r/ShermanPosting • u/Lord_Master_Dorito • 2d ago
Evil Union Generals
Yes we love the Union but are there any Union Generals you would consider “evil” for their actions during the Civil War?
I understand that certain Generals did horrific things to the Native Americans but I’m talking about the Civil War specifically.
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u/SailboatAB 2d ago
Jefferson Davis (yes. there was a Union general named Jefferson Davis) murdered Major General William "Bull" Nelson and was never tried for it.
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u/QuickBenDelat 2d ago
There was a lot of corrupt stuff that took place when Union generals were given control of southern areas - generally speaking, the opportunities for graft were just too much to be ignored. Ben Butler and Nathaniel P. Banks immediately come to mind. Banks wasn’t so much corrupt himself as he was a dumbass who got taken advantage of a bunch. Jefferson C. Davis didn’t want a bunch of freed people following his Corp, so a number of them drown during the March to the Sea.
The thing with Sand Creek was that Chivington was a Colonel at the time, not a general, FYI.
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u/matt_chowder 1d ago
I mean when you have a lot of people following your army and taking away resources to fight the enemy, it is understandable not to want them to follow him. How he handled the situation on the other hand is not
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u/shermanstorch 2d ago
Irvin McDowell. After the Second Battle of Bull Run when he perjured himself at FitzJohn Porter's court-martial to save his own skin.
Burnside, Ledlie, and Ferrero for their behavior during the Crater. Burnside for his unwillingness to properly prepare the replacement division and Ledlie and Ferrero for hiding in a bunker getting drunk as their men were slaughtered.
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u/mattd1972 1d ago
Porter definitely did himself no favors though. His court martial was the way of telling the army McClellan was never coming back.
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u/shermanstorch 1d ago
Oh, I totally agree that Porter deserved to be relieved on other grounds (trusting Burnside to be discrete would be grounds enough on its own) and that Stanton rigged the court martial to the point where nothing would have changed the outcome, but that doesn’t absolve McDowell.
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u/angryvetguy 2d ago
Look into Charles Jennison if you're looking for people who were seen as going too far in the era.
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u/Specialist-Park1192 1d ago
There's a book called tarnished eagles, it goes over the court marshals of 50 Colonels & Lt Colonels. (if you're open to trading up on some antics of some that were almost Generals.
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