When you think of legendary commanders, names like Napoleon or Hannibal instantly pop up. Yet the annals of war hide a roster of equally dazzling tacticians who never got the spotlight. Meet the 10 brilliant generals whose feats reshaped empires, even if history has largely forgotten them.

10 Brilliant Generals: Forgotten Titans of Warfare

1. Basil The Bulgar-Slayer

The Byzantine Empire’s most impressive revival after Justinian was driven by Emperor Basil II in the late 10th century. Encircled by hostile powers — the Fatimid Caliphate to the east and the Second Bulgarian Empire under Tsar Samuel to the west — Basil faced a precarious strategic landscape.

First, he turned his attention eastward, confronting the Fatimids who had been beating down Byzantine commanders. In a bold two‑week march across what is now modern Turkey, Basil’s sudden arrival forced the Fatimid forces into a hasty retreat, restoring Byzantine confidence.

The western front earned him his grisly nickname. After years of incremental pressure on Bulgarian lands, Basil delivered the decisive blow at the Battle of Kleidion in 1014. He ordered the blinding of 99 out of every 100 captured Bulgarian soldiers, leaving a single sighted man to lead the crippled troops home. The shock of that sight allegedly caused Tsar Samuel’s death, and Basil soon eliminated the remaining members of the Bulgarian royal line, ending the Second Bulgarian Empire. In his spare time he even seized Sicily, leaving Byzantium a rejuvenated Mediterranean power.

2. David IV Of Georgia

Georgia, much like Estonia or Israel, has long been a crossroads for conquering empires. Yet a brief medieval golden age saw the kingdom rise to unprecedented strength under David IV, known as David the Builder.

When David seized power in 1089, Georgia was nominally a vassal of the Seljuk Sultanate. He immediately repudiated tribute, repelled four Seljuk invasions, and liberated most of modern Georgian territory. To bolster his modest forces, David invited the entire Cuman‑Kipchak tribe from southern Russia, granting land to 40,000 families and creating a powerful cavalry reserve.

In 1121 the Seljuks launched a holy war, fielding an army possibly ranging from 100,000 to 250,000 men. Outnumbered, David resorted to clever deception: he sent 200 cavalry pretending to defect to the Seljuk camp. As the Turks emerged to greet the “new allies,” the full Georgian army surged forward, routing the invaders. David lost three horses in the melee but emerged victorious, securing Georgian independence for a time.

3. Nguyen Hue

In the late 18th century Vietnam was split between the Trinh and Nguyen feudal houses, both notorious for oppressive rule. The resulting unrest birthed the Tây Sơn Rebellion in 1773, led by Nguyen Hue and his three brothers, who rallied the peasantry by redistributing landlord wealth.

Hue’s claim to legend stems from his stunning defeat of a 200,000‑strong Qing Chinese invasion in 1788. Initially feigning weakness, he let the Qing occupy northern Vietnam while secretly planning a surprise counter‑strike. Declaring himself King Quang Trung, he ordered his troops to celebrate Tet early, then launched a lightning march covering 600 km in just 40 days. Soldiers moved in three‑man teams, rotating a hammock‑carried comrade so none rested.

The assault employed elite commandos who shielded themselves with water‑soaked straw‑covered planks, nullifying the Qing’s incendiary rockets. After six relentless nights of fighting, the Qing army collapsed, granting Vietnam a century of independence.

4. The Duke Of Marlborough

John Churchill, later the Duke of Marlborough, faced a rocky start: in 1692 he was arrested and thrown into the Tower of London on unfounded rumors of a plot against King William III. Though cleared, the king never fully trusted him.

When the War of the Spanish Succession erupted, Louis XIV seemed poised to dominate Europe. Queen Anne appointed Marlborough to command the allied English, Dutch, Prussian, Austrian, and Savoyard forces. He transformed this patchwork coalition into a cohesive fighting machine, striking decisive blows against French hegemony.

At the 1704 Battle of Blenheim, Marlborough’s forces slaughtered nearly 40,000 French soldiers, a staggering loss for the era. He repeated the feat at Ramillies, feinting an attack on the French left before hammering the right flank, adding another 15,000 French dead. Subsequent victories at Oudenaarde and the costly yet strategic win at Malplaquet in 1709 cemented Britain’s emergence as a European power and halted French expansion.

