term "general", meaning simply "general officer".[15]

All Confederate generals were enrolled in the ACSA to ensure that they outranked all militia officers,[5] except for Edmund Kirby Smith, who was appointed general late in the war and into the PACS. Pierre G.T. Beauregard, had also initially been appointed a PACS general, was elevated to ACSA two months later with the same date of rank.[16] These generals outranked all other grades of generals and lesser officers in the Confederate States Army. All were graduates of the United States Military Academy and were former officers in the United States Army.

The first group of officers appointed to general was Samuel Cooper, Albert Sidney Johnston, Robert E. Lee, Joseph E. Johnston, and Pierre G.T. Beauregard, with their seniority in that order. This ordering caused Cooper, a staff officer who would not see combat, to be the senior general officer in the CSA. That seniority strained the relationship between Joseph E. Johnston and Jefferson Davis. Johnston considered himself the senior officer in the Confederate States Army and resented the ranks that President Davis had authorized. However, his previous position in the U.S. Army was staff, not line, which was a criterion for Davis regarding establishing seniority and rank in the subsequent Confederate States Army.[17]

On February 17, 1864, Congress passed legislation to allow President Davis to appoint an officer to command the Trans-Mississippi Department in the Far West, with the rank of general in the PACS. Edmund Kirby Smith was the only officer appointed to this position.[18] Braxton Bragg was appointed a general in the ACSA with a date of rank of April 6, 1862, the day his commanding officer Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston died in combat at Shiloh/Pittsburg Landing.[19]

The Confederate Congress passed legislation in May 1864 to allow for "temporary" general officers in the PACS, to be appointed by Davis and confirmed by the C.S. Senate and given a non-permanent command by Davis.[12]John Bell Hood was appointed a "temporary" general on July 18, 1864, the date he took command of the Army of Tennessee in the Atlanta Campaign, but the Congress did not later confirm this appointment, and he reverted to his rank of lieutenant general in January 1865.[20] Later in March 1865, shortly before the end of the war, Hood's status was spelled out by the Confederate States Senate, which stated:

Resolved, That General J. B. Hood, having been appointed General, with temporary rank and command, and having been relieved from duty as Commander of the Army of Tennessee, and not having been reappointed to any other command appropriate to the rank of General, he has lost the rank of General, and therefore cannot be confirmed as such.[21]

Generals by seniority edit

  • Abbreviations: KIA = killed in action
List of generals by seniority
Name Date of Rank[8] Nominated[13] Confirmed[13] Rank Terminated[8] Reason[8]
Samuel Cooper May 16, 1861 August 31, 1861 August 31, 1861 May 3, 1865 paroled
Albert Sidney Johnston May 30, 1861 August 31, 1861 August 31, 1861 April 6, 1862 KIA, Shiloh
Robert E. Lee June 14, 1861 August 31, 1861 August 31, 1861 April 9, 1865 paroled
Joseph E. Johnston July 4, 1861 August 31, 1861 August 31, 1861 May 2, 1865 paroled
P.G.T. Beauregard July 21, 1861 August 31, 1861 August 31, 1861 May 1, 1865 paroled
Braxton Bragg April 6, 1862 April 12, 1862 April 12, 1862 May 10, 1865 paroled
Edmund Kirby Smith August 21, 1862 February 19, 1864 May 11, 1864 May 17, 1865 paroled
John Bell Hood July 18, 1864 - - January 23, 1865 Temporary Rank

During 1863, Beauregard, Cooper, J. Johnston, and Lee all had their ranks re-nominated on February 20 and then re-confirmed on April 23 by the Confederate Congress.[13] This was in response to debates on February 17 about whether confirmations made by the provisional legislature needed re-confirmation by the permanent legislature, which was done by an Act of Congress issued two days later.[22]

General in Chief edit

The position of General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate States was created on January 23, 1865. Gen. Robert E. Lee, the only officer appointed to it, served from February 6 until April 12.

Militia generals edit

The Confederate states had maintained militias since the American Revolutionary War, consistent with the U.S. Militia Act of 1792. They went by various names such as State "Militia", "Armies", or "Guard" and were activated and expanded when the Civil War began. These units were commanded by "Militia Generals" to defend their particular state and sometimes did not leave the state to fight for the Confederate Army. The Confederate militias used the brigadier and major general officer ranks.

The regulations in the Act of 1792 provided for two classes of militia, divided by age. Class one included men from 22 to 30 years old, and class two consisted of men from 18 to 20 years and from 31 to 45 years old.[23] The various Confederate states used this system during the war.

