American history is replete with resplendent Generals whose vision transformed an armed conflict. The greatest Generals were the ones that possessed the rare combination of bravery, guile, and strategic cunning.

The Civil War also produced some of the more visionary and courageous military leaders of American history. But The War between the States is also known for the number of incompetent commanders that squandered tactical supremacy and were unable to capitalize on significant manpower advantages.

Because the magnitude of The Civil War was immense, many men were thrust into military leadership positions without the requisite acumen and experience. Known for its stories of epic bravery, The Civil War was more about incompetent military leadership than revolutionary battlefield strategy.

Two men vie for the moniker of worst Union general during The Civil War. Generals George McClellan and William Rosecrans both exuded incompetence and lack of character. But Rosecrans expanded upon what he learned from mentor McClellan.

Civil War books don't mention Rosecrans as much as McClellan because of where the two men conducted most of their military business. While fierce battles were being waged in the strategic Virginia-Maryland corridor, a historically unheralded fight was being waged along the Tennessee-Georgia border.

President Abraham Lincoln made securing Chattanooga, Tennessee a top military priority in early 1962. He reasoned the fall of Chattanooga was just as important of a military goal as rousting the Confederate army out of Richmond, Virginia. Chattanooga was the preeminent confederate railway center that supplied Rebel troops deep in the heart of Shenandoah Valley.

William Starke Rosecrans was recruited by President Lincoln to lead the Army of the Cumberland in pursuit of confederate forces that had withdrawn into the mountains of southeastern Tennessee. Rosecran's pedigree included graduating fifth in his class at West Point. He was known as a brilliant strategist, but a reluctant warrior. He left the army in 1854 to pursue his true vocation as a civil engineer.

But Rosecrans returned to military duty at the onset of The Civil War and spent two years under the equally incompetent leadership of General George McClellan. After serving under McClellan, Rosecrans heeded the call by Lincoln to assume command.

Rosecrans first blunder was to underestimate the confederate army's resiliency. Rosecrans' troops drove confederate General

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