Confederate General Johnston was badly wounded at the Battle of Seven Pines. Aside from that, Lee was the better General. Johnston gave up ground when he did not have to, and he did not work and play well with others.
General Robert E. Lee was appointed to replace the wounded General Joseph Johnston on June 1, 1862. The Confederate forces he led would soon be called the Army of Northern Virginia. Immediately prior to this assignment, Lee had been a military advisor to President Jefferson Davis.
Hood was far more aggressive
On July 17, 1864 President Jefferson Davis replaced General Joseph Johnston with General John Hood. US General William Sherman would now face General Bell and his name was familiar to Sherman. He asked one of Hood's classmates at West Point, General Schofield, about the abilities of Hood. Schofield's answer was not pleasing to Sherman in that the response was that Hood was a man of reckless courage.
Atlanta was an important city for the Confederacy to hold, and armies under the command of Union General William T. Sherman were pressing on towards that city. Jefferson Davis believed that General John B. Hood could do a more effective job then Johnston. Davis replaced Johnston on July 17, 1864.
In 1862, the two most conservative New York newspapers, the Herald and the World were staunch supporters of Union General George B. McClellan. They assigned blame for the failed Peninsula campaign on Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton. Stanton was blamed for withholding the reinforcements McClellan asked for during the campaign and saw McClellan's retreat to Harrison's Landing as a true "Napoleonic " style maneuver. Both newspapers wanted Stanton to be replaced by General Henry Halleck and have the former Democrat General Banks replace Welles as Navy Secretary. This revamped cabinet had to give all troops to McClellan as he required. Both newspapers believed only McClellan could end the war promptly and without violating the US Constitution.
When General Lee was called to replace the wounded Joseph Johnston to stop the Union's Peninsula campaign, he left General Gustavus W. Smith to defend Richmond. Smith was ready having recovered from an illness in early June 1862.
Because his Peninsula campaign had failed, and some of Lincoln's cabinet thought he might even be a Confederate spy.
General Robert E. Lee was appointed to replace the wounded General Joseph Johnston on June 1, 1862. The Confederate forces he led would soon be called the Army of Northern Virginia. Immediately prior to this assignment, Lee had been a military advisor to President Jefferson Davis.
Hood was far more aggressive
When Union General George B. McClellan learned that General Robert E. Lee would replace the wounded Joseph Johnston he was delighted. His memiors say he was glad because he considered Robert E. Lee to be a timid commander.
Confederate President Davis had never been a supported of Major General Joseph Johnston. They had quarreled with each other for most of the war. Davis also was supported in his dislike of Johnston by generals William Hardee and John Bell Hood. To a lessor extent, General Braxton Bragg was also in favor of Johnston's removal as head of the Army of Tennessee in 1864.
On July 17, 1864 President Jefferson Davis replaced General Joseph Johnston with General John Hood. US General William Sherman would now face General Bell and his name was familiar to Sherman. He asked one of Hood's classmates at West Point, General Schofield, about the abilities of Hood. Schofield's answer was not pleasing to Sherman in that the response was that Hood was a man of reckless courage.
Atlanta was an important city for the Confederacy to hold, and armies under the command of Union General William T. Sherman were pressing on towards that city. Jefferson Davis believed that General John B. Hood could do a more effective job then Johnston. Davis replaced Johnston on July 17, 1864.
After General Robert E. Lee took over the Confederate troops in the midst of the Peninsula campaign, Lee designed aggressive plans to protect Richmond. Lee had to replace the wounded General Joseph Johnston. It was during this campaign that family members from each side of the US Civil War were involved in General George B. McClellan's ambitious plan to capture or lay siege to Richmond. Lee sent Brigadier General JEB Stuart on a reconnaissance mission to assess Union positions in the areas near Richmond where Union forces were in position to thwart all Rebel plans to protect Richmond. Beginning in early June, 1862, JEB Stuart's cavalry attacked a Federal supply train. Stuart's activities had to be challenged and as Stuart rode towards the Chickahominy River, he was pursued by his father-in-law Brigadier General Philip Cooke. Cooke had sided with the Union when the war started. Cooke's nephew, Lieutenant John Esten Cooke, joined the Confederacy and rode with Stuart's cavalry during this raid.
President Jefferson Davis believed that Lieutenant General Robert E. Lee was the best general to replace Braxton Bragg as the commander of the Army of Tennessee. Lee was able to convince Davis that another choice would be better. He suggested PT Beauregard, however, Davis finally appointed General Joseph Johnston to the vacancy.
US President Lincoln wanted to have General George B. McClellan to focus all of his attention on the Peninsula campaign. With this in mind he took away McClellan's title of general in chief on March 13, 1862. Lincoln delayed naming a replacement as he knew the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War was favoring either generals John Fremont or McDowell for that position. Lincoln believed that both were unqualified and both were too radical with their political views. Lincoln decided to wait for a better time to name a new general in chief.
In 1862, the two most conservative New York newspapers, the Herald and the World were staunch supporters of Union General George B. McClellan. They assigned blame for the failed Peninsula campaign on Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton. Stanton was blamed for withholding the reinforcements McClellan asked for during the campaign and saw McClellan's retreat to Harrison's Landing as a true "Napoleonic " style maneuver. Both newspapers wanted Stanton to be replaced by General Henry Halleck and have the former Democrat General Banks replace Welles as Navy Secretary. This revamped cabinet had to give all troops to McClellan as he required. Both newspapers believed only McClellan could end the war promptly and without violating the US Constitution.