GDG- (no subject)

[Tom Ryan]

I think there were two important factors at play here.  One was federal law
I believe limited promotions to major general.  I think it required special
legislation to make Grant a lieutenant general when he was put in charge of
the entire Union army.  The other is more practical in that Confederate
corps were on avarage twice the size of Union corps, so it made good sense
to have a higher ranking general in charge.  A Union corps had about
10-12,000, while a Rebel corps in the ANV had 22-24,000.

Tom

-----Original Message-----
From: gettysburg-bounces at arthes.com
[mailto:gettysburg-bounces at arthes.com]On Behalf Of Nick KURTZ
Sent: Wednesday, May 02, 2007 8:39 PM
To: GDG
Subject: Re: GDG- (no subject)


Esteemed GDG Member Contributes:


I think its more a matter of what rank commanded what.  Confederate brigades
were usually commanded by a brigadier general while Union brigades seem to
have colonels commanding them almost as often as brigadier generals.  At the
division level the Confederates almost always have a major general while the
Union has brigadier generals.  At the corps level the Confederates break out
the lieutenant general rank while the Union has major generals.  Armies are
commanded by lieutenant generals for Confederates and the Union uses major
generals.  Basically its just that for each step up the command structure
the Confederates tend to make sure a different rank of general commands it,
this starts at the brigade level and filters up.  The Union doesn't always
have a brigadier commanding a brigade so that too tends to filter up.  And
also the Confederates had full generals (Beauregard, Cooper, Lee, the two
Johnstons, Bragg, Hood).
--Nick





  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Smith, David<mailto:smith_david_g at bah.com>
  To: gettysburg at arthes.com<mailto:gettysburg at arthes.com>
  Sent: Wednesday, May 02, 2007 4:38 PM
  Subject: GDG- (no subject)


  Esteemed GDG Member Contributes:


  I haven't posted in a while, so here's a question that has been
  bothering me.

  What is up with Civil War officer ranks, North and South?  Lee creates
  Lieutenant Generals for his corps commanders.  Richard McMurry, in Two
  Great Armies, says its hard to find a bio of anyone less than a
  lieutenant general in the western armies (there are a few).

  Meanwhile, at Gettysburg, Lee and his lieutenant generals are defeated
  by George Gordon Meade, a lowly (in comparison) major general.  Meade
  had commanded a corps for some time before Gettysburg, but in Lee's
  army, it seems unusual to command a corps at that rank.

  Why the difference between Confederate and Union ranks?

  David
                     -------------------------------------------------------
---------
  You may unsubscribe by going to
http://mailman.arthes.com/mailman/listinfo/gettysburg<http://mailman.arthes.
com/mailman/listinfo/gettysburg>

  You can add yourself to the GDG map at:
http://www.frappr.com/gettysburgdiscussiongroup<http://www.frappr.com/gettys
burgdiscussiongroup>

  View archived posts from May 2004 -  present at
http://mailman.arthes.com/pipermail/gettysburg/<http://mailman.arthes.com/pi
permail/gettysburg/>
                   ---------------------------------------------------------
-------
You may unsubscribe by going to
http://mailman.arthes.com/mailman/listinfo/gettysburg

You can add yourself to the GDG map at:
http://www.frappr.com/gettysburgdiscussiongroup

View archived posts from May 2004 -  present at
http://mailman.arthes.com/pipermail/gettysburg/