Blogging through the Alphabet: M is for Magruder

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Confederate General John Bankhead Magruder (May 1, 1807-February 19, 1871) was known for his manners and his theatrics. Thanks to his tactics during the Peninsula Campaign in 1862, the Union did not advance as quickly as it could have onto the Confederates. He would serve in the military for three different nations, but outside of the American Civil War history, he probably is not as well known as other Confederate generals like Lee and Jackson. 

Career Military Officer 

Magruder was a career military officer. He served in the military of three different nations: the United States, the Confederacy, and the Imperial Mexican Army. After graduating from West Point as a second lieutenant, he would go on to serve in the Mexican-American War as so many future Civil War soldiers would do. He fought at Vera Cruz, Cerro Gordo, Contreras, Molino del Rey, Chapultepec, and Mexico City. 

He left to join the Confederacy when Virginia, his home state, succeeded on April 17, 1862. He was given the job of protecting the capital city of Richmond. He would direct the building of fortifications in the Virginia Peninsula and play a role using military deception. 

Magruder's Theatrics 

In April of 1862, there were approximately 13,000 Confederates under the command of Magruder. To delay Union General McClellan and his men, Magruder marched his infantry in circles outside of Yorktown. He also had his artillery fire from a variety of places to give the impression that there was more than he actually had at his disposal. "Prince John" Magruder wanted to give the idea that he had more men than he actually did and he succeeded!

Side note: He was called "Prince John" because of his manners and social graces. 

McClellan reacted just like Magruder had planned. He dug in for a siege because he thought there were more Confederates near Yorktown than there actually were at the time. McClellan believed he was in a much more difficult position than he actually was. This all delayed the Union movement during the Peninsula Campaign. 

There was a repeat performance at Chickahominy in 1862. Magruder was in charge of 27,000 men holding the line east of the city of Richmond. He instituted a few different techniques to help give the illusion that there were more Confederates again. The infantry lined up in attack formation and made small attacks on the Union defenses. He also had his officers call to imaginary regiments. Even though the Union was in good shape and they could have attacked on June 27, 1862, they didn't. Magruder was successful again in his theatrics. 

Even though he was successful in slowing the Union forces during the Peninsula Campaign, Magruder's performance was criticized and he was sent west. There were some problems during the Seven Days Battles, and it is debated how much Magruder deserved the criticism. Lee reassigned him to the District of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona in 1863. He would spend the remainder of the American Civil War in the Western Theater.

Ruse de Guerre 

Magruder's tactics included using military deception of as the French call it: ruse de guerre (ruse of war). There are two ways we can define ruse de guerre. As either military deception or using creative or clear means to achieve a military goal. 

We've seen this idea throughout history from the use of the Trojan Horse to Alexander the Great marching his men back and forth to give the impression that they didn't know where to cross a river so they could surprise attack. During World War I, the British flew the American flag on some ships to avoid German submarine attacks. Prior to WWI, the Japanese lured the Russians out of Port Arthur during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904. These are only a few examples from military history. As you can see these tactics have played a key role throughout all of history. Magruder was among some of the best military minds when he engaged in his theatrics. 

Read more about Magruder and his actions in the Seven Days Battles here: Emerging Civil War. 

Images from U.S. History Images.