re: #154 Dark_Falcon

Sickles was yet another of the political generals that plagued both sides of the American Civil War. He’s become a brigadier general simply because he’d stayed loyal to the Union and raised a New York brigade, but his highest loyalty was always to himself.

It’s worth noting that the dishonorable compromise Sickles made in 1876 (which threw away much of what his men had fought and died to achieve at Gettysburg) did not ruin Dan Sickles’ reputation. Indeed, one must sadly note that much of the 19th Century commemoration of Gettysburg, including the preservation of the battlefield, was directed by Sickles.

This was so true that upon his last visit to Gettysburg in 1912, near the end of his long life when asked if he regretted that the battlefield contained no monument to him, Sickles snapped out “Hell, this whole battlefield is my memorial!”, which was quite true.

Ended up putting himself in for the CMOH I believe. But yeah the political generals were a problem. They were inevitable of course given the large causalities and glory hounds.