Uniform insignia edit

All Confederate generals wore the same uniform insignia regardless of their general rank,[24] except for Robert E. Lee, who wore the uniform of a Confederate colonel, as well as Joseph E. Johnston who wore a Colonel's insignia with a larger six pointed star in the center, similar to the stars worn by George Washington during the American Revolution. Wade Hampton additionally wore shoulder straps with general stars to denote his specific general's rank, and was apparently the only Confederate general to ever do so. The only visible difference was the button groupings on their uniforms; groups of three buttons for lieutenant and major generals and two for brigadier generals. In either case, a general's buttons were also distinguished from other ranks by their eagle insignia.

 
Joseph Reid Anderson in a CSA brigadier general's uniform.
Rank Collar insignia Sleeve insignia Buttons
General  
(all grades)
 
(all grades)
Lieutenant General Groups of three buttons
Major General Groups of three buttons
Brigadier General Groups of two buttons

To the right is a picture of the CSA general's full uniform, in this case, of Brig. Gen. Joseph R. Anderson of the Confederate Bureau of Ordnance. All of the Confederate generals wore uniforms like this regardless of their general grade, and all with gold-colored embroidering.

Pay edit

The general officers of the Confederate States Army were paid for their services, and exactly how much (in Confederate dollars (CSD)) depended on their rank and whether they held a field command or not. On March 6, 1861, when the army only contained brigadier generals, their pay was $301 CSD monthly, and their aide-de-camp lieutenants would receive an additional $35 CSD per month beyond regular pay. As more grades of the general officer were added, the pay scale was adjusted. By June 10, 1864, a general received $500 CSD monthly, plus another $500 CSD if they led an army in the field. Also, by that date, lieutenant generals got $450 CSD and major generals $350 CSD, and brigadiers would receive $50 CSD in addition to regular pay if they served in combat.[25]

Legacy edit

The Confederate States Army lost more general officers killed in combat than the United States Army throughout the war, in the ratio of about 5-to-1 for the Confederacy compared to roughly 12-to-1 for the United States.[26] The most famous of them is General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, among the best-known Confederate commanders, after General Robert E. Lee.[27] Jackson's death was the result of pneumonia which emerged subsequently after a friendly fire incident had occurred at the Battle of Chancellorsville on the night of May 2, 1863. Replacing these fallen generals was an ongoing problem during the war, often having men promoted beyond their abilities (a common criticism of officers such as John Bell Hood[28] and George Pickett,[29] but an issue for both armies), or gravely wounded in combat but needed, such as Richard S. Ewell.[30] The problem was made more difficult by the Confederacy's depleting workforce, especially near the war's end.

The last Confederate general in the field, Stand Watie, surrendered on June 23, 1865, and the war's last surviving Confederate full general, Edmund Kirby Smith, died on March 28, 1893.[31] James Longstreet died on January 2, 1904, and was considered "the last of the high command of the Confederacy".[32]

The Confederate States Army's system of using four grades of general officers is currently the same rank structure used by the U.S. Army (in use since shortly after the Civil War) and is also the system used by the U.S. Marine Corps (in use since World War II).

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ Eicher pp. 24–25. This resulted from the Confederacy's adoption of the U.S. 'Rules and Regulations of the Army' as their own, just with "Confederate States of America" put in wherever "United States of America" was in its text.
  2. ^ a b c d e Eicher, p. 23.
  3. ^ Eicher, p. 23. "Actually, commissions in the ACSA were usually one grade higher than the former commissions in the U.S. Army, while commissions in the PACS usually amounted to whatever was suggested by the size of the volunteer unit accepted into the Confederate service."
  4. ^ Dupuy, p. 190.
  5. ^ a b Eicher, p. 24.
  6. ^ Wright, p. 9. Confederate Congress Act of 16 May 1861, section 2.
  7. ^ a b Eicher, p. 25
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i Eicher, p. 807.
  9. ^ Eicher, p. 817.
  10. ^ a b Eicher, p. 810.
  11. ^ promotion was not confirmed by the Confederate Senate
  12. ^ a b Wright, p. 13. Confederate Congress Act of 31 May 1864.
  13. ^ a b c d e f Eicher, pp. 787–788.
  14. ^ Eicher, p. 808.
  15. ^ The usage of the somewhat incorrect term "full general" is very unofficial, but commonly occurs in modern military writings; referring to a colonel as "full" and/or "bird" colonel (as compared to a lieutenant colonel, who ranks behind them) in U.S. forces also occurs.
  16. ^ Eicher, p. 787.
  17. ^ Eicher, p. 69.
  18. ^ Wright, p. 12.
  19. ^ Eicher, p. 141.
  20. ^ Eicher, p. 303.
  21. ^ Wright, p. 13. Confederate Senate Resolution, 16 March 1865.
  22. ^ Eicher, p. 26.
  23. ^ Eicher, p. 70.
  24. ^ Eicher, p. 69. The original regulations for uniforms were issued when the Confederate States Congress authorized only brigadier generals. These regulations were never reissued when the higher ranks of generals were authorized later.
  25. ^ , Katcher, p. 60.
  26. ^ Foote, p. 1040. Of 583 U.S. general officers, 47 were killed due to combat; of 425 C.S. general officers, 77 fell.
  27. ^ Jackson biography at Civil War Home.
  28. ^ Dupuy, p. 346. "an excellent brigade and divisional commander, he was out of his depth with larger commands."
  29. ^ Dupuy, p. 597. "his abilities were not suited to directing larger forces, as demonstrated at Five Forks."
  30. ^ Dupuy, p. 244. "but it was a mark of the South's desperation for able leaders that a man with his disabilities should have spent so much time on active campaign."
  31. ^ Dupuy, p. 406.
  32. ^ Warner, p. 193.

