Civil War Generals Famous for Non-Civil War Stuff

The Civil War made men famous. People in both Union and Confederate states read daily accounts of Civil War battles and, over time, they began to learn the names of some of the more higher ranked officers. Generals became especially well-known, and by the end of the war many were household names. Some of these generals used their new-found fame to better their careers. Generals Ulysses S. Grant and James Garfield, for example, used name recognition to help them get elected to president of the United States.

A handful of the men who became generals didn’t need the Civil War to earn fame. They had careers or accomplishments off the battlefield that brought attention and notoriety. Their roles as officers in the Civil War just made them more famous. Here are five Civil War generals who are famous for things they did outside of the war.

5. Ambrose Burnside

Role in the Civil War: Ambrose Burnside was a Union general who had a reputation for being a terrible decision maker. His most famous blunder came at the Battle of Fredericksburg where he ordered his men to assault elevated, fortified Confederate positions. As anyone but Burnside could have predicted, the Confederates mowed down the oncoming Unionists, leading to 12,000 Union casualties. The Confederates lost only 5,000 men. Burnside 's strategy earned him the nickname 'The Butcher of Fredericksburg. '

Famous For: Burnside may have been a terrible leader who sent thousands of young men to an early grave, but boy did the guy have neat facial hair. Burnsides had no hair on his chin, but his mustache connected all the way to his hairline. The bushy facial hair on the sides of his face was especially prominent. This led his men and later newspaper reporters to begin referring to similar facial hair as burnsides. Over time, this was corrupted into the term sideburns. One of the most incompetent military leaders in American history created a popular fashion trend.

Also Famous For: In 1871, Burnside became the first president of a new organization known as the National Rifle Association.

4. Nathan Bedford Forrest

Role in the Civil War: Nathan Bedford Forrest was a brilliant Confederate cavalry general who distinguished himself in numerous battles. He was also a piece of crap. At the Battle of Fort Pillow, men under Forrest 's command trapped 400 black Union soldiers. Surrounded, the men threw down their firearms and surrendered. Forrest 's Confederates responded by opening fire on the unarmed men, continuing to shoot until all but twenty of the Union soldiers were dead. Although sources disagree on whether or not Forrest ordered the massacre, his braggadocio after the battle indicates that he felt little sympathy for the deceased.

Famous For: Forrest 's evilness continued after the Civil War. In 1867, the former Confederate general became one of the first members of the Ku Klux Klan, a clandestine organization formed to oppose Union Reconstruction efforts in the South. Klan members also harassed and killed former slaves and those attempting to help former slaves. Although the exact nature of Forrest 's relationship with the Klan remains uncertain, sources claim that the he rose to be the organization 's Grand Wizard.

Also Famous For: Fictional character Forrest Gump claimed that he was named after Nathan Bedford Forrest.

3. Abner Doubleday

Role in the Civil War: Because he staffed the cannon that returned fire at Fort Sumter, Abner Doubleday holds the distinction of being the first Union soldier to fire on a Confederate target in the Civil War. In 1862, Doubleday received a promotion to brigadier general and was assigned to the Army of the Potomac fighting in northern Virginia. As one of the leading officers of the Army of the Potomac, Doubleday performed ' um?… not terribly. He was indecisive, earning the nickname '48-Hours, ' but he did a good job of keeping his men alive. At the Battle of Gettysburg, Doubleday’s forces fended off a Confederate charge until the Union general wisely realized that his men were about to be overrun and retreated. After a Confederate sniper shot Doubleday in the neck, he was reassigned to defend Washington D.C.

Famous For: Inventing baseball. In 1907, the president of National League Baseball commissioned a team of historians to find the origins of baseball, which was quickly becoming the nation 's favorite sport. Based on folklore and personal testimony, the commission determined that Doubleday had invented baseball in 1839 while briefly serving in the army in Cooperstown, New York. Their report led to Doubleday 's becoming synonymous with baseball and to the founding of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

Also Famous For: Not inventing baseball. Historians have determined that in all likelihood, Doubleday did not invent baseball. The 1907 commission had based its conclusion on the testimony of an insane man who would have been five when Doubleday supposedly invented the game. In fact, Doubleday wasn’t even in Cooperstown in 1839, and he never mentioned the game beyond a single letter requisitioning baseball equipment in 1871. Now Doubleday did play baseball, as did many soldiers in the mid-1800s, but there is no documented evidence that he came up with any of the game 's rules.