5. Khalid Ibn Al-Walid

The early Islamic expansion after Prophet Muhammad’s revelations was spearheaded by Khalid ibn al‑Walid, a commander who never tasted defeat yet remains obscure in the West.

Initially fighting against Muhammad at the Battle of Uhud—the Prophet’s only major loss—Khalid soon converted and rose to become the pre‑eminent Arab general. He unified the Arabian Peninsula, then turned northward to confront the Byzantine and Sassanid empires.

His forces leveraged camel‑mounted troops, whose resilience in desert terrain and the scent that unnerved enemy horses gave the Arabs a unique edge. In 637 AD, at the Battle of al‑Qadisiyyah, Khalid’s longer, thicker arrows pierced Sassanid shields, demoralizing the enemy before a decisive cavalry charge shattered their army. He later routed the Byzantines at Yarmuk, using elite duelists (Mubarizun) to eliminate half the Byzantine commanders before a six‑day siege ended in Arab victory, securing Palestine, Syria, Egypt, and much of Anatolia.

6. Epaminondas

While the modern fascination with Sparta stems from movies like 300, the Theban general Epaminondas quietly dismantled Spartan dominance.

Rejecting the classic Greek reliance on sheer strength, Epaminondas emphasized agility and innovative tactics. In 371 BC at the Battle of Leuctra, he stacked his hoplites 50 ranks deep on the left flank, confronting the Spartans’ traditional 12‑rank formation. The massive Theban left struck the Spartan right—their strongest side—crushing their elite warriors.

After the decisive victory, Epaminondas launched a series of invasions into Spartan territory, even inciting the helot slave class to revolt. He fought four campaigns against Sparta, winning each. His final clash at Mantinea pitted him against both Athens and Sparta; the Spartans aimed simply to kill him. Though they succeeded, his Theban army still routed them, and Epaminondas died proclaiming, “I have lived long enough; for I died unconquered.” His tactics inspired Philip II of Macedon and his son Alexander the Great.

7. Baibars

If it weren’t for Baibars’ stunning triumph at the Battle of Ain Jalut, the Mongol tide might have swept through the Middle East unchecked.

Before confronting the Mongols, Baibars helped repel King Louis IX’s Seventh Crusade, even capturing the French monarch and extracting a ransom that allegedly took two whole days to count. In 1260, the Mongol commander Kitbuqa invaded Palestine, prompting Baibars to meet him in the Jezreel Valley.

Baibars turned the Mongols’ own favorite tactic—the feint—against them. He pretended to retreat, luring Kitbuqa’s forces into a pursuit. At the perfect moment, hidden Mamluk reinforcements swung around, crushing the Mongol army. Kitbuqa was beheaded, and the Mongols never again seriously threatened Syria or Palestine, effectively ending their golden age.

After seizing power in 1260 by assassinating Sultan Qutuz, Baibars waged a two‑decade campaign against the Crusader states, capturing every coastal city except Tyre and Acre, and cementing Mamluk Egypt as the dominant regional power by his death in 1277.

8. Subotai

Everyone knows Genghis Khan, but many overlook Subotai, the brilliant Mongol strategist who rose from a humble blacksmith to a chief commander under Genghis.

After helping subdue the Khwarezm Empire, Subotai embarked on what many consider the greatest military campaign ever. With just 20,000 men, he opted for the circuitous route around the Caspian Sea to return home to Mongolia. Along the way he annihilated the Georgian army of King George the Brilliant, razing the countryside while the surviving forces fled to their capital—only to be ignored as Subotai rode on.

Crossing the frozen Caucasus, he faced a coalition led by the Cumans. Rather than fight, Subotai bribed the Cumans to abandon their allies, leaving the coalition disorganized and easy to defeat. He later lured a massive Russian force of 80,000 onto terrain favorable to his horsemen, crushing them at the Kalka River.

In 1241, at the age of 67, Subotai turned his gaze westward. He burned Kiev, then confronted the Kingdom of Hungary at the plains of Mohi. Surrounded by 70,000 Hungarian knights, his 50,000 horsemen attacked from three sides, leaving a narrow escape route that led to a hidden fourth force that sealed the Hungarians’ fate. After the Poles fell at Legnica, Subotai’s campaign halted only because Ogedei Khan died, prompting the Mongols to withdraw. He died peacefully at 78, leaving a legacy of unrivaled strategic brilliance.

