The order to fire on Sumter. Had Beauregard waited a few more days until Robert Anderson surrendered his garrison, the Confederates might have gotten their own country, free and clear of Union opposition.
If firing on Fort Sumter was the worst decision, once the war commenced I think the decision to order that last attack at Cold Harbor had to rank pretty close to it.
What a smorgasbord! I think it was the overall attitude of the Union that Bobby Lee and his band of rebels would do what they wanted them to do. Honorable mention: Ordered to attack entrenched Rebs across an open meadow at Gettysburg, Lt Col Mudge, leading the 2nd Mass said it best, “It’s murder but orders are orders.” 2nd MA had a 43% casualty rate, including Mudge. When your own guys say this is a bad order, that’s a statement for the record books. On this long list, am not a fan of Mosby’s men murdering abolitionist lay preacher John Read. But what a buffet to choose from, no commander is excluded.
Grant might agree with you. In his Grant biography, Ron Chernow repeats the story that, after the Ft. Donaldson surrender, when CSA Gen. Simon Buckner told Grant that Pillow believed that Grant was anxious to capture Pillow, Grant replied: “Oh no. If I had got him I’d let him go again; he will do us more good commanding you fellows.” Brutal.
The order to fire on Fort Sumter. I think the of clarity in the orders to open the assaults on Petersburg–and a firm hand to guide them–also ranks up there.
Burnside’s order to Franklin at December is also notoriously poor, just because it was clear as mud and given to a man who showed no initiative to clarify them or act on them boldy.
The dumbest decision was Stonewall Jackson leading some of his staff on a nighttime reconnaissance of the Federal lines at Chancellorsville following his spectacular flank attack that afternoon. There was absolutely nothing that could be learned, due to the inconsistency of the lines and the fact that, in a dense forest at night, nothing could be seen anyway, much less by a General who, though brilliant, had necessarily not been in combat, or by anyone he brought with him, as they were staff, not combat officers. This was a job for skilled infantrymen to conduct, not Jackson, and certainly not by men on horseback, who made enough noise to be heard from a hundred yards off. He could do no good and could only endanger himself on such a mission. It was entirely irrational and someone responsible should have strongly dissuaded him. In fact, it was so dangerous that upon his lucky escape from being shot by the enemy, he was mortally wounded by his own men, who had no idea he was out riding between the lines, and could not help but fire on loud horseman pounding through their position. As the commander of a corps of an army, and its most successful and trusted one at that, he had no business being within a mile of the lines that night, and his action caused a terrible wound to his country that never healed. The disaster two months later at Gettysburg was in large part a result of this terrible decision he made that night.
I would probably go with the firing on Sumter – always seems rash and impulsive/reactionary without any forethought of consequences when I ponder it. Perhaps not firing would only have delayed the inevitable – who knows. The other one – and one that I have so often reflected on – is why Jackson so recklessly participated in that reconnaissance. When I first read the account years back, as I’m reading that they have saddled up and are heading out, I remember thinking don’t and why, why, why. Just send out some reliable infantrymen. The next few pages validated my apprehension. Under the conditions he ventured out in there was no advantage or positive thing to be gained. It just baffles me. Lee was fortunate to have his men actually stop him from such recklessness.
What was the dumbest order (or decision) of the War?
Fire at Fort Sumter to start the war.
To fire on Sumter. It galvanized the northern Union in a way that firing on the relief fleet could not.
Henry Halleck’s Order mandating that all U.S. soldiers who accepted a parole later deemed invalid by the U.S. had to return into CSA captivity. For further details of this ridiculous Order, see my 2024 post entitled, “The First Thing We Do, Let’s Kill All the Lawyers: Halleck’s Parole Folly,” https://emergingcivilwar.com/2024/10/15/the-first-thing-we-do-lets-kill-all-the-lawyers-henry-halleck-esq-s-parole-order-fiasco/.
I have no doubt there are many. I think there are also many instances where an order needed to be given (i.e. Petersburg).
The order to fire on Sumter. Had Beauregard waited a few more days until Robert Anderson surrendered his garrison, the Confederates might have gotten their own country, free and clear of Union opposition.
This is simple: Firing on Fort Sumter.
If firing on Fort Sumter was the worst decision, once the war commenced I think the decision to order that last attack at Cold Harbor had to rank pretty close to it.
Fort Sumter then Pickett’s Charge, S. A. Johnston pulling troops out from New Orleans for Shiloh
Firing on Fort Sumter, followed in quick succession by Lincoln’s call for soldiers . At that point there was no turning back…
“Let’s have a shad bake!”
What a smorgasbord! I think it was the overall attitude of the Union that Bobby Lee and his band of rebels would do what they wanted them to do. Honorable mention: Ordered to attack entrenched Rebs across an open meadow at Gettysburg, Lt Col Mudge, leading the 2nd Mass said it best, “It’s murder but orders are orders.” 2nd MA had a 43% casualty rate, including Mudge. When your own guys say this is a bad order, that’s a statement for the record books. On this long list, am not a fan of Mosby’s men murdering abolitionist lay preacher John Read. But what a buffet to choose from, no commander is excluded.
Any order given by Gen. Pillow at Fort Donelson
Grant might agree with you. In his Grant biography, Ron Chernow repeats the story that, after the Ft. Donaldson surrender, when CSA Gen. Simon Buckner told Grant that Pillow believed that Grant was anxious to capture Pillow, Grant replied: “Oh no. If I had got him I’d let him go again; he will do us more good commanding you fellows.” Brutal.
The order to fire on Fort Sumter. I think the of clarity in the orders to open the assaults on Petersburg–and a firm hand to guide them–also ranks up there.
Burnside’s order to Franklin at December is also notoriously poor, just because it was clear as mud and given to a man who showed no initiative to clarify them or act on them boldy.
I vote for “Burn the Records!” Imagine how much richer our history would be with full records of the Confederate Military and Government.
The dumbest decision was Stonewall Jackson leading some of his staff on a nighttime reconnaissance of the Federal lines at Chancellorsville following his spectacular flank attack that afternoon. There was absolutely nothing that could be learned, due to the inconsistency of the lines and the fact that, in a dense forest at night, nothing could be seen anyway, much less by a General who, though brilliant, had necessarily not been in combat, or by anyone he brought with him, as they were staff, not combat officers. This was a job for skilled infantrymen to conduct, not Jackson, and certainly not by men on horseback, who made enough noise to be heard from a hundred yards off. He could do no good and could only endanger himself on such a mission. It was entirely irrational and someone responsible should have strongly dissuaded him. In fact, it was so dangerous that upon his lucky escape from being shot by the enemy, he was mortally wounded by his own men, who had no idea he was out riding between the lines, and could not help but fire on loud horseman pounding through their position. As the commander of a corps of an army, and its most successful and trusted one at that, he had no business being within a mile of the lines that night, and his action caused a terrible wound to his country that never healed. The disaster two months later at Gettysburg was in large part a result of this terrible decision he made that night.
I would probably go with the firing on Sumter – always seems rash and impulsive/reactionary without any forethought of consequences when I ponder it. Perhaps not firing would only have delayed the inevitable – who knows. The other one – and one that I have so often reflected on – is why Jackson so recklessly participated in that reconnaissance. When I first read the account years back, as I’m reading that they have saddled up and are heading out, I remember thinking don’t and why, why, why. Just send out some reliable infantrymen. The next few pages validated my apprehension. Under the conditions he ventured out in there was no advantage or positive thing to be gained. It just baffles me. Lee was fortunate to have his men actually stop him from such recklessness.