Overview One of the most immodest and immoral of the high Union commanders, “Fighting Joe” Hooker frequently felt slighted by his superiors and requested to be relieved of duty. The Massachusetts native and West Pointer (1837) had been posted to the artillery but was serving as a staff officer when he won three brevets in…

Overview Criticism of his army commander, Braxton Bragg, to Jefferson Davis cost South Carolinian West Pointer (1842) Daniel H. Hill his corps command and his promotion to lieutenant general in the Confederate army. Posted to the artillery, he had won two brevets in the Mexican War before resigning as a first lieutenant in the 4th…

Overview Known for his red battle shirt and his hard-hitting attacks at the head of the famed Light Division, Ambrose P. Hill proved to be an example of the Peter principle. Military In reserve at lst Bull Run, he fought at Yorktown and Williamsburg before being given command of a division. On the day he…

Overview Graduating at the very bottom of his 1847 class at West Point, Henry Heth served 14 years on frontier duty before resigning his infantry captaincy on April 25, 1861, to serve his native Virginia. Military His initial service came in the Kanawha Valley and the Lewisburg area of western Virginia. He joined Kirby Smith…

Overview Born in Manheim, Pa. on Sept 30,1805, Heintzelman devoted over 4 decades to the service of his country, rising from 2d lieutenant to major general and corps commander in the Civil War. While his experience, devotion to duty, and bravery were undeniable, he lacked initiative, imagination, and administrative ability. Leading a squad or regiment…

Overview Problems with Braxton Bragg affected only slightly the outstanding record of the premier lieutenant general to serve in the Confederate Army of Tennessee. By the time that this Georgian West Pointer (1838) resigned as lieutenant colonel, lst Cavalry, on January 31, 1861, he was one of the most distinguished and well known officers in…

Overview The Civil War career of the much-maligned Union commander in chief and chief of staff, Henry W. Halleck, was summarized by Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles as he “originates nothing, anticipates nothing. . . . takes no responsibility, plans nothing, suggests nothing, is good for nothing.” This harsh assessment was shared by many…

Overview Born in Port Tobbaco, Maryland, as a teenager O’Neal moved from her family’s Maryland farm to her aunt’s fashionable boardinghouse in Washington, D.C. Personable, intelligent, and outgoing, she adapted easily to the social scene of the capital, and people in Washington’s highest circles opened their doors to her. Regarded as a beautiful, ambitious, seductive…

Overview Born in Mount Pleasant, Pa., December 30, 1819, Geary was a man equally at home in politics and the military. He was a student at Jefferson College in Canons-burg, Pa., when the death of his father forced him to begin adult life early. Geary tested a number of professions before settling on law. Enlisting…