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Civil War Project: The Leaders
Civil War Project: The Leaders
In this project you are asked to look at the leadership on
both sides, both political and military, during the Civil War. You want to
think twice about tackling the major figures such as Lincoln, Grant, Lee, Jackson,
Longstreet or Sherman. Many second-level characters have very interesting stories
and the literature is nowhere near as broad.
A few suggestions:
Judah P. Benjamin. The Confederate Secretary of State, he guided Southern
diplomacy.
General George Armstrong Custer. What did he do before Little Big Horn?
General Dan Sickles. Tammany Hall politician: The “Incredible” Sickles.
Where is the leg he lost?
General Braxton Bragg. Commander of the Confederate West.
Winfield Scott Hancock. Union general, the unsung hero of Gettysburg.
Colonel John Mosby. Confederate Raider.
Clara Barton. Union nurse and medical reformer.
John Pemberton. A Pennsylvanian who commanded the Confederate army at
Vicksburg.
George H. Thomas. A Virginian who fought for the Union—the “Rock
of Chickamauga. ”
General Alfred Pleasanton. Union cavalry commander, fought Jeb Stuart to
a draw at Brandy Station.
Leonidas Polk. Confederate general and Episcopal bishop—“the “Fighting
Parson.”
Belle Starr. Confederate spy.
Rafael Semmes. Confederate naval raider, commanded the C.S.S. Alabama.
James Bullock. An uncle of Theodore Roosevelt, he never returned home after
the war. Why?
General Oliver O. Howard. A controversial Civil War Union general, he has
a great university named for him.
Additional names are virtually unlimited. Hundreds of characters played
significant roles.
See the web site of a colleague at Virginia Western Community College, Professor David Hanson. His Civil War Site has a great deal of useful information, including biographical sketches, links, and so on.