General Thompson was some character wasn't he?! I wish Americans today had just an ounce of the drive that M. Jeff Thompson had to do what he felt was right for his family, neighbors and countrymen in protecting America!
Thursday, June 14, 2007
The Swamp Fox of Missouri
Owing to the fact that some of my ancestors were a part of the 1st Division of the Missouri State Guard, I had to include the great bio by Jim McGhee about M. Jeff Thompson, the Swamp Fox.
General Thompson was some character wasn't he?! I wish Americans today had just an ounce of the drive that M. Jeff Thompson had to do what he felt was right for his family, neighbors and countrymen in protecting America!
General Thompson was some character wasn't he?! I wish Americans today had just an ounce of the drive that M. Jeff Thompson had to do what he felt was right for his family, neighbors and countrymen in protecting America!
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8 comments:
General Thompson was indeed a great leader, and a wise, flexible, courageous man, not afraid to act when the occasion demanded it. The Swamp Fox is a good title for him.
Yep, I agree. He was a stand out Southerner who might have gone on to win a great many more battles had he been given command of Confederate troops much earlier than fall of 1864.
Methinks he might have been able to put a good push onto to save Missouri from Yankee hands as well. He might have really changed the face of the war in Missouri.
The South was blessed with several aggressive leaders while the North had a shortage of them. Just think if the North would have had leaders like Lee, Stuart, Jackson, Forrest, Mosby, Morgan and Thompson. I think their short estimations of the duration of the war would have been far more accurate than reality illustrated.
Oh, yea, no doubt about it. McClellan did just about everything right...if one wanted to prolong the war. Think if he would have actually used some accurate reconaissance?! He could have crushed the Army of Northern VA (or whatever it was at the time) and the Western Theatre would have likely collapsed after that.
Of course, he might have been able to better do it without the politicians on his back. I feel sorry for him. I think he was a pretty good guy really.
No decision makers (minus Grant) and poor communication and certainly a lack of the spirit of teamwork added up to a lot of destruction.
Yeah, the western theater fostered more aggressive decision making in that the politicians weren't on their backs the whole time. So men like Grant, Sherman, and Sheridan were able to flourish a bit more than out east.
Even after the way, Lee said McClellan was the best general he faced. As you said, he suffered from bad information, a luxury Lee had in abundance with Stuart. It's amazing that the Northern cavalry was so inept until late in the war. Wasn't really until Sheridan was set free in the east under Grant that they became truly effective.
See my web site. I think you will find it interesting.
www.SwampFox199thRAC.com
I took Basic at Ft. Bliss 1966.
Swamp Fox
199th Recon Airplane Company, HQ, Vinh Long, Mekong Delta, Vietnam
I live near Jeff City
nshorty tons
Thanks for posting this. M. Jeff Thompson is my GG-Grandfather.
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