Talk:Political general

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[edit] Refs?

I don't normally like to plaster warning signs in articles until discussion can take place. This article is in strong need of a References section and citations. See WP:CITE. Finding secondary sources that characterize these men as political would go a long way. It also should probably be renamed Political generals of the American Civil War unless someone has evidence that this concept has never occurred in other wars, worldwide, which I doubt. It would be interesting to add the claim that there were no "political admirals" if you can find a scholarly source for it. I also toned down a number of unencyclopedic statements. Hal Jespersen 15:19, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] William Barksdale?

I was wondering about the listing of Barksdale as a "political general". While I don't know the specifics of his appointment, Ezra Warner's Generals in Gray indicates that he had served as an enlisted man, then becoming an officer, in the Mexican War. Does previous military experience play any part in determining if the appointment is political? Also, he was appointed as a colonel, initially, of the 13th Mississippi, and did not see promotion until Aug. 12, 1862. If someone could provide more details about his appointment which confirm or deny its political nature, I think that that would really help this article. 204.52.215.69 (talk) 02:24, 28 November 2007 (UTC)