References edit

  • Dupuy, Trevor N., Johnson, Curt, and Bongard, David L., Harper Encyclopedia of Military Biography, Castle Books, 1992, 1st Ed., ISBN 0-7858-0437-4.
  • Eicher, John H., and Eicher, David J., Civil War High Commands, Stanford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.
  • Foote, Shelby, The Civil War: A Narrative: Vol. III Red River to Appomattox, Vintage Books, 1986, ISBN 0-394-74622-8.
  • Katcher, Philip, The Army of Robert E. Lee, Sterling Publishing Co., 1994, ISBN 1-85409-174-3.
  • Warner, Ezra J., Generals in Gray: The Lives of the Confederate Commanders, Louisiana State University Press, 1959, ISBN 0-8071-3150-4.
  • Wright, Marcus J., General Officers of the Confederate Army, J. M. Carroll & Co., 1983, ISBN 0-8488-0009-5.

Further reading edit

  • Evans, Clement A., Confederate Military History – Volume I, Confederate Publishing Company, 1899, Atlanta, Ga., facsimile reprint by The National Historical Society, 2008.

general, officers, confederate, states, army, general, officers, confederate, states, army, were, senior, military, leaders, confederate, states, america, during, american, civil, 1861, 1865, they, were, often, former, officers, from, united, states, army, reg. The general officers of the Confederate States Army CSA were the senior military leaders of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War of 1861 1865 They were often former officers from the United States Army the regular army before the Civil War while others were given the rank based on merit or when necessity demanded Most Confederate generals needed confirmation from the Confederate States Congress much like prospective generals in the modern U S armed forces Confederate States Army general officers collar badgeLike all of the Confederacy s military forces these generals answered to their civilian leadership in particular Jefferson Davis the President of the Confederate States of America and therefore commander in chief of the Military forces of the Confederate States Contents 1 History 2 Brigadier general 3 Major general 3 1 Major generals by seniority 4 Lieutenant general 4 1 Lieutenant generals by seniority 5 General 5 1 Generals by seniority 6 General in Chief 7 Militia generals 8 Uniform insignia 9 Pay 10 Legacy 11 See also 12 Notes 13 References 14 Further readingHistory edit nbsp Robert E Lee the best known CSA general Lee is shown with the insignia of a Confederate colonel which he chose to wear throughout the war Much of the design of the Confederate States Army was based on the structure and customs of the United States Army 1 when the Confederate States Congress established the Confederate States War Department on February 21 1861 2 The Confederate States Army was composed of three parts the Army of the Confederate States of America ACSA intended to be the permanent regular army the Provisional Army of the Confederate States PACS or volunteer Army to be disbanded after hostilities and the various Confederate States State militias Graduates from United States Military Academy and Mexican American War veterans were highly sought after by Jefferson Davis for military service especially as general officers Like their U S Army counterparts the Confederate Army had both professional and political generals within it Ranks throughout the CSA were roughly based on the U S Army in design and seniority 3 On February 27 1861 a general staff for the army was authorized consisting of four positions an adjutant general a quartermaster general a commissary general and a surgeon general Initially the last of these was to be a staff officer only 2 The post of adjutant general was filled by Samuel Cooper the position he had held as a colonel in the U S Army from 1852 until resigning and he held it throughout the Civil War as well as the army s inspector general 4 Initially the Confederate States Army commissioned only brigadier generals in both the volunteer and regular services 2 however the Congress quickly passed legislation allowing for the appointment of major generals as well as generals thus providing clear and distinct seniority over the existing major generals in the various state militias 5 On May 16 1861 when there were only five officers at the grade of brigadier general this legislation was passed which stated in part That the five general officers provided by existing laws for the Confederate States shall have the rank and denomination of general instead of brigadier general which shall be the highest military grade known to the Confederate States 6 As of September 18 1862 when lieutenant generals were authorized the Confederate States Army had four grades of general officers they were in order of increasing rank brigadier general major general lieutenant general and general 7 As officers were appointed to the various