List of American Civil War generals (Confederate)

Confederate generals

 * Assigned to duty by E. Kirby Smith
 * Incomplete appointments
 * State militia generals

The Confederate and United States processes for appointment, nomination and confirmation of general officers were essentially the same. The military laws of the United States required that a person be nominated as a general officer by the president and be confirmed by the Senate and that his commission be signed and sealed by the president.

Despite legal interpretations that would preclude posthumous confirmation of appointments or delivery of commissions, the U.S. Senate and the Confederate Senate confirmed a few appointments of officers known to be dead and did not recall or revoke a few other confirmed appointments for officers who had recently died or died before receiving their commissions. No brevet appointments were made in the Confederate States Army but twenty acting or temporary general officers were authorized by and appointed under Confederate States law. At least one State militia (Virginia) had at least one brevet general (Francis Henney Smith).

Although not as prevalent as in the Union Army, some dates of rank in the Confederate States Army were before the date of appointment or commission. Under an Act of September 1, 1861, the Confederate Congress permitted Confederate President Jefferson Davis to make recess appointments and nominations subject to Confederate Senate confirmation during the next term. Confederate Senate confirmation of general officer appointments was usually prompt early in the war but often was delayed in the last two years of the war.

Details concerning Confederate officers who were appointed to duty as generals late in the war by General E. Kirby Smith in the Confederate Trans-Mississippi Department, who have been thought of as generals and exercised command as generals but who were not duly appointed and confirmed or commissioned, and state militia generals who had field commands in certain actions in their home states but were never given appointments or commissions in the Confederate States Army are in the List of American Civil War generals (Acting Confederate). Not all colonels or lower ranking officers who exercised brigade or division command at any time are in this list but those most often erroneously referred to as generals are. A few acting or temporary Confederate generals were duly appointed and confirmed as such. The full entries for these officers are in this list.

The notes mainly show pre-war military education or experience, pre-war political office, ranks and appointments prior to general officer appointments, some major assignments or events, information on wounds, killed in action or otherwise during the war, a few close relationships, deaths soon after the war, several of the longest lived generals and Spanish–American War service.

Abbreviations and notes:
 * Rank column: conf. = date appointment confirmed by Confederate Senate; nom. = date nominated by Confederate President Jefferson Davis; rank = date of rank
 * USMA = United States Military Academy at West Point, New York;
 * South Carolina Military Academy = Predecessor to The Citadel at Charleston, South Carolina;
 * VMI = Virginia Military Institute at Lexington, Virginia
 * Additional notes: ranks: lt. = lieutenant

Z
The full text of the following three sections has been moved to List of American Civil War Generals (Acting Confederate). The names of the officers in each section are retained under each section here for convenience and reference.

Assigned to duty by E. Kirby Smith

 * Bagby, Arthur Pendleton Jr.
 * DeBray, Xavier
 * Gordon, Benjamin Franklin
 * Jackman, Sidney Drake
 * King, Wilburn Hill
 * Lewis, Levin Major
 * Maclay, Robert Plunket
 * Randal, Horace
 * Terrell, Alexander Watkins

Incomplete appointments, unconfirmed appointments, refused appointments, posthumous appointments or undelivered commissions

 * Ashby, Henry Marshall
 * Ashby, Turner
 * Barry, John D.
 * Bartow, Francis Stebbins
 * Benton, Samuel
 * Bowles, Pinckney Downie
 * Brevard, Jr. Theodore W.
 * Browne, William Montague, "Constitution"
 * Cobb, Thomas Reade Rootes
 * Dearing, James
 * Deshler, James
 * Dunovant, John
 * Fauntleroy, Thomas Turner
 * Fiser, John Calvin
 * Frazer, John W.
 * Garrott, Isham Warren
 * Girardey, Victor J. B.
 * Godwin, Archibald C.
 * Goggin, James M.
 * Hagan, James
 * Hannon, Moses Wright
 * Hatton, Robert Hopkins
 * Henderson, Robert Johnson
 * Hodge, George B.
 * Johnson, Adam Rankin "Stovepipe"
 * Jones, John R.
 * Martin, John D.
 * Moore, Samuel Preston
 * Munford, Thomas Taylor
 * Northrop, Lucius B.
 * O'Neal, Edward Asbury
 * Pegram, William "Willie"
 * Phifer, Charles W.
 * Porterfield, George
 * Rains, James Edwards
 * Robertson, Felix Huston
 * Semmes, Raphael, "Beeswax", "Bim" – rear admiral, Confederate States Navy; brigadier general, appointed April 5, 1865 (unconfirmed)
 * Taylor, Thomas H.
 * Thomas, Bryan Morel
 * Walker, Francis Marion

State militia generals
The highest rank attained in the named state militia is shown. The rank in the Confederate Army, if known, is shown.
 * Alcorn, James Lusk - brigadier general, Mississippi Militia, the Army of Mississippi
 * Anderson, Charles David - brigadier general, Georgia Militia Brigade; received his state militia appointment after his resignation from the CSA in 1864, related to injuries.
 * Boggs, James - brigadier general, Virginia militia; he continued his brigade command in the CSA after his forces were incorporated into the Confederate Army
 * Brogden, Curtis Hooks - major general, North Carolina State militia
 * Carson, James Harvey - brigadier general, Virginia militia
 * Carswell, Reuben Walker - brigadier general, Georgia militia
 * Chapman, Augustus A. - brigadier general, Virginia militia
 * Chase, William Henry - major general, Florida militia
 * Clark, Edward - brigadier general, Texas
 * Clark, John Bullock - brigadier general, Missouri State Guard
 * Clark, Meriwether Lewis Sr. - brigadier general, Missouri State Guard; rose to rank of colonel in the Confederate States Army
 * Davis, Jefferson - major general, Mississippi Militia; thereafter Elected President and Commander in Chief of the Confederate States
 * de Saussure, Wilmot Gibbes - brigadier general, South Carolina militia; subsequently elected adjutant general and inspector general of the S.C. militia
 * Ford, John Salmon "R.I.P." "Rip" - senior captain, Texas state troops; Captain Texas Rangers; served at rank of colonel in the Confederate Army
 * Garlington, Albert Creswell - major general, South Carolina militia, after serving as brigadier general of the US Army prior to 1860;
 * Harman, William Henry - brigadier general, Virginia militia, assistant adjutant general, Confederate Army
 * Harper, Kenton - major general, Virginia Militia; brigadier general, Virginia Provisional Army, and colonel once the VPA was joined to the Confederate Army
 * Harris, Jeptha Vining - brigadier general of state troops in Mississippi, later returned to serve as colonel within Mississippi (CSA rank status uncertain)
 * Harrison, Sr., George Paul - brigadier general, George militia, served at rank of colonel in the Confederate Army
 * McBride, James Haggin - brigadier general, Missouri State Guard
 * McCay, Henry Kent - Georgia militia - served at rank of colonel in the Confederate Army
 * Meem, Gilbert Simrall - brigadier general, Virginia militia
 * Philips, Pleasant J. - brigadier general, Georgia Militia
 * Pratt, John G. – brigadier general, Louisiana militia
 * Rains, George W. - brigadier general, George militia, served at rank of colonel in the Confederate Army
 * Smith, Francis Henney - Major general, Virginia militia; served at rank of colonel in the Confederate Army
 * Thompson, Meriwether Jefferson, "Jeff", "Swamp Fox" - brigadier general, Missouri State Guard
 * Watkins, Nathaniel W. - brigadier general, Missouri State Guard