Which US ACW generals where the most unconventional?

Nathan Bedford Forrest comes to mind, for his time. He would be considered one of the first modern generals and left a legacy of mobile warfare that inspired both Patton and Rommell.

Patrick Cleburne does as well, his use of the high ground and his rear guard defense during the route of the Army of Tennessee at Ringgold Gap and Missionary Ridge should be noted.
 

Kaptin Kurk

Banned
Robert E. Lee was a very conventional General. I think this gets overlooked because few bother to study Winfield Scott's Mexican War campaign. He was basically following the same transcript.

I'd have to say, in terms of high ranking names, Grant was probably the most 'unconventional' in terms of being among the professional soldier generals who most quickly dismissed his experience in the Mexican war. Even sherman was, to a large extent, copying Winfield....

Grant, with his embrace of attrition warfare and siege, was pretty revolutionary. Although he all to often fell into napoleonic tactics and thinking himself, he wasn't limited to it. He never became seduced by the bygone idea of destroying the enemy in a single action / battle like Napeloon did.
 

Japhy

Banned
Nathan Bedford Forrest comes to mind, for his time. He would be considered one of the first modern generals and left a legacy of mobile warfare that inspired both Patton and Rommell.

Patrick Cleburne does as well, his use of the high ground and his rear guard defense during the route of the Army of Tennessee at Ringgold Gap and Missionary Ridge should be noted.

Neither of them meets the qualifications set out in the OP, specifically they're in the wrong uniforms.
 
What exactly makes Thomas unconventional?

Most (by far) of his accomplishments are the kind of solid, basic professional mastery that is anything but.

I'm not saying he wasn't a great general, just not an unconventional one - except in the context where being a solid professional is unconventional for the US army, which is more a slam at the US Army's record than anything else. :D
 
What exactly makes Thomas unconventional?

Most (by far) of his accomplishments are the kind of solid, basic professional mastery that is anything but.

I'm not saying he wasn't a great general, just not an unconventional one - except in the context where being a solid professional is unconventional for the US army, which is more a slam at the US Army's record than anything else. :D

I have to agree Thomas was a great General, in the same sense as the 1927 Yankees were a great ballteam. However, neither one of them were unconventional. The closest he came to being unconventional was in his personal actions when he refused to relieve Rosecrans before the Battle of Perryville, feeling that Rosecrans deserved a chance to redeem himself. I can't think of any ACW general who would have done the same.
 
How about Philip Kearny?

He lived a notable life, resignng from the US army twice because there wasn't enough fighting.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Kearny

I particularly liked his quote from the Battle of Williamsburg as he called on his men to follow him into battle
"I'm a one-armed Jersey son-of-a-gun, follow me!"
 
How about Philip Kearny?

He lived a notable life, resignng from the US army twice because there wasn't enough fighting.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Kearny

I particularly liked his quote from the Battle of Williamsburg as he called on his men to follow him into battle
"I'm a one-armed Jersey son-of-a-gun, follow me!"
He sounds like a cool guy. I just looked over his Wikipedia page and it says that there where rumors that Lincoln would replace McClellan with him. Too bad he died so soon in the war though. What kind of tactics did he demonstrate which made him unique as a general.
 
Nathan Bedford Forrest comes to mind, for his time. He would be considered one of the first modern generals and left a legacy of mobile warfare that inspired both Patton and Rommell.

Patton, perhaps. The idea that Rommel was inspired by Forrest's campaigns appears to come from a novel.
 
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