9. Pyrrhus Of Epirus

Pyrrhus of Epirus was the ultimate risk‑taker: he never said no to an offer, never finished what he started, yet still managed remarkable successes. Hannibal himself rated Pyrrhus as one of the greatest generals ever, second only to Alexander the Great.

His audacious career began at twelve when he inherited the throne of Epirus, a rugged Greek region. After a brief exile, he fought as a mercenary in Syria before reclaiming his kingdom. He later seized neighboring Macedon, only to be forced into retreat.

In 281 BC, the Italian city‑state of Tarentum begged Pyrrhus for help against Rome. He answered by abandoning Epirus and crossing the Adriatic with 25,000 infantry, 3,000 cavalry, 2,000 archers, and 20 war elephants. The Tarentines soon realized “help” meant Pyrrhus taking over their city, but they lacked elephants, so they endured.

He won three consecutive battles against Rome, but each victory thinned his forces, as he was far from home and received no reinforcements. Rome kept sending fresh armies. After his final triumph, Pyrrhus allegedly uttered the line that birthed the term “Pyrrhic victory”: “If I should ever conquer again in this fashion, it should be my ruin.” He later boasted, “What a battlefield I am leaving for Carthage and Rome.” He minted coins bearing his and Alexander’s faces and briefly seized Macedon again, then attacked Sparta. In a street fight in Argos, an elderly woman flung a floor tile from her balcony, killing Pyrrhus in an ignoble end.

10. Nader Shah

Eighteenth‑century Iran was a chaotic mess. The once‑great Safavid Empire had collapsed, leaving the hills overrun by petty warlords. From that turmoil emerged Nader Shah, a shepherd’s son who was captured by slavers before age ten, escaped, joined roaming brigands, and eventually rose to become a powerful chieftain.

The deposed Safavid shah, Tahmasb, begged Nader to help retake his throne from Afghan rebels. In 1729 Nader crushed the Afghans in two battles, restoring Tahmasb to Isfahan. For a while Nader was content to pull the strings behind the throne, defeating the Ottoman Empire and annexing modern Georgia and Armenia. When Tahmasb launched a reckless assault on the Ottomans and lost his gains, Nader stormed back, captured Baghdad, defeated the Ottomans again, and finally exiled the troublesome Tahmasb.

Now the undisputed ruler of Persia, Nader turned eastward, invading the Mughal Empire. Within a year he seized Delhi, returning with a treasure trove that included the famed Koh‑i‑Noor diamond. He amassed such wealth that he cancelled taxes for three years and built a palace just to store his loot. Yet his triumphs sowed his downfall. In 1741 he blinded his own son on suspicion of plotting, executed countless supporters, and imposed brutal policies that crippled the economy. In 1747 his own officers tried to murder him in his sleep; he fought them off, killing two, but succumbed to his wounds.

The American Civil War, raging from 1861 to 1865, was the United States’ first truly modern conflict and remains the deadliest war in the nation’s history. More than a century and a half later, the legacy of that brutal struggle still echoes across the Southern landscape, especially in the names of ten active Army installations. In this top 10 army roundup we’ll tour each of these forts, uncovering the stories of the Confederate generals they commemorate and the contemporary missions they support.

Top 10 Army Bases and Their Confederate Namesakes

10 Ambrose Powell Hill Jr.

Established in 1941 just outside Bowling Green, Virginia, Fort A.P. Hill began as a sprawling training ground for the United States Army. Over the decades it has evolved into a premier weapons‑training hub, welcoming not only soldiers from every branch but also law‑enforcement agencies such as U.S. Customs and Border Protection, as well as state and local police forces seeking advanced firearms instruction.

The installation bears the name of Ambrose Powell Hill, a Virginian who first fought for the United States in the Mexican‑American and Seminole wars before throwing in his lot with the Confederacy when the Civil War erupted. Hill quickly rose through the Confederate ranks, becoming commander of the famed “Light Division” and one of Stonewall Jackson’s most trusted sub‑ordinates.

After Jackson’s death at Chancellorsville, Hill was promoted to lieutenant general and assumed command of General Lee’s Third Corps, steering it through the Gettysburg Campaign. He met his end during the Union’s assault on the Third Battle of Petersburg in 1865, just weeks before the war’s conclusion.

9 Henry Benning

Fort Benning, located in the heart of Georgia, serves as the home of the U.S. Army Infantry School, the Maneuver Center of Excellence, and the Armor School, among other elite training institutions. Supporting more than 120,000 active‑duty personnel, family members, veterans, and civilian staff, the post is a cornerstone of the Army’s combat‑training enterprise. Its origins trace back to 1918 when it was founded to provide basic training for new recruits.