grades of general by Jefferson Davis and were confirmed he would create the promotion lists himself The dates of rank as well as seniority of officers appointed to the same grade on the same day were determined by Davis usually following the guidelines established for the prewar U S Army 8 nbsp P G T Beauregard the Confederacy s first brigadier general later the fifth ranking generalBrigadier general editThese generals were most often infantry or cavalry brigade commanders aides to other higher ranking generals and War Department staff officers By the war s end the Confederacy had at least 383 different men who held this rank in the PACS and three in the ACSA Samuel Cooper Robert E Lee and Joseph E Johnston 9 The Confederate States Congress authorized the organization of regiments into brigades on March 6 1861 Brigadier generals commanded them and these generals were nominated by Davis and confirmed by the Confederate Senate 2 Though close to the U S Army in assignments Confederate brigadiers mainly commanded brigades while U S brigadiers sometimes led divisions and brigades particularly in the first years of the war These generals also often led sub districts within military departments with command over soldiers in their sub district These generals outranked Confederate States Army colonels who commonly led infantry regiments This rank was equivalent to brigadier general in the modern U S Army Major general edit nbsp Maj Gen Benjamin Huger CSAThese generals were most commonly infantry division commanders aides to other higher ranking generals and War Department staff officers They also led the districts that made up military departments and had command over the troops in their districts Some Major generals also led smaller military departments By the end of the war the Confederacy had at least 88 men who had held this rank all in the PACS 10 The Confederate States Congress authorized divisions on March 6 1861 and major generals would command them These generals were to be nominated by Davis and confirmed by the Confederate Senate 2 Major generals outranked brigadiers and all other lesser officers This rank was not synonymous with use in the U S Army where major generals led divisions corps and entire armies This rank was equivalent in most respects to a major general in the modern U S Army Major generals by seniority edit Not further promoted Abbreviations KIA killed in action MW mortally wounded NC non combat deathList of major generals by seniorityName Date of Rank 8 Rank Terminated 8 ReasonDavid E Twiggs May 22 1861 October 11 1861 retiredEarl Van Dorn September 19 1861 May 8 1863 murdered Spring Hill TNGustavus W Smith September 19 1861 February 17 1863 resignedBenjamin Huger October 7 1861 June 12 1865 paroledJohn B Magruder October 7 1861 no record no recordMansfield Lovell October 7 1861 no record no recordGeorge B Crittenden November 9 1861 October 23 1862 resignedWilliam W Loring February 15 1862 May 1 1865 paroledSterling Price March 6 1862 no record no recordBenjamin F Cheatham March 10 1862 May 1 1865 paroledSamuel Jones March 10 1862 May 12 1865 paroledJohn P McCown March 10 1862 May 12 1865 paroledDaniel Harvey Hill March 26 1862 no record no recordJones M Withers April 6 1862 May 11 1865 paroledJohn C Breckinridge April 14 1862 no record no recordThomas C Hindman April 14 1862 no record no recordLafayette McLaws May 23 1862 no record no recordRichard H Anderson July 14 1862 no record no recordJ E B Stuart July 25 1862 May 12 1864 MW Battle of Yellow TavernSamuel G French August 31 1862 April 1865 paroledGeorge Pickett October 10 1862 April 9 1865 paroledCarter L Stevenson October 10 1862 May 1 1865 paroledDavid R Jones October 11 1862 January 15 1863 NC Richmond VAJohn H Forney October 27 1862 June 20 1865 paroledDabney H Maury November 4 1862 May 11 1865 paroledMartin Luther Smith November 4 1862 May 1865 paroledJohn G Walker November 8 1862 no record no recordArnold Elzey December 4 1862 May 9 1865 paroledPatrick Cleburne December 13 1862 Nov 30 1864 KIA Battle of FranklinFranklin Gardner December 13 1862 May 11 1865 paroledIsaac R Trimble January 17 1863 April 16 1865 paroledJubal Early January 17 1863 no record no recordDaniel S Donelson January 17 1863 April 17 1863 NC Knoxville TNJoseph Wheeler January 20 1863 June 9 1865 paroledW H C Whiting February 28 1863 March 10 1865 NC New York CityEdward Johnson February 28 1863 July 22 1865 paroledRobert E Rodes May 2 1863 September 19 1864 KIA Third Battle of WinchesterW H T Walker May 23 1863 July 22 1864 KIA Battle of AtlantaHenry Heth May 24 1863 April 9 1865 paroledJohn S Bowen May 25 1863 July 6 1863 Died with Rank unconfirmedRobert Ransom Jr May 26 1863 no record no recordDorsey Pender May 27 1863 July 18 1863 MW Battle of GettysburgCadmus M Wilcox August 3 1863 April 9 1865 