Winfield Scott and the Profession of Arms

Winfield Scott and the Profession of Arms PDF Author: Allan Peskin
Publisher: Kent State University Press
ISBN: 9780873387743
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 356

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Book Description
Winfield Scott (1786-1866) was arguably the premier soldier of his era, responsible for the professionalization of the US Army during his long career. Allan Peskin's biography presents research which supports the view of General Scott as a forward-looking managerial officer.

Winfield Scott and the Profession of Arms

Winfield Scott and the Profession of Arms PDF Author: Allan Peskin
Publisher: Kent State University Press
ISBN: 9780873387743
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 356

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Book Description
Winfield Scott (1786-1866) was arguably the premier soldier of his era, responsible for the professionalization of the US Army during his long career. Allan Peskin's biography presents research which supports the view of General Scott as a forward-looking managerial officer.

Winfield Scott

Winfield Scott PDF Author: Timothy D. Johnson
Publisher: University Press of Kansas
ISBN: 0700621067
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 327

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Book Description
One of the most important public figures in antebellum America, Winfield Scott is known today more for his swagger than his sword. "Old Fuss-and-Feathers" was a brilliant military commander whose tactics and strategy were innovative adaptations from European military theory; yet he was often underappreciated by his contemporaries and until recently overlooked by historians. While John Eisenhower's recent Agent of Destiny provides a solid summary of Scott's remarkable life, Timothy D. Johnson's much deeper critical exploration of this flawed genius should become the standard work. Thoroughly grounded in an essential understanding of nineteenth-century military professionalism, it draws extensively on unpublished sources in order to reveal neglected aspects of Scott's life, present a more complete view of his career, and accurately balance criticism and praise. Johnson dramatically relates the key features of Scott's career: how he led troops to victory in the War of 1812 and the Mexican War, fought against the Seminoles and Creeks, and was instrumental in professionalizing the U.S. Army, which he commanded for two decades. He also tells how Scott tried to introduce French methods into army tactical manuals, and how he applied his study of the Napoleonic Wars during the Mexico City Campaign but found European strategy of little use against Indians. Johnson further suggests that Scott's creation of an officer corps that boasted Grant, Lee, McClellan and other veterans of the Mexican War raises important questions about his influence on Civil War generalship. More than a military history, this book tells how Scott's aristocratic pretensions placed him at odds with emerging notions of equality in Jacksonian America and made him an unappealing politician in his bid for the presidency. Johnson not only recounts the facets of Scott's personality that alienated nearly everyone who knew him but also reveals the unsavory methods he used to promote his career and the scandalous ways he attempted to relieve his lifelong financial troubles. Although his legendary vanity has tarnished his place among American military leaders, Scott is shown to have possessed great talent and courage. Johnson's biography offers the most balanced portrait available of Scott by never losing sight of the whole man.

Agent of Destiny

Agent of Destiny PDF Author: John S. D. Eisenhower
Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press
ISBN: 9780806131283
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 500

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Book Description
The hero of the War of 1812, the conqueror of Mexico City in the Mexican-American War, and Abraham Lincoln’s top soldier during the first six months of the Civil War, General Winfield Scott was a seminal force in the early expansion and consolidation of the American republic. John S. D. Eisenhower explores how Scott, who served under fourteen presidents, played a leading role in the development of the United States Army from a tiny, loosely organized, politics-dominated establishment to a disciplined professional force capable of effective and sustained campaigning.

The Life of General Winfield Scott

The Life of General Winfield Scott PDF Author: Edward Deering Mansfield
Publisher: New York : A.S. Barnes
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 396

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Book Description


The Not So Wild, Wild West

The Not So Wild, Wild West PDF Author: Terry Lee Anderson
Publisher: Stanford University Press
ISBN: 9780804748544
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 290

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Book Description
Cooperation, not conflict, is emphasized in a study that casts America's frontier history as a place in which local people helped develop the legal framework that tamed the West.

