Union Generals of the Civil War

Key Takeaways

Irvin McDowell led the Union at the First and Second Battles of Bull Run.
George B. McClellan commanded at the Peninsula Campaign and the Battle of Antietam.
Ulysses S. Grant achieved victories at Vicksburg and Chattanooga before becoming General-in-Chief.

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Major General Irvin McDowell

Leaders in Blue

The Union Army employed hundreds of generals during the Civil War. This gallery provides an overview of several of the key Union generals who contributed to the Union's cause and helped guide its armies to victory.

Irvin McDowell

Dates: October 15, 1818-May 10, 1885
State: Ohio
Highest Rank Attained: Major General
Principal Commands: Army of Northeastern Virginia, I Corps (Army of the Potomac), III (Army of Virginia), Department of the Pacific
Principal Battles: First Battle of Bull Run (1861), Second Battle of Bull Run (1862)

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Major General George B. McClellan

George B. McClellan

Dates: December 3, 1826-October 29, 1885
State: Pennsylvania
Highest Rank Attained: Major General
Principal Commands: Department of the Ohio, Army of the Potomac
Principal Battles: Peninsula Campaign (1862), Antietam (1862)

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Major General John Pope

John Pope

Dates: March 18, 1822-September 23, 1892
State: Illinois
Highest Rank Attained: Major General
Principal Commands: District of North and Central Missouri, Army of the Mississippi, Army of Virginia, Department of the Northwest
Principal Battles: New Madrid (1862), Island No. 10 (1862), Second Battle of Bull Run (1862)

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Major General Ambrose Burnside

Ambrose Burnside

Dates: May 23, 1824-September 13, 1881
State: Rhode Island
Highest Rank Attained: Major General
Principal Commands: North Carolina Expeditionary Force,IX Corps, "Right Wing" Army of the Potomac, Army of the Potomac, Department of the Ohio,
Principal Battles: First Battle of Bull Run (1861), New Bern & North Carolina coast (1862), Second Battle of Bull Run (1862), Antietam (1862), Fredericksburg (1862), Knoxville Campaign (1863/4), Wilderness (1864), Spotsylvania Court House (1864), Cold Harbor (1864), Petersburg (1864/5)

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Major General Joseph Hooker

Joseph Hooker

Dates: November 13, 1814-October 31, 1879
State: Massachusetts
Highest Rank Attained: Major General
Principal Commands: III Corps (Army of Virginia), I Corps (Army of the Potomac), Grand Division (Army of the Potomac), Army of the Potomac, XX Corps (Army of the Cumberland), Northern Department
Principal Battles: Peninsula Campaign (1862), Second Bull Run (1862), South Mountain (1862), Antietam (1862), Fredericksburg (1862), Chancellorsville (1863), Battle of Lookout Mountain (1863), Battle of Missionary Ridge (1863), Resaca (1864)

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Major General George G. Meade

George G. Meade

Dates: December 31, 1815-November 6, 1872
State: Pennsylvania
Highest Rank Attained: Major General
Principal Commands: I Corps (temporary), V Corps (Army of the Potomac), Army of the Potomac
Principal Battles: Peninsula Campaign (1862), Second Bull Run (1862), Antietam (1862), Fredericksburg (1862), Chancellorsville (1863), Gettysburg (1863), Mine Run Campaign (1863), Wilderness (1864), Spotsylvania Court House (1864), Cold Harbor (1864), Petersburg (1864/5)

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Major General Winfield Scott Hancock

Hancock the Superb - Major General Winfield S. Hancock. Photograph Courtesy of the National Archives & Records Administration

Winfield Scott Hancock

Dates: February 14, 1824-February 9, 1886
State: Pennsylvania
Highest Rank Attained: Major General
Principal Commands: II Corps (Army of the Potomac)
Principal Battles: Peninsula Campaign (1862), Antietam (1862), Fredericksburg (1862), Chancellorsville (1863), Gettysburg (1863), Wilderness (1864), Spotsylvania Court House (1864), Cold Harbor (1864), Petersburg (1864/5)

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Major General Henry W. Halleck