paroledJeremy F Gilmer August 3 1863 no record no record assignment incompleteFitzhugh Lee August 3 1863 April 9 1865 paroledWilliam Smith August 12 1863 January 1 1864 resignedHowell Cobb September 9 1863 May 18 1865 paroledJohn A Wharton November 10 1863 April 6 1865 murdered Houston TXWilliam T Martin November 10 1863 May 11 1865 paroledCharles W Field February 14 1864 April 9 1865 paroledJ Patton Anderson February 17 1865 May 1 1865 paroledWilliam B Bate February 24 1864 May 1 1865 paroledPrince de Polignac April 8 1864 no record no recordRobert F Hoke April 20 1864 April 1 1865 paroledW H F Lee April 23 1864 April 9 1865 paroledJames F Fagan April 24 1864 June 20 1865 Temporary promotion paroledJohn B Gordon May 14 1864 April 9 1865 paroledJoseph B Kershaw May 18 1864 no record no recordBushrod Johnson May 21 1863 May 9 1865 paroledStephen D Ramseur June 1 1864 June 20 1865 Temporary Promotion MW Battle of Cedar CreekEdward C Walthall June 6 1864 no record Temporary Promotion no recordHenry Clayton July 1 1864 April 1865 Temporary Promotion resignedWilliam Mahone July 30 1864 April 9 1865 paroledJohn C Brown August 4 1864 May 2 1865 Temporary promotion paroledLunsford L Lomax August 10 1864 May 2 1865 Temporary promotion paroledMatthew C Butler September 9 1864 May 1 1865 paroledJames L Kemper September 9 1864 May 2 1865 paroledG W C Lee October 20 1864 April 6 1865 paroledThomas L Rosser November 1 1864 May 1865 Temporary promotion paroledP M B Young December 12 1864 no record Temporary promotion no recordBryan Grimes February 15 1865 April 9 1865 paroledWilliam W Allen March 4 1865 11 May 1865 Unconfirmed paroledThomas J Churchill March 17 1865 June 7 1865 Temporary promotion paroledJohn S Marmaduke March 18 1865 July 24 1865 paroledEvander Mclver Law was promoted to the rank of Major General on March 20 1865 on the recommendation of Generals Johnston and Hampton just before the surrender The promotion was too late to be confirmed by the Confederate Congress however Lieutenant general edit nbsp Lt Gen James Longstreet CSAThere were 18 lieutenant generals in the Confederate States Army and these general officers were often corps commanders within armies or military department heads in charge of geographic sections and all soldiers in those boundaries All of the Confederate lieutenant generals were in the PACS 10 The Confederate Congress legalized the creation of army corps on September 18 1862 and directed that lieutenant generals lead them These generals were to be nominated by President Davis and confirmed by the C S Senate 7 Lieutenant generals outranked major generals and all other lesser officers Most were graduates of the United States Military Academy and were former officers in the United States Army with the exceptions of Richard Taylor Wade Hampton and Nathan Bedford Forrest This rank was not synonymous with the U S Army s use of it Ulysses S Grant 1822 1885 was one of only two U S lieutenant generals during the war the other being Winfield Scott 1786 1866 General in Chief of the United States Army 1841 1861 at the beginning of the American Civil War who also served in the War of 1812 1812 1815 and led an army in the field during the Mexican American War 1846 1849 received a promotion to brevet lieutenant general by a special Act of Congress in 1855 Gen Grant was the only U S Army lieutenant general in active service at the time of his promotion on March 9 1864 Grant became General in Chief commander of the United States Army Union Army answering directly to President Abraham Lincoln and charged with the task of leading the U S Army to victory over the Confederate States Army The CSA lieutenant general rank is also roughly equivalent to lieutenant general in the modern U S Army The Confederate Congress passed legislation in May 1864 to allow for temporary general officers in the PACS to be appointed by President Jefferson Davis and confirmed by the Confederate Senate and given a non permanent command by Davis 12 Under this law Davis appointed several officers to fill open positions Richard H Anderson was appointed a temporary lieutenant general on May 31 1864 and given command of the First Corps in the Army of Northern Virginia commanded by Gen Lee following the wounding of Lee s second in command Lt Gen James Longstreet on May 6 in the Battle of the Wilderness With Longstreet s return that October Anderson reverted to a major general Jubal Early was appointed a temporary lieutenant general on May 31 1864 and given command of the Second Corps following the reassignment of Lt Gen Richard S Ewell to other duties and led the Corps as an army into the third Confederate attack on the United States in July 1864 during the Battle of Monocacy near Frederick Maryland and the Battle of Fort Stevens outside the U S capital city Washington D C until