The fort honors Henry L. Benning, a staunch secessionist who led “Benning’s Brigade” during the Civil War. A vocal opponent of abolition, Benning entered politics as a Democratic congressman before abandoning any chance at a Confederate cabinet post to join the Confederate Army as colonel of the 17th Georgia Infantry in 1861.

Rising to the rank of brigadier general, Benning led his troops against Ulysses S. Grant during the Overland Campaign. He remained in the field until the Confederacy’s collapse, personally overseeing the surrender of his men in April 1865, a poignant end to a fiercely fought career.

8 Braxton Bragg

Fort Bragg, situated just outside Fayetteville, North Carolina, holds the distinction of being the world’s most populous military installation, regularly supporting around 50,000 active‑duty service members. The base hosts the XVIII Airborne Corps, U.S. Special Operations Command, and a host of other high‑profile units.

Founded in 1918 as an artillery‑training center, the post was christened for Braxton Bragg, a North Carolina native who served in the U.S. Army during the Second Seminole and Mexican‑American wars before joining the Confederacy. Though originally opposed to secession, Bragg accepted a commission as a Confederate brigadier general in 1861 and commanded forces in Pensacola, Florida.

Throughout the war he led troops in pivotal battles such as Chattanooga and Chickamauga, later becoming a trusted advisor to President Jefferson Davis. Bragg is credited with helping Davis recognize the inevitable defeat of the Confederacy, a realization that paved the way for the final surrender.

7 John Brown Gordon

Originally opened as Camp Gordon in 1917 to train the 82nd Division, the installation was upgraded to Fort status in 1941 and today houses the U.S. Army Signal Corps, the Cyber Corps, and a suite of other high‑tech units.

The fort bears the name of John B. Gordon, a Georgian who entered the Confederate service without prior military experience. After a rapid rise through the ranks—captain of the 6th Alabama Infantry, colonel at Seven Pines, and a hard‑earned brigadier general following multiple wounds at Antietam—Gordon earned General Robert E. Lee’s admiration for his tenacity.

Gordon continued to lead his men until the war’s end, surrendering at Appomattox Court House on April 12, 1865. Post‑war, he entered politics, fiercely opposing Reconstruction, later serving as a U.S. senator and the 53rd governor of Georgia.

6 John Bell Hood

Commissioned in January 1942, Fort Hood was sited on the wide‑open Texas plains to test tank destroyers during World War II. Today it stands as the world’s most populous military base, sprawling over 214,000 acres and serving as headquarters for III Corps, the 1st Cavalry Division, and numerous other cavalry and infantry formations.

The installation is named for John Bell Hood, a West Point‑trained officer who briefly served in the U.S. Army before resigning his commission after the bombardment of Fort Sumter. A native Kentuckian, Hood aligned himself with Texas when his home state remained neutral, receiving a colonel’s commission in September 1860 to lead the 4th Texas Infantry.

Hood fought in many of the war’s most famous engagements—Antietam, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, and Chickamauga—earning a temporary promotion to major general in July 1864 before returning to his lieutenant‑general rank. His aggressive tactics made him both feared and respected on the battlefield.

5 George Pickett

Fort Pickett, positioned near Blackstone, Virginia, operates as a Virginia Army National Guard post and houses the Army National Guard Maneuver Training Center. Established in 1941, the base was designed to simultaneously train multiple infantry divisions.

The fort commemorates George Pickett, a career U.S. Army officer who served in the Mexican‑American War before resigning his commission after the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter. Within a month he had become a colonel in the Confederate Army and was promoted to brigadier general by 1862.

Pickett is most famously remembered for leading the ill‑fated “Pickett’s Charge” at Gettysburg, a desperate advance that ended in a catastrophic loss for the Confederacy. Despite the disaster, he remained active throughout the war and stood alongside General Lee during the surrender at Appomattox Court House.

4 Edmund Winchester Rucker

Opened during World War II, Fort Rucker in Alabama was originally a flight‑training center and today serves as the home of Army Aviation and the Warrant Officer Candidate School, where future Army aviators earn their wings.

