I think we need a balance between how it is just now and what you said. Generals should be at the frontlines (it would not be funny to just cast your minions, wait until the spell is ready, cast your minion, buff them with another skill, cast your minion and so on).
We need our generals to be where the fight is, but not right in the middle of the fight all the time. They should be able to support their minions besides to just attack the enemy with them.