John B. Gordon

[Chris0827]

My proposal
169 CSA John B. Gordon ldr_CSA_Gordon2 $Surpriser $charismatic $Gifted_Cmd NULL 9 10 2 26 General 1 NULL 6 5 3


213 CSA John B. Gordon ldr_CSA_Gordon $Surpriser $Charismatic $Gifted_Cmd NULL 4 4 1 39 General 1 NULL 6 5 3

I know you've said there are too many charismatic commanders but I think it fits.

Lee's most dependable commander in the last year of the war.

At the Wilderness he was prevented from launching a flank attack for 9 hours by Ewell and Early. When Lee became aware of the situation and approved the attack only an hour of daylight remained. Gordon inflicted 1200 casualties and suffered only 50.

At Spotsylvania his division counterattacked 4 union divisions and restored the confederate line.

At Monocacy he flanked and routed some of the same union troops he had flanked at the Wilderness.

At Cedar Creek he planned and led the flank attack that routed one union corps and badly damaged another. He was prevented by Early from attacking the third.

Led the last attack of the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox. He captured the breastworks held by union cavalry only to find Ord's infantry in his path.

[Korrigan]

Just for fun:

Assigned by General Lee to hold the vital sunken road, or "Bloody Lane", during the Battle of Antietam, Gordon's affinity for being wounded reached new heights. First, a Minié ball passed through his calf. Then, a second ball hit him higher in the same leg. A third ball went through his left arm. He continued to lead his men despite the fact that the muscles and tendons in his arm were mangled, and a small artery was severed by this ball. A fourth ball hit him in his shoulder. Despite pleas that he go to the rear, he continued to lead his men. He was finally stopped by a ball that hit him in the face, passing through his left cheek and out his jaw. He fell with his face in his cap and might have drowned in his own blood if it hadn't drained out through a bullet hole in the cap.

[Chris0827]

His wife tried to rally retreating confederate troops at Winchester.

[rickd79]

My favorite Gordon Story (please keep in mind I'm doing this by memory...I don't have the book in front of me right now, so there may be a few inaccuracies):

After the beating he took at Antietam, Gordon was a bloody, swollen mess. I think his jaw was wired shut, and his face was barely recognizable. While he was in the hospital after the battle, one of the surgeons informed him that his wife was there to see him. Due to his appearance, the surgeon asked him if it was a wise idea to send her in, but Gordon replied that it was OK. Obviously his wife was completely unprepared for how bad he looked, and seeing her shock, Gordon said something to this effect: "Come see your handsome husband, I've been to an Irish wedding..."

Anyway, back to the ratings:
Gordon was fantastic...there is no arguing that. I'm just not sure I'm confortable giving him the rating of 6 for "Military Genius" on the strategic level....that just seems like I bit much to me, and puts him in Robert E. Lee territory. IMHO, 5 on the Division level, and 4 or 5 on the Corps level is more appropriate.

(By the way, I do like all the special traits you've assigned him (Surpriser, Gifted_Cmd, and Charismatic...those all seem appropriate)

[cbclimber]

VERY Aggressive, certainly gifted. Not the greatest intelligence gatherer. He failed to gather the neccessary info before his foray to capture union positions during the seige of Richmond.

[rickd79]

It looks like they locked down Jackson at 5/4/4....
Using that as a comparison I would suggest these ratings:

169 CSA John B. Gordon ldr_CSA_Gordon2 $Surpriser $charismatic $Gifted_Cmd NULL 9 10 2 26 General 1 NULL 5 4 3


213 CSA John B. Gordon ldr_CSA_Gordon $Surpriser $Charismatic $Gifted_Cmd NULL 4 4 1 39 General 1 NULL 5 4 3

[Chris0827]

VERY Aggressive, certainly gifted. Not the greatest intelligence gatherer. He failed to gather the neccessary info before his foray to capture union positions during the seige of Richmond.

The attack on Fort Stedman was a desperate attempt to push back the union army and give Lee time to retreat from Richmond/Petersburg. It was initially successful but the confederates lacked the strength to take the neighboring forts and enlarge the breakthrough. Many confederates surendered rather than retreat to their own lines. The Army of Northern Virginia was no longer capable of strong offensive actions.