Article Discussion

I would like to clarify a couple of points made by John Alexander Williams (whose writings I generally admire). Averell’s “punishment for failures” during the Chancellorsville campaign may have been more scapegoating by General Hooker than failure by Averell, as several historians (most notably Eric J. Wittenberg) have observed. Many historians now believe that Averell was consistently successful as both a trainer of troops and a military leader.