Question of the Week: 1/25-1/31/16

Question-Header

Today’s Question of the Week comes from Chris Kolakowski:

John Palmer once said that if he had to fight one battle of dominion of the universe, he’d give Rosecrans command of as many men as he could see and who could see him. If you had to fight one Civil War battle for everything, who would you want commanding your army?



17 Responses to Question of the Week: 1/25-1/31/16

  1. I pondered this one. Love Lee’s tactical brilliance or Grant’s tenacity and philosophy of no backward step.
    Soooo, my choice is Grant.

    1. Joe,
      No backward step is fine, but the question was stated as ‘fight one battle’. There will be no second chance. How many ‘chances’ did General Grant need before final victory? Think about Cold Harbor. – Dave

  2. Because we must win that battle, Grant, for his tenacity and ruthlessness.

    However, because I would love to hear him command “Attention Creation, by Kingdoms, Right Wheel” George Thomas is a close second.

  3. Phil Kearney. Because I want to see the victorious commanding general at the front, horse barreling towards the enemy, sword in upraised hand, reins in his teeth, and ready to unleash a stream of creative profanity at anybody not following him to victory or hell. (Who needs “logistics”?)

  4. Grant. The question was for the best general to fight for the domination of the universe. There were three Civil War generals who thought in national as opposed to regional terms: Winfield Scott, Henry Halleck and US:. Scott in hie younger days but I disqualify him on age, Halleck, a true intellectual but a failure as an operational commander, and Grant, who was the one commander in the Civil War who had responsibility for the country as a whole. In 1864-65 he was concerned with and had to make decisions about Indian Wars in Oregon and Colorado, Maximilian and the French in Mexico, what was happening in Pensacola and Mobile and Lawrence and Fort Pillow, as well as Atlanta and Virginia. And have the tactical skill to fight the battle.

  5. If it’s for all the marbles, and you want to win with less casualties than the enemy, he will need great tactics and proper preparation. One must go with George H. Thomas.

  6. An interesting lot of responses. Pap Thomas (aka “The Rock of Chickamauga” aka “The Sledge of Nashville”) gets my vote too.

  7. General Lee. In my opinion, he did more with less than any general in American history (save, perhaps, George Washington). Winfield Scott called him “the greatest military genius in America”, which is one of the reasons he was Lincoln’s first choice to lead the Federal army.

  8. One of my constant laments is that Geo. Thomas doesn’t get the respect he so richly deserves. That obviously isn’t a problem with ECW readers. Half of the dozen responders so far mention Thomas as either their first or second choice. Good going ECW.

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