Old Brains - Major General Henry Halleck. Photograph Courtesy of the National Archives & Records Administration

Henry W. Halleck

Dates: January 16, 1815-January 9, 1872
State: New York
Highest Rank Attained: Major General
Principal Commands: Department of the Missouri, Department of the Mississippi, General-in-Chief (all Union armies), Chief of Staff (Union Army)
Principal Battles: Corinth (1862)

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Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant

Ulysses S. Grant

Dates: April 27, 1822-July 23, 1885
State: Ohio
Highest Rank Attained: Lieutenant General
Principal Commands: District of Southeast Missouri, Army of the Tennessee, Military Division of the Mississippi, General-in-Chief (all Union armies)
Principal Battles: Belmont (1861), Forts Henry & Donelson (1862), Shiloh (1862), Corinth (1862), Vicksburg (1862/3), Chattanooga (1863), Wilderness (1864), Spotsylvania Court House (1864), Cold Harbor (1864), Petersburg (1864/5)

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Major General Don Carlos Buell

Don Carlos Buell

Dates: March 23, 1818-November 19, 1898
State: Ohio
Highest Rank Attained: Major General
Principal Commands: Department of the Ohio, Army of the Ohio, Army of the Cumberland
Principal Battles: Shiloh (1862), Corinth (1862), Perryville (1862)

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Major General William S. Rosecrans

William S. Rosecrans

Dates: September 6, 1819-March 11, 1898
State: Ohio
Highest Rank Attained: Major General
Principal Commands: "Right Wing" of the Army of the Mississippi, Army of the Cumberland, Department of the Missouri
Principal Battles: West Virginia Campaign (1861), Iuka (1862), Second Corinth (1862), Stones River (1862/3), Chickamauga (1863)

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Major General William T. Sherman

William Tecumseh Sherman

Dates: February 8, 1820-February 14, 1891
State: Ohio
Highest Rank Attained: Major General
Principal Commands: Department of the Cumberland, XV Corps (Army of the Tennessee), Army of the Tennessee, Military Division of the Mississippi
Principal Battles: First Bull Run (1861), Shiloh (1862), Vicksburg (1862/3), Chattanooga (1864), Resaca (1864), Atlanta (1864), March to the Sea (1864), Carolinas Campaign (1865), Bentonville (1865)

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Major General George H. Thomas

George H. Thomas

Dates: July 31, 1816-March 28, 1870
State: Virginia
Highest Rank Attained: Major General
Principal Commands: Right Wing of the Army of Tennessee, Center of the Army of the Cumberland, Army of the Cumberland,
Principal Battles: Mill Springs (1862), Shiloh (1862), Corinth (1862), Perryville (1862), Stones River (1862/3), Chickamauga (1863), Chattanooga (1863), Resaca (1864), Franklin (1864), Nashville (1864)

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Major General Philip H. Sheridan

Little Phil. Photograph Courtesy of the National Archives & Records Administration

Philip H. Sheridan

Dates: March 6, 1831-August 5, 1888
State: New York/Ohio
Highest Rank Attained: Major General
Principal Commands: Cavalry Corps (Army of Potomac), Army of the Shenandoah
Principal Battles: Pea Ridge (1862), Corinth (1862), Perryville (1862), Stones River (1862/3), Chickamauga (1863), Chattanooga (1863), Wilderness (1864), Spotsylvania Court House (1864), Yellow Tavern (1864), Cold Harbor (1864), Petersburg (1864/5), Winchester (1864), Fishers Hill (1864), Cedar Creek (1864), Five Forks (1865), Sayler's Creek (1865)

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President Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln

Dates: February 12, 1809-April 15, 1865
State: Illinois
Highest Rank Attained: President of the United States

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Hickman, Kennedy. "Selected Union Generals of the Civil War." ThoughtCo, Apr. 24, 2025, thoughtco.com/selected-civil-war-union-generals-4063156. Hickman, Kennedy. (2025, April 24). Selected Union Generals of the Civil War. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/selected-civil-war-union-generals-4063156 Hickman, Kennedy. "Selected Union Generals of the Civil War." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/selected-civil-war-union-generals-4063156 (accessed April 30, 2025).