1. Robert E. Lee- Without him the Confederacy doesn't last as long as
it did. Simply the best tactician in the war.
2. U.S. Grant- A very solid Union general who knew what it took for the
North to finally defeat Lee.
3. Stonewall Jackson- Perhaps the war's smartest general. His Valley
Campaign in 1862 set-up Lee's initiative that summer which almost led
to indepedence.
4. William Sherman- His advance on Atlanta in 1864 was a work of art
that eventually ended with his armies capturing the city without
launching bloody attacks.
5. Nathan Bedford Forrest- The best and most pure cavalry general of
the war. Without the advantage of formal military education he went
on to become the most feared man by the Federals in the Western Theater.
1. John Bell Hood- His disasters at Atlanta, Franklin, and Nashville
shortened the life expectancy of the Confederacy. What's even worse is
he blamed everybody else for his mistakes.
2. Don Carlos Buell- The worst the North had. Bragg stole a march on
this guy for Christ's sake! Perryville was a disaster for his career,
which was fortunately ended after Bragg retreated into Tennessee.
3. Braxton Bragg- Perhaps the most hated of all Southern generals. He
did nothing strategically to lengthen the war for the South and each
battle he fought his plans were medeocre. His entire army hated him.
4. George McClellan- Seemed to do the wrong things at the wrong time.
Never lived up to expectations and almost single-handedly lost the war
for the North.
5. Joseph Johnston- His defensive tactics were simply not going to win
a war the way the South needed to win it. His only attack was a
confusing affair that resulted in a draw and the loss of 6,000 men.
Never in American History has one symbol and it's people been more
misunderstood than the St. Andrew Cross (Confederate Flag) and the
Southern people during the Civil War.
FACT #1: 91.2% of all Confederate soldiers during the war didn't own
any slaves.
FACT #2: The common Southerner fighting was not doing so to protect the
"peculiar institution." Most fought to defend their homes from
invading armies.
FACT #3: Many blacks fought and died for the Confederacy. This is
something Frederick Douglas admitted to. Often black body servants
would accompany their masters to war and WILLINGLY fought with them
even though it was illegal under Confederate law.
FACT #4: The real meaning of the St. Andrew's Cross has been twisted
by moronic Klansmen and racists.
All of this goes along with another myth that the south seceded in fear
of the abolition of slavery with Lincoln's election. While it is true
no Southern state seceded before his election, when the time finally
came the Southern politicians seceded over State's Rights. The power
of one section of America over another led to the outbreak of war.
The Southern States were not about to become a minority at the mercy
of the majority. The Northern States felt the same way. Once the
Southerners saw they would be out-voted on every matter they sought to
form their own Republic.
For 3 years I have toiled over the answer to this question and have finally found an answer that suits me. The North won because of their superior resources and the ability to properly use them. The South lost because of their inability to properly use their limited resources. Simple, huh?