December 1864 when he too reverted to a major general Likewise both Stephen D Lee and Alexander P Stewart were appointed to fill vacancies in the Western Theater as temporary lieutenant generals and also reverted to their prior grades as major generals as those assignments ended However Lee was nominated a second time for lieutenant general on March 11 1865 13 Lieutenant generals by seniority edit Abbreviations KIA killed in action MW mortally woundedList of lieutenant generals by seniorityName Date of Rank 8 Nominated 13 Confirmed 13 Rank Terminated 8 Reason 8 James Longstreet October 9 1862 October 10 1862 October 11 1862 April 9 1865 paroledEdmund Kirby Smith October 9 1862 October 10 1862 October 11 1862 February 19 1864 promoted to generalLeonidas Polk October 10 1862 October 10 1862 October 11 1862 June 14 1864 KIA Pine MountainTheophilus H Holmes October 10 1862 October 10 1862 October 11 1862 May 1 1865 paroledWilliam J Hardee October 10 1862 October 10 1862 October 11 1862 May 1 1865 paroledStonewall Jackson October 10 1862 October 10 1862 October 11 1862 May 10 1863 MW ChancellorsvilleJohn C Pemberton October 10 1862 October 10 1862 October 13 1862 May 18 1864 resignedRichard S Ewell May 23 1863 May 23 1863 February 2 1864 July 19 1865 paroledA P Hill May 24 1863 May 23 1863 January 15 1864 April 2 1865 KIA PetersburgD H Hill July 11 1863 withdrawn October 15 1863 Rift with General Bragg after the Battle of ChattanoogaJohn Bell Hood September 20 1863 February 1 1864 February 4 1864 May 31 1865 paroledRichard Taylor April 8 1864 May 14 1864 May 16 1864 May 11 1865 paroledJubal Early May 31 1864 May 31 1864 May 31 1864 no record Temporary RankRichard H Anderson May 31 1864 May 31 1864 May 31 1864 no record Temporary RankAlexander P Stewart June 23 1864 June 23 1864 February 20 1865 May 1 1865 paroledStephen D Lee June 23 1864 March 11 1865 March 16 1865 May 1 1865 paroledSimon B Buckner September 20 1864 September 20 1864 January 17 1865 June 9 1865 paroledWade Hampton February 14 1865 February 14 1865 February 15 1865 no record no recordNathan Bedford Forrest February 28 1865 March 2 1865 March 2 1865 May 10 1865 paroled 14 General edit nbsp Gen Samuel Cooper CSAOriginally five officers in the Confederate States Army were appointed to the rank of general and only two more would follow These generals occupied the senior posts in the Confederate Army mostly entire army or military department commanders and advisers to Jefferson Davis This rank was equivalent to the general in the modern U S Army The grade is often referred to in modern writings as full general to help differentiate it from the generic term general meaning simply general officer 15 All Confederate generals were enrolled in the ACSA to ensure that they outranked all militia officers 5 except for Edmund Kirby Smith who was appointed general late in the war and into the PACS Pierre G T Beauregard had also initially been appointed a PACS general was elevated to ACSA two months later with the same date of rank 16 These generals outranked all other grades of generals and lesser officers in the Confederate States Army All were graduates of the United States Military Academy and were former officers in the United States Army The first group of officers appointed to general was Samuel Cooper Albert Sidney Johnston Robert E Lee Joseph E Johnston and Pierre G T Beauregard with their seniority in that order This ordering caused Cooper a staff officer who would not see combat to be the senior general officer in the CSA That seniority strained the relationship between Joseph E Johnston and Jefferson Davis Johnston considered himself the senior officer in the Confederate States Army and resented the ranks that President Davis had authorized However his previous position in the U S Army was staff not line which was a criterion for Davis regarding establishing seniority and rank in the subsequent Confederate States Army 17 On February 17 1864 Congress passed legislation to allow President Davis to appoint an officer to command the Trans Mississippi Department in the Far West with the rank of general in the PACS Edmund Kirby Smith was the only officer appointed to this position 18 Braxton Bragg was appointed a general in the ACSA with a date of rank of April 6 1862 the day his commanding officer Gen Albert Sidney Johnston died in combat at Shiloh Pittsburg Landing 19 The Confederate Congress passed legislation in May 1864 to allow for temporary general officers in the PACS to be appointed by Davis and confirmed by the C S Senate and given a non permanent command by Davis 12 John Bell Hood was appointed a temporary general on July 18 1864 the date he took command of the Army of Tennessee in the Atlanta Campaign but the Congress did not later confirm this appointment and he reverted to his rank of