The base honors Edmund Winchester Rucker, a Confederate officer who enlisted as a private in 1861. He first served with Pickett’s Tennessee Company of Sappers and Miners, rising to lieutenant by 1862, and later commanding the 1st East Tennessee Legion—known as Rucker’s Legion—as a colonel in 1863.

Although he never received formal confirmation from the Confederate Congress, Rucker attained the rank of brigadier general, suffered multiple wounds, and even lost an arm after being captured. He was eventually released in a prisoner exchange orchestrated by General Nathan Bedford Forrest, the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan.

3 Leonidas Polk

Founded in 1941 as a training camp for the Louisiana Maneuvers, Fort Polk now hosts the Joint Readiness Training Center and a variety of combat units, including the 3rd Brigade Combat Team of the 10th Mountain Division.

The installation was named for Leonidas Polk, the first Episcopal Bishop of Louisiana who set aside his clerical duties to become a major general in the Confederate Army. A West Point classmate of Jefferson Davis, Polk offered his services early in the war and was assigned command of forces in Kentucky, a move that inadvertently forced the Union to intervene and effectively ceded the state to the North.

Polk led troops in the Army of Mississippi and Tennessee, commanding roughly 20,000 men in Georgia as the Confederacy’s second‑in‑command. He met his end in June 1864 near Marietta, Georgia, when Union artillery spotted him and delivered a fatal third shot.

2 Pierre Gustave Toutant‑Beauregard

Established in 1918 as a training site for the 17th Division before the United States entered World War I, Camp Beauregard now serves the Louisiana Army National Guard as a primary training area.

The camp is named after Pierre Gustave Toutant‑Beauregard, a West Point graduate who fought in the Mexican‑American War and became the Confederacy’s first brigadier general. Within five months of joining the Southern cause, Beauregard rose to the rank of full general, making him the fifth‑highest‑ranking officer in the Confederate Army.

He famously ordered the first shots of the Civil War at Fort Sumter, earning him the nickname “The Hero of Fort Sumter.” After the war, Beauregard entered politics, surprisingly supporting black civil‑rights initiatives as a Republican, while also working as a railroad executive and promoting the Louisiana Lottery, the nation’s only legal lottery at the time.

1 Robert Edward Lee

Fort Lee began its life as a Civil War‑era training camp west of Richmond, originally known as Camp Lee. It grew into a full‑scale fort during World War I and today hosts the U.S. Army Combined Arms Support Command, the Quartermaster, Ordnance, and Transportation schools.

The post honors Robert E. Lee, a distinguished U.S. Army officer who served in the Mexican‑American War and later served as superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point. Though initially reluctant to join the secessionist cause, Lee ultimately resigned his commission and became one of the Confederacy’s most celebrated generals.

Lee was swiftly promoted to full general and commanded the Confederate forces in western Virginia. He led the infamous Maryland Campaign that culminated in the Battle of Gettysburg, a turning point that resulted in a decisive Union victory. Lee continued to command the Army of Northern Virginia until its surrender at Appomattox Court House in April 1865, after which the Confederacy collapsed.

What do a Cherokee chief, best-selling author, Texas Ranger, President of the United States, and Episcopal bishop all have in common? They were all generals in the American Civil War. Many people may have heard of Robert E. Lee or Ulysses S. Grant, but there are far more Civil War generals that have faded into the background.

The bloodiest conflict in United States history and the last major war on the North American continent pitted brother against brother, bringing together an unlikely list of characters whose fame exceeded their actions on the battlefield.

10 Lewis Wallace

Lew Wallace’s military career had its ups and downs, as he served in both the Mexican-American War as well as the Civil War. As one of Ulysses S. Grant’s generals, he was relieved of his command after allegations that he had been late in bringing reinforcements to the Battle of Shiloh in early 1862, claims which he would deny continuously. Later in the war, Wallace would halt Confederate General Jubal Early’s advance toward Washington, D.C., at the Battle of Monocacy, thereby protecting the capital.

His fame apart from the war began in 1878, when he was appointed territorial governor of New Mexico, where he ended the Lincoln County War and personally met with Billy the Kid to offer him amnesty. His final governmental position would be as an ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, which he held from 1881 to 1885.

His lasting fame came, however, from his literary career, most notably his 1880 book Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, which was well-received both at the time and after that, leading to the 1959 film starring Charlton Heston as well as the 2016 remake.^[1]

9 Lawrence Sullivan Ross

Lawrence Sullivan Ross’s family moved to Texas in 1839 and helped found the town of Waco, where “Sul,” as he was later called, spent much of his childhood. In 1860 he joined the Texas Rangers and assisted in the recovery of Cynthia Ann Parker, the niece of Texas politician Isaac Parker, who had been kidnapped by the Comanche Natives at a young age. After Texas seceded from the Union, he became a Confederate general and served with distinction in the western theater of the Civil War.