An American Profession of Arms

An American Profession of Arms PDF Author: William B. Skelton
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 512

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Book Description
Following the formation of a regular army in 1784, a popular distruct of military power and the generally unsettled nature of national administration kept the army in a continual state of fluctuation, both in terms of organisation and size. Few officers were making a long-term commitment to military service. But by 1860, a professional army career was becoming a way of life. In that year, 41.5 percent of officers had served 30 years, compared to only 2.6 percent in 1797.

Niagara, 1814

Niagara, 1814 PDF Author: Richard V. Barbuto
Publisher: Lawrence : University Press of Kansas
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 456

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Book Description
Most books on the War of 1812 focus on the burning of Washington, D.C., the Battles of Baltimore and New Orleans, and the war in the Old Northwest. Scant attention, however, has been paid the Niagara Campaign of 1814-the American army's ambitious but failed attempt to wrest Canada from British control. While a few writers have dealt with aspects of this effort, Richard Barbuto is the first to offer a comprehensive study of the entire campaign. Barbuto covers every aspect of a campaign that saw the American army come of age, even as its military leaders blundered away potential victory and the acquisition of a coveted expanse of North American territory. Vividly recreating the major battles on the Niagara peninsula—at Chippawa, Lundy's Lane, Fort Erie, and Cook's Mill—Barbuto also clarifies the role of these engagements within the overall framework of American strategy. Despite early success at Chippawa, four long months of fighting finally ended in something like a draw, with the British still in control of Canada. Barbuto argues convincingly that the American government was never really able to harness, coordinate, and focus its tremendous resources in ways that would have allowed the campaign to succeed. Much of the blame, he shows, can be attributed to the poor leadership and confused strategic thinking of President James Madison and his secretary of war, John Armstrong. The American effort was further undermined by manpower shortages, a few ineffective field commanders, and the army and navy's inability to coordinate their objectives and operations. Even so, Barbuto contends that the American soldier, led by the likes of Jacob Brown and the legendary Winfield Scott, performed surprisingly well against one of the great armies of the nineteenth century. Barbuto's analysis, unmarred by national bias, presents a balanced picture of these events from the perspective of all participants—American, British, Canadian, and Native American. He also fills an important gap by providing the first ever capsule histories of all regimental-sized units involved in the campaign. Breathing new life into these events, his far-ranging study should become the definitive work on this long-neglected campaign.

Preparing for War

Preparing for War PDF Author: J. P. Clark
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674545737
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 351

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Book Description
The U.S. Army has always regarded preparing for war as its peacetime role, but how it fulfilled that duty has changed dramatically between the War of 1812 and World War I. J. P. Clark shows how differing personal experiences of war and peace among successive generations of professional soldiers left their mark upon the Army and its ways.

Commanding Generals and Chiefs of Staff, 1775-2013

Commanding Generals and Chiefs of Staff, 1775-2013 PDF Author: William Gardner Bell
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Generals
Languages : en
Pages : 222

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Book Description
From the Foreword: This volume provides short biographical sketches of the commanding generals and chiefs of staff who have led the United States Army. Their rise through the levels of leadership to the pinnacle of their profession reveals both striking parallels and equally fascinating contrasts. While their responsibilities have evolved over the years, the essential elements of leadership remain unchanged. The format of this volume combines biographical information along with the officially designated portraits of the commanding generals and chiefs of staff. It also includes brief accounts of the artists selected to paint the official portraits. As an aspect of the Army art program, these portraits add an interesting and revealing dimension to the biographer's words. This volume not only celebrates the legacy of dedication and patriotism left by these leaders, but also enhances our understanding of military leadership at the highest levels. All those interested in the profession of arms should become familiar with those who have led our Army.

American Military History

American Military History PDF Author: Janet G. Valentine
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1315510995
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 456

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Book Description
This book offers a chronology, subheadings, and terms to provide the