This is a list of American Civil War brevet generals that served the Union Army. This list of brevet major generals or brevet brigadier generals currently contains a section which gives the names of officers who held lower actual or substantive grades (often referred to as ranks) in the Union Army, were not promoted to full actual or substantive grade generals during or immediately after the war,[1] but were awarded the grade of brevet major general or brevet brigadier general, almost always in recognition of service, not as any form of promotion. The first section shows these officers' actual grades and regiments or assignments. Dates in the list are explained below.
The lists of general officers who were in active service as or were promoted to the grade of brigadier general or major general, or in the case of Ulysses S. Grant, lieutenant general, in the Regular Army of the United States at the start of or during the Civil War and of officers who were appointed as brigadier generals or major generals in the volunteer forces which constituted most of the Union Army, who were awarded brevet general grades have been moved to a draft user page for revision and reduction in length. Information on brevet appointments or awards for these officers still may be found at List of American Civil War Generals (Union).
A small number of these awards were made before the generals who received them were promoted to full actual grade generals. Many of the awards were brevet major general grades given to full, actual grade regular army or volunteer force brigadier generals. Some volunteer generals also received brevet awards of general officer grades in the Regular Army of the United States, which were higher awards than brevet awards in the volunteer services. The second and third sections have (or will have) the appointment dates for full general promotions since the officers often began acting in the capacity of general officers before they were confirmed and commissioned. These sections have the same information concerning and dates of the brevet awards as have those in the first section.
- ^ A few of these officers remained in the army and eventually became substantive grade brigadier generals.