lieutenant general in January 1865 20 Later in March 1865 shortly before the end of the war Hood s status was spelled out by the Confederate States Senate which stated Resolved That General J B Hood having been appointed General with temporary rank and command and having been relieved from duty as Commander of the Army of Tennessee and not having been reappointed to any other command appropriate to the rank of General he has lost the rank of General and therefore cannot be confirmed as such 21 Generals by seniority edit Abbreviations KIA killed in actionList of generals by seniorityName Date of Rank 8 Nominated 13 Confirmed 13 Rank Terminated 8 Reason 8 Samuel Cooper May 16 1861 August 31 1861 August 31 1861 May 3 1865 paroledAlbert Sidney Johnston May 30 1861 August 31 1861 August 31 1861 April 6 1862 KIA ShilohRobert E Lee June 14 1861 August 31 1861 August 31 1861 April 9 1865 paroledJoseph E Johnston July 4 1861 August 31 1861 August 31 1861 May 2 1865 paroledP G T Beauregard July 21 1861 August 31 1861 August 31 1861 May 1 1865 paroledBraxton Bragg April 6 1862 April 12 1862 April 12 1862 May 10 1865 paroledEdmund Kirby Smith August 21 1862 February 19 1864 May 11 1864 May 17 1865 paroledJohn Bell Hood July 18 1864 January 23 1865 Temporary RankDuring 1863 Beauregard Cooper J Johnston and Lee all had their ranks re nominated on February 20 and then re confirmed on April 23 by the Confederate Congress 13 This was in response to debates on February 17 about whether confirmations made by the provisional legislature needed re confirmation by the permanent legislature which was done by an Act of Congress issued two days later 22 General in Chief editThe position of General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate States was created on January 23 1865 Gen Robert E Lee the only officer appointed to it served from February 6 until April 12 Militia generals editMain article Militia Act of 1792 The Confederate states had maintained militias since the American Revolutionary War consistent with the U S Militia Act of 1792 They went by various names such as State Militia Armies or Guard and were activated and expanded when the Civil War began These units were commanded by Militia Generals to defend their particular state and sometimes did not leave the state to fight for the Confederate Army The Confederate militias used the brigadier and major general officer ranks The regulations in the Act of 1792 provided for two classes of militia divided by age Class one included men from 22 to 30 years old and class two consisted of men from 18 to 20 years and from 31 to 45 years old 23 The various Confederate states used this system during the war Uniform insignia editMain article Ranks and insignia of the Confederate States All Confederate generals wore the same uniform insignia regardless of their general rank 24 except for Robert E Lee who wore the uniform of a Confederate colonel as well as Joseph E Johnston who wore a Colonel s insignia with a larger six pointed star in the center similar to the stars worn by George Washington during the American Revolution Wade Hampton additionally wore shoulder straps with general stars to denote his specific general s rank and was apparently the only Confederate general to ever do so The only visible difference was the button groupings on their uniforms groups of three buttons for lieutenant and major generals and two for brigadier generals In either case a general s buttons were also distinguished from other ranks by their eagle insignia nbsp Joseph Reid Anderson in a CSA brigadier general s uniform Rank Collar insignia Sleeve insignia ButtonsGeneral nbsp all grades nbsp all grades Lieutenant General Groups of three buttonsMajor General Groups of three buttonsBrigadier General Groups of two buttonsTo the right is a picture of the CSA general s full uniform in this case of Brig Gen Joseph R Anderson of the Confederate Bureau of Ordnance All of the Confederate generals wore uniforms like this regardless of their general grade and all with gold colored embroidering Pay editThe general officers of the Confederate States Army were paid for their services and exactly how much in Confederate dollars CSD depended on their rank and whether they held a field command or not On March 6 1861 when the army only contained brigadier generals their pay was 301 CSD monthly and their aide de camp lieutenants would receive an additional 35 CSD per month beyond regular pay As more grades of the general officer were added the pay scale was adjusted By June 10 1864 a general received 500 CSD monthly plus another 500 CSD if they led an army in the field Also by that date lieutenant generals got 450 CSD and major generals 350 CSD and brigadiers would receive 50 CSD in addition to regular pay if they served in combat 25 Legacy editThe Confederate