Writestream Radio Network

As the United States celebrates the 150th Anniversary of the American Civil War, it is often forgotten that the troops that fought in that bloody conflict, were led by a surprisingly small group of men given senior rank as generals. All told on both sides, only around 1,000 or given the rank of general during the Civil War, and not surprisingly most knew each other personally. As classmates at West Point or the Virginia Military Academy, fellow officers during the War with Mexico, or as in-laws through intrafamily marriages, the men who were general officers during the American Civil War were a small and intimate group. And yet, most of what even well-read Civil War history buffs know about these men was actually written in the 150 years since the cessation of hostilities. Very few of the published opinions and assessments of individual generals were contemporary to the war itself, and in fact were written primarily with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight. So who exactly were these men, and what was observed abou