After the war, he operated his farm and ranch and became sheriff of Waco from 1873 to 1875, during which time he arrested nearly 700 outlaws. He was then elected a state senator and then governor of Texas. As governor, he focused on land-use reform in beneficial ways to farmers and ranchers, enacted tax-reform measures, and expanded state-sponsored charitable efforts. In 1891, the struggling Texas Agricultural and Mechanical College (now Texas A&M University) asked Ross to step in as its president, where he improved campus facilities and fostered a strong school spirit and tradition which remains to this day.^[2]

8 Jefferson Columbus Davis

Jefferson Columbus Davis was a Union general who shared a name with the Confederate President—Jefferson Finis Davis—and shot and killed a superior officer over a disagreement in 1862. Davis served with distinction in the Mexican-American War and was stationed at Fort Sumter when Confederate forces bombarded it to begin the war. He commanded forces in the western theater of the war before being assigned to Louisville, Kentucky, under General William “Bull” Nelson. The trouble began here, as Nelson and Davis immediately disliked each other, with Nelson relieving Davis and sending him away.

Unfortunately for “Bull,” Davis was reassigned to Louisville. When he arrived and reported to Nelson, the two insulted one another and exchanged blows, after which Davis retrieved a pistol from a friend and shot General Nelson, who died within a half-hour. Davis was arrested but was soon released because of the army’s need for officers. He went on to serve throughout the remainder of the war, suffering no legal repercussions regarding the shooting but gaining fame and notoriety ever after.^[3]

7 Benjamin McCulloch

Born in Tennessee in 1811, Benjamin McCulloch was a friend of frontiersman and eventual U.S. Senator Davy Crockett, who compelled McCulloch to ride to Texas to participate in the Texas Revolution in 1836. He served in the Battle of San Jacinto, which won the war for Texas, and then served as an Indian fighter with the Texas Rangers. He repelled Mexican raids into South Texas and fought in the Mexican-American War under future U.S. President Zachary Taylor.

Between the Mexican War and the Civil War, McCulloch’s exploits included becoming a gold prospector in California, also known as “49ers,” and negotiating peace with Brigham Young in Utah (LINK 18). After Texas’s secession in 1861, McCulloch was made a brigadier general and raised a significant army in Texas, which was successful in the western theater until his death at the Battle of Pea Ridge in Arkansas.^[4]

6 James A. Garfield

Eventually elected the 20th President of the United States, James A. Garfield was first a Union general with many other distinctions. From humble origins in Ohio, Garfield became an educated man and a noted abolitionist. He became a general in the Union Army during the Civil War, serving notably in Tennessee until 1863, when he became U.S. representative for Ohio.

A Radical Republican, Garfield supported Reconstruction measures and was influential in financial decisions, strongly supporting anti-inflation and the gold standard. In addition to his congressional career, Garfield had a significant interest in mathematics, and in 1876 he published a well-reviewed proof of the Pythagorean theorem.

He defeated fellow Union general Winfield Scott Hancock in the 1880 presidential election and pushed reform during his time in office, including civil rights for former slaves. In 1881, however, Charles Guiteau shot the president, who had previously refused him a political office. Despite an initial recovery, infection from doctors’ hands eventually killed Garfield. He was only in office for about 200 days— March 4, 1881 to September 19, 1881.^[5]

5 John C. Breckinridge

From a prominent Kentucky family which included Thomas Jefferson’s attorney general, John C. Breckinridge was an affluent politician in the years preceding the Civil War. He studied law at Princeton and graduated from Transylvania University, later being elected to the Kentucky state legislature in 1849. A states’ rights Democrat, he was then quickly elected to the U.S. House as a representative for Kentucky, where he gained notice as a solid party-line voter.

In 1856, Breckinridge was selected as the running mate for James Buchanan’s successful presidential bid, becoming the youngest vice president ever at 36. When Abraham Lincoln, head of the newly-founded Republican Party, ran for president in 1860, the Democrats were split in nominating his contender, with Southern states nominating Breckinridge and Northerners preferring Stephen Douglas.