States Army lost more general officers killed in combat than the United States Army throughout the war in the ratio of about 5 to 1 for the Confederacy compared to roughly 12 to 1 for the United States 26 The most famous of them is General Thomas Stonewall Jackson among the best known Confederate commanders after General Robert E Lee 27 Jackson s death was the result of pneumonia which emerged subsequently after a friendly fire incident had occurred at the Battle of Chancellorsville on the night of May 2 1863 Replacing these fallen generals was an ongoing problem during the war often having men promoted beyond their abilities a common criticism of officers such as John Bell Hood 28 and George Pickett 29 but an issue for both armies or gravely wounded in combat but needed such as Richard S Ewell 30 The problem was made more difficult by the Confederacy s depleting workforce especially near the war s end The last Confederate general in the field Stand Watie surrendered on June 23 1865 and the war s last surviving Confederate full general Edmund Kirby Smith died on March 28 1893 31 James Longstreet died on January 2 1904 and was considered the last of the high command of the Confederacy 32 The Confederate States Army s system of using four grades of general officers is currently the same rank structure used by the U S Army in use since shortly after the Civil War and is also the system used by the U S Marine Corps in use since World War II See also edit nbsp American Civil War portalList of American Civil War generals Union List of American Civil War brevet generals Union List of American Civil War generals Confederate List of American Civil War generals Acting Confederate General officers in the United StatesNotes edit Eicher pp 24 25 This resulted from the Confederacy s adoption of the U S Rules and Regulations of the Army as their own just with Confederate States of America put in wherever United States of America was in its text a b c d e Eicher p 23 Eicher p 23 Actually commissions in the ACSA were usually one grade higher than the former commissions in the U S Army while commissions in the PACS usually amounted to whatever was suggested by the size of the volunteer unit accepted into the Confederate service Dupuy p 190 a b Eicher p 24 Wright p 9 Confederate Congress Act of 16 May 1861 section 2 a b Eicher p 25 a b c d e f g h i Eicher p 807 Eicher p 817 a b Eicher p 810 promotion was not confirmed by the Confederate Senate a b Wright p 13 Confederate Congress Act of 31 May 1864 a b c d e f Eicher pp 787 788 Eicher p 808 The usage of the somewhat incorrect term full general is very unofficial but commonly occurs in modern military writings referring to a colonel as full and or bird colonel as compared to a lieutenant colonel who ranks behind them in U S forces also occurs Eicher p 787 Eicher p 69 Wright p 12 Eicher p 141 Eicher p 303 Wright p 13 Confederate Senate Resolution 16 March 1865 Eicher p 26 Eicher p 70 Eicher p 69 The original regulations for uniforms were issued when the Confederate States Congress authorized only brigadier generals These regulations were never reissued when the higher ranks of generals were authorized later Katcher p 60 Foote p 1040 Of 583 U S general officers 47 were killed due to combat of 425 C S general officers 77 fell Jackson biography at Civil War Home Dupuy p 346 an excellent brigade and divisional commander he was out of his depth with larger commands Dupuy p 597 his abilities were not suited to directing larger forces as demonstrated at Five Forks Dupuy p 244 but it was a mark of the South s desperation for able leaders that a man with his disabilities should have spent so much time on active campaign Dupuy p 406 Warner p 193 References editDupuy Trevor N Johnson Curt and Bongard David L Harper Encyclopedia of Military Biography Castle Books 1992 1st Ed ISBN 0 7858 0437 4 Eicher John H and Eicher David J Civil War High Commands Stanford University Press 2001 ISBN 0 8047 3641 3 Foote Shelby The Civil War A Narrative Vol III Red River to Appomattox Vintage Books 1986 ISBN 0 394 74622 8 Katcher Philip The Army of Robert E Lee Sterling Publishing Co 1994 ISBN 1 85409 174 3 Warner Ezra J Generals in Gray The Lives of the Confederate Commanders Louisiana State University Press 1959 ISBN 0 8071 3150 4 Wright Marcus J General Officers of the Confederate Army J M Carroll amp Co 1983 ISBN 0 8488 0009 5 Further reading editEvans Clement A Confederate Military History Volume I Confederate Publishing Company 1899 Atlanta Ga facsimile reprint by The National Historical Society 2008 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title General officers in the Confederate States Army amp oldid 1185926938 General, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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