2. John Stith Pemberton

Role in the Civil War: John Stith Pemberton doesn 't actually fit this list because he was one rank shy of making general, but whatever. Colonel will be good enough for this one entry. During the Civil War, Pemberton mustered into the Confederate army in Georgia in 1863, but he doesn 't seem to have done any fighting. As his job was to defend Georgia in case of Union attack and William Tecumseh Sherman marched a Union army through Georgia during in 1864, Pemberton should have fought in multiple battles, but his service record mentions nothing. Pemberton claimed that he fought and was wounded in the Battle of Columbia, but there 's no documentation of this happening. Perhaps Pemberton 's only claim to fame in the war was being the nephew of famous Confederate General John C. Pemberton, who surrendered Vicksburg to U.S. Grant.

Famous For: After the Civil War, Pemberton became a well-known pharmacist in Georgia, developing treatments for melancholy and morphine addiction. His most successful concoction was a wine spiked with kola nut and coca leaf extract. After Georgia outlawed alcohol, Pemberton replaced the wine in his beverage with loads of sugar, creating a drink that he called Coca-Cola. He originally sold Coca-Cola out of his pharmacy, but as the beverage grew in popularity, stores began to buy Pemberton 's mixture for their own stores. Shortly before his death in 1888, Pemberton sold his Coca-Cola formula, and the beverage soon became the most popular soft drink worldwide.

Also Famous For: Nothing, but it should be pointed out that the Coca-Cola company has done an excellent job of covering up Pemberton 's service in the Confederacy. The guy was colonel and was related to one of the South 's most prominent generals, but good luck finding anything about his military service on the internet. What 's there says almost nothing and some is false. In addition, the Coca-Cola museum doesn 't mention Pemberton fighting for the Confederacy, leaving visitors to believe the guy appeared out of thin air in the 1870s with a soda in his hand. Memo to Coke: no one cares that he fought for the South. The war ended 150 years ago. (The Coca-Cola Museum also fails to mention that its Fanta soda line was developed in Nazi Germany '. They should probably keep that one quiet.)

1. Robert E. Lee

Role in the Civil War: Robert E. Lee is the most famous Confederate general from the American Civil War. Although some historians question his abilities, most recognize Lee as one of the main reasons that the South was able to fend off the North for as long as it did. As the commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, Lee earned a reputation for advanced battlefield tactics, fighting with honor, and earning the respect and admiration of his men. Historians consider Lee 's surrender to U.S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse as the end of the Civil War.

Famous For: Lee 's early life is full of astonishing stories. As an engineer in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Lee saved the city of St. Louis by moving the Mississippi River. Over the course of hundreds of years, the Mississippi had begun to change direction and in 1837, it threatened to flood St. Louis proper. Under Lee 's supervision, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built a series of dams that rerouted the river and saved St. Louis. He also destroyed two islands in the river that threatened to beach boats.

Also Famous For: In 1859, Lee was still a member of the army, and it was he who was tasked with putting down a potential slave rebellion led by abolitionist John Brown. After trapping Brown and his followers in a stone fort, Lee tried to end the insurrection peacefully. When the abolitionists refused to surrender, however, Lee ordered his men to take Brown by force. Because Lee had trained them well, the army was able to capture Brown alive. This allowed the abolitionist to make eloquent speeches from jail denouncing slavery, which brought many people in the North over to the antislavery cause. This helped Abraham Lincoln get elected, leading to southern secession and the Civil War. In a way, Lee was at the beginning and end of the Civil War.

Bonus. Jefferson Davis

Everyone knows Jefferson Davis as the president of the Confederacy, but he almost had a second career. After the end of the Civil War and a brief stint in prison, Jefferson Davis returned to the South where he planned live out the rest of his days in retirement. He almost abandoned this plan in 1876 when the newly founded Texas A&M University invited Davis to be its first president. Davis, however, declined the offer.

 

Luke Truxal