[Non-Sequitur]

True. The North was a ‘basket case’ when it came to the leaders it installed at the head of the various army’s it had in the field.

There was a boob or two running the Army of the Potomac and other commands. But the Union command in the west was pretty solid.

Years later, Grant expressed a similiar point of view in his memoirs. What would have happened if Sheridan, or Sherman, or even Meade, let alone a Hancock had been there instead of Fremont?

It's had to say for sure. Sherman almost had a nervous breakdown running what would become the Army of the Cumberland for a short period late in 1861. Sheridan was a regimental commander when Jackson was in the valley. It's easy to look at their actions after 2 or 3 years of war and say they could have whipped Jackson, but it's hard to make the case that they would have automatically done better than Fremont in mid-1862. Likewise, if Fremont had a little less ego and had spent the war working for Grant he might have made a good army commander by 1864.

Jackson was not perfect. His actions during the Seven Days battles was mediocre at best, but he improved as his relationship with Lee grew longer. Lee was beaten his first time in the field, at Cheat Mountain in September 1861. Grant struggled a time or two early on as well. But as the war went on the cream quickly rose to the top and with a few exceptions the crud usually settled to the bottom.

[Badeye]

‘There was a boob or two running the Army of the Potomac and other commands.’

You are very ‘kind’ here.

McDowell, Pope, Hooker, BURNSIDE, Sickles, Howard come to mind immediately.

Foote was brutal in regards to Jackson’s performance overall as I suspect you know.

I’ve concluded Longstreet was probably the single best corps commander in either army overall. They all made errors, some larger than others, to be sure.

But the level of incompetence among the North’s ‘high command’ negated the huge advantages in manpower and industry. To me, the war should have ended on the banks of Antietam creek.

[Badeye]

‘Likewise, if Fremont had a little less ego and had spent the war working for Grant he might have made a good army commander by 1864. ‘

Hmmmmm. I never really considered that. Food for thought.