Williamstown Middle School

Starting as a Major and ending as a Brigadier General, Robert Anderson is best known for surrendering Fort Sumter, the first engagement of the Civil War.

General Nathaniel Banks was a hapless leader of the Union Army, suffering one defeat after another.

General William Tecumseh Sherman fought in many battles and is best known for taking Atlanta followed by his brutal by effective “march to the sea.”

General George Armstrong Custer was a United States Army officer who served in the civil war and Indian wars, meeting his famous demise at the Battle of Little Bighorn.

General Winfield Scott Hancock was a US Army officer for his entire career and eventually a nominee for the office of President of the US in 1880.

General Ambrose Burnside, besides being a soldier, was an industrialist, railroad executive and an inventor.

General Arthur Macarthur was one of five men to ever be promoted to the rank of a five star general of the army.

General Benjamin Butler was not only a soldier but also a lawyer and eventually a politician for the state of Massachusetts.

General Daniel Sickles was a Union general during the Civil War as well as a controversial politician.

General George Gordon Meade was a civil engineer and an army officer before serving as a Union general during the Civil War. He was successful in defeating General Lee but was criticized for not pursuing the Confederate Army when in his grasp. He became a commissioner of Fairmont Park in Philadelphia until his death.

General Irvin McDowell was an army officer who is better known for the defeat at First Battle of Bull Run. McDowell had at his disposal the army of Northeastern Virginia which unfortunately was inexperienced and not ready. He launched his attack due to pressure from Washington and though the strategy was imaginative, his troops were not ready to carry it out.

General John Pope was a general for the Union during the Civil War and a career army officer. He is mostly known for the defeat at Second Battle of Bull Run in the east, after which he was sent to Minnesota.

General John Reynolds was an army officer and a general during the Civil War. He was a very respected senior commander and is known for committing the Army of the Potomac to Gettysburg. Reynolds was killed early in that same battle.

General Joseph Hooker was a major general for the Union during the Civil War and a career army officer.

General Philip Sheridan was a Union general and an army officer throughout his career. He is known for his association with Ulysses S. Grant and for his fast ascension to major general.

General Oliver Howard was a Union general in the Civil War and a career army officer. He suffered defeats at Gettysburg and Chancellorsville, but at Western Theater his reputation was restored.

General William Starke Rosecrans was not only a general for the Union during the Civil War, but also a coal and oil company executive, an inventor, a politician and a diplomat.

Confederate (Southern) Generals

Here is a list of important generals. Each can be further searched at biography or Biography in Context (PASSWORD: braves)

General Robert E. Lee was the commander of the Army of Northern Virginia and is known as the most accomplished Confederate general.

General Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson fought boldly and with great success from Bull Run to his death from a mistaken shot from a Confederate sharpshooter at the battle of Chancellorsville.

General J.E.B. Stuart was an accomplished cavalry commander known for his skill at reconnaissance.

Lieutenant General Nathan Bedford Forrest was one of the most feared Confederate leaders. He was an innovative cavalry commander who started the war as a private.

General James Longstreet was Robert E. Lee’s most capable and consistent generals. He led the First Corps of the Army Of Northern Virginia.

General Braxton Bragg led the Army of Mississippi and Tennessee from the battle of Shiloh to Chattanooga.

General George Pickett was a Confederate general whose unsuccessful attack on the last day of the Battle of Gettysburg is now known as Pickett’s Charge.

William T. "Bloody Bill" Anderson was a brutal killer, leading pro-confederate units on attacks against Union forces throughout the war.

Albert Sidney Johnston fought and battled in five U.S. wars, the last being the Battle of Shiloh, where he was shot and later bled to death.

John S. Mosby was a Confederate Cavalry Commander known for his speed and elusiveness.

Pierre Gustave Toutant (PGT) Beauregard was a Confederate General who gained fame for being the man to fire the first shot of the Civil War when he bombarded Fort Sumter.

A.P. Hill was a confederate General best known for commanding the "Light Division." He was commander Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson’s most trusted general.

Richard Stoddert Ewell led numerous battles during the Civil War, but his failure to capture Cemetery Hill on day one at Gettysburg led to his men and himself to be captured and imprisoned at Richmond.

General Joseph Johnston was the highest ranking officer to leave the U.S. Army to join the Confederacy. He fought in many of the Civil War’s major battles and died of pneumonia.

Barnard Elliot Bee Jr. fought only until the First Bull Run and is known for giving the nickname "Stonewall" to Brigadier General Thomas J. Jackson.

Edward Porter Alexander was a Brigadier General known for being the first man to use signal flags to send messages.