Civil War Eccentrics: General Richard Ewell

 

Many  Civil War generals were deeply eccentric, had wild personal lives, or engaged in bizarre behaviors that would seem unthinkable for modern military leaders.

Confederate Lt. Gen. Richard Ewell was often called the "oddest, most eccentric genius in the Confederate Army." He had a bald head, a long nose, and bright eyes, and he frequently tilted his head sideways like a bird when listening or giving orders. His mannerisms were so peculiar that subordinates found him almost comical.

Ewell was a hypochondriac who carried around a variety of medicines and was known for explosive verbal orders that no one could fully understand when he was excited.

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