Political general facts for kids
A political general is a special kind of military leader. This term is often used when talking about the American Civil War. It means a general who didn't go to a military school or have a lot of army experience before becoming a general. Instead, they got their high rank because they had strong connections in politics.
Sometimes, the term can also mean generals who were involved in politics while they were serving, or after they left the army. It might seem strange for a country like the United States to have "political generals," because the military is usually controlled by civilian leaders, not politicians.
Think about Dwight D. Eisenhower. He was a very famous general who later became President. He went to United States Military Academy at West Point, a military school. He was a skilled officer who led big invasions in North Africa and Europe during World War II. Eisenhower was also good at working with different political leaders and officers. He was a military general who learned political skills.
Early American Leaders and the Military
In American history, many important military leaders didn't have much formal military training. This goes back to the early colonies and their local armies, called militias.
For example, George Washington had little military experience before he led the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. Later, Andrew Jackson only had experience fighting in the American Indian Wars. But he still managed to defeat a larger, more professional British army at the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812. These leaders showed that you didn't always need a military school background to be a successful general.
Political Generals in the Civil War
During the American Civil War, both the North and the South needed huge armies. There simply weren't enough trained generals to lead all these new soldiers. Because of this, both President Abraham Lincoln (for the Union) and President Jefferson Davis (for the Confederacy) appointed political generals.
Some of these political generals turned out to be not very good at leading troops. Others, however, became excellent or even great generals. Many of them had little to no military training before they were made generals.
One example of a successful political general was Confederate general Patrick Cleburne. He was known as the "Stonewall Jackson of the West" because he was such a brave and skilled leader.
On the other hand, one of the less successful examples was Union general Daniel Sickles. He was a Tammany Hall politician from New York. He used his political connections to become a major general. Sickles made a big mistake at the Battle of Gettysburg that almost cost the North the battle. Even so, after 34 years of trying, he managed to get himself awarded the Medal of Honor.
