Civil War Eccentrics: “Kill-Cavalry” Kilpatrick

 

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

Union Brig. Gen. Hugh Judson Kilpatrick earned the nickname "Kill-Cavalry" for his reckless tactics that got many of his own men killed in ill-advised charges. He was ambitious, brash, and politically savvy, often prioritizing glory over sound strategy (famously at Gettysburg, where he pushed a disastrous charge).

He was known for disorderly camps filled with prostitutes and once famously fled in his underwear during a surprise Confederate attack at Monroe's Crossroads. Kilpatrick was a glory-seeker who exaggerated successes and survived multiple wounds and scandals.

  

Treasure Legends of the Civil War

Civil War Graves of Northern Virginia