From: tecump@sulu.ucsb.edu (Dominic J. Dal bello)
Newsgroups: alt.war.civil.usa
Subject: Re: Three Generals of the "Old Army" (was Re: Grant in the East)
Date: 23 Dec 92 20:08:53 GMT

cowan@ssrl01.slac.stanford.edu (P.L. Cowan) writes:
>>> 
>>>--------------------- Bulk of message deleted -------------------
>>>> There were only 3 generals in the Fed army prior to the War.
>>>> dom
>>>> : 
>>> 
>>>I never heard this before. Obviously one was Lt.Gen. (Brevet) Scott and 
>>>another was the Quartermaster General, Brig. Gen. Joe Johnston. Was the other
>>>one Sumner?
>> 
>> What about Henry Halleck?
>> 

>Come to think of it, I believe that A.S. Johnston was promoted to Brig. Gen
>shortly before the war (to elevate his status in dealing with the Mormons). 
>Dom, could your confirm your statistic? Perhaps "prior to the war" does not 
>mean "at the time of Fort Sumter" which is what I inferred.

>- Paul


OK. Last night i was Christmas shopping and saw _Commanders of the CW_.
Flipping through it it said that there were FOUR generals prior to the
war (i had said three).  They were:

Maj. Genl.  Winfield Scott (Bvt. Lieut. Gen). 
Brig. Genl. Wool
Brig. Genl. Harney
Brig. Genl. Joseph Johnston

Only Johnston, I think, was under 70 yrs of age; Wool was 77, Scott 74.
List not necessarily by seniority.

Some Brief Info:
Scott, a Virginian, was a hero of the Wars of 1812 and with Mexico.
At 74, he was commander of the army, but too old to take the field himself.
Author of the Anaconda Plan, unpopular with most in Washington who thought
the war would be over in 90 days or so, but the plan used to Win the war.
Retired after 1st Bull Run, succeeded by George B. McClellan as overall
Army commdr.

Wool was one of the Dept. commanders. I believe he was in the Southwest
(Texas, etc.). (sorry, not much else i can say about him) 

Harney commanded another Dept (basically the Great Plains).  Capt./Genl.
Lyon served under him.  From what i read, he was able to be pulled both
ways - he was a Southerner I think, but a good Union man as well.  Allowed 
the Missouri State Troops to assemble at Camp Jackson outside of 
St.Louis, it being the May (the annual troop encampment) and Gov. Jackson
said it was to insure the German mobs did not get out of hand. This
endangered Lyons position in the Federal Arsenal at St. Louis.   Harney
was too easily swayed, and was temporarily replaced by Lyon, who was 
succeeded by Fremont (and thats another story).  Harney, i think was
reassigned to be chief recruiting officer in the northeast.

Joe Johnston was the Quartermaster Genl. as Paul said.  He needs no
introduction.  Most prominent for fighting Sherman on the way to Atlanta,
in the Carolina's and surrendering at Appomattox.  Also, a pallbearer at
Sherman's funeral, who refused to put his hat on during the ceremony when
it was raining (If he was in my place, he [Sherman] would do the same),
and died a month later of pnuemonia.


A.S. Johnston was a Bvt. Brig. Genl. at the start of the war - he did not
hold the full rank.

While i knew about it, it was interesting/sad to read about the slow
promotions, and old officers, specifically:
-the commander of the 4th Artillery (a col.) retired in 1857 at the age
	of 93, having been in service continuously since 1799.
-the commander of the 4th Infy (a col. Whistler) at the start of 1861 was
	84, or something, having taken over the regt. 16 years or so 
	earlier, when its previous old commander had died of exhaustion
	while putting the regt through field excercises for the first
	time in a long time.


well, let me stop.  sorry for the long post.

dom
Newsgroups: alt.war.civil.usa