Regardless, Lincoln was elected president, and Breckinridge accepted a Senate seat, which he quickly resigned as his sympathies lay with the new Confederacy, where he was given a generalship. He dealt with his struggles throughout the war, not being a professional military man, and had a bitter rivalry with fellow general Braxton Bragg. He survived the war but died of cirrhosis in 1875.^[6]

4 George B. McClellan

Like Breckinridge, George Brinton McClellan also lost a presidential campaign to Abraham Lincoln, though it was four years later in 1864. Before that, McClellan was a career military man, serving with distinction in the Mexican-American War and acting as an observer during the Crimean War. After the poor showing of the Union Army at the First Battle of Manassas in 1861, Winfield Scott resigned his position as General-in-Chief, which was given to McClellan by Abraham Lincoln.

McClellan proved to be very adept at training and organization and can be credited with massively improving the Union Army, but his battlefield legacy would haunt his career. With a reputation for being overly cautious, he was blamed for failing to make any headway against Confederate forces and was replaced by Henry W. Halleck after the Seven Days Battles in 1862.

As mentioned above, 1864’s presidential election saw McClellan running against Lincoln on a campaign to end the war by negotiating with the Confederacy. However, he lost by a considerably wide margin. After the war, he was elected governor of New Jersey and spent the rest of his post-official life defending his wartime legacy.^[7]

3 Stand Watie

A general with the twofold distinction of being the last Confederate general to surrender as well as the only general on either side with Native American ancestry, Stand Watie was born with the name Degadoga (meaning “He Stands”) on Cherokee land in Georgia. He was active in tribal politics as one of four chiefs who signed the Treaty of New Echota, which traded traditional Cherokee land in Georgia for new land which would become the Cherokee Nation in modern-day Oklahoma. The result was the “Trail of Tears” and a lifelong rivalry with disagreeing factions led notably by Chief John Ross, who executed the other signers of the treaty, with Watie escaping.

When the Civil War broke out, Watie joined the Confederate Army, eventually reaching the rank of brigadier general, fighting mostly in the Arkansas, Louisiana, and Indian Territory. Watie was the last Confederate general to surrender to the Union in June of 1865 and was later a delegate to the re-negotiation of treaties with the United States in September 1865. The character of Lone Watie in Clint Eastwood’s 1976 film The Outlaw Josey Wales is loosely based on Stand Watie.^[8]

2 George Crook

After his service in the Civil War, George Crook was a storied general of the Old West. He graduated from West Point in 1852 and saw action throughout the Civil War, notably under Philip Sheridan in the Valley Campaign of 1864. His real fame, however, began after the war when he was detached to the west to address problems with several Native American tribes. He led expeditions against the Sioux in the mid-1870s, which included his defeat at the Battle of the Rosebud in 1876, whose outcome may have decided George Custer’s fate at Little Bighorn.

Crook returned to Arizona in 1881 to fight the Apache tribe largely led by famed warrior Geronimo. Nicknamed the “Tan Wolf” by Apache, he was considered a strong enemy with respect for his adversary. While in pursuit, Crook went off alone hunting for food, where he came face-to-face with Geronimo and his warriors, who did not attack but came to discuss peace terms, which Crook negotiated fairly.

Unfortunately for Crook, Geronimo violated the terms of surrender, which necessitated Crook bringing him back once again. Shortly after, Crook lost his post. He spent his final years trying to ensure the U.S. government would keep its word concerning Indian treaties, which was noticed by his former enemy Chief Red Cloud, who said, “He never lied to us. His words gave my people hope”.^[9]

1 Leonidas Polk

Leonidas Polk’s career began and ended martially, graduating from West Point in 1827 and dying from a cannonball shot during the Atlanta Campaign as a Confederate general in 1864. But in between, his time was spent not in the barracks but at the pulpit as an Episcopal priest and later bishop.

In 1838 he was appointed Missionary Bishop of the Southwest and later Bishop of Louisiana in 1841. His life’s work culminated in 1860 when he broke ground for the new University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, which stands to this day). When the South seceded in 1861, Confederate President Jefferson Davis, an old friend, convinced Polk to accept a generalship in the Confederate Army.

As a general, he was well-liked by his men, but not by his superior, General Braxton Bragg, who felt his quality as a military leader was lacking. Polk was positioned between Sherman and Atlanta in 1864 when a volley of cannon fire ended his life just four years before the opening of his university.^[10]