Question of the Week: 5/15-5/21/23

Any corps in any Civil War army… Which is your favorite and why?

 



19 Responses to Question of the Week: 5/15-5/21/23

  1. 2d Corp, AOP, as a cautionary tale of what happens when higher command consistently overuses a sharp blade.

  2. The Third Corps of the Army of the Potomac. Because it was commanded in July of 1863 by my boy, Dan Sickles.

  3. 2nd Corps…. As a Barlow researcher I find the 2nd Corps leadership under Winfield Scott Hancock was the period that truly defined Barlow as an excellent commander. Many fail to realize that in 1865 for a brief period Barlow was the commander of the 2nd Corps. Too many focus of the negativity and hate that hangs over him from the three and a half months he was with the 11th corps.

  4. I Corps AOP. For the heroic fight at Gettysburg. It had the Iron Brigade and the 14th Brooklyn, plus the reputed father of baseball. How can you beat that?

  5. I’ll put in a vote for XIV Corps, the core (and whole, for a time) of the Army of the Cumberland from November 1862 to November 1864, then the Army of Georgia until war’s end. It’s battle honors contain some of the most important U.S. victories.

  6. 5th Corps AOP … home of the 20th Maine and my great-great’s unit , the 118th PA … two embattled commanders — Fitz John Porter, court martialed after 2nd Bull Run and Governour Warren, fired after Five Forks … and the proving ground for future AOP CG’s — Hooker and Meade … and the coolest corps badge — the maltese cross

  7. The Artillery Reserve of the Army of the Potomac – and don’t give me no technical “corps” challenge. LOL

  8. 15th Corps, Army of the Tennessee. They really epitomize the can-do attitude of the Army of the Tennessee.

  9. The 17th AC in the Army of the Tennessee. Only blemishes on its record is failing to breakthrough on May 22 at Vicksburg (but no corps in the Army of the Tennessee did) and failure at Kennesaw Mountain (no corps had success).

  10. II Corps, AoP. Hancock the Superb. Caldwell clears The Wheatfield (temporarily). The redemption of the so-called “Harpers Ferry Cowards.” The charge of the 1st Minnesota. The underrated John Gibbon, “Fighting Elleck” Hays and The Repulse. And that’s just Gettysburg. Also, Couch, Warren, Humphreys and Barlow. And of course, very hard fighting at Spotsylvania.

  11. The Second Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia. Second Corps under Jackson is probably my favorite, but even though they suffered from inferior leadership by 1864, there remained some incredible brigades in that corps (depleted as they were). By Spotsy, they were a shell.

    But I can think of a lot of reasons why The First Corps under Longstreet could make a strong case. Those men could hit hard.

    1. Same here. Had both of the Louisiana brigades, Baldy Ewell, and Bad Old Man Early. John B. Gordon, too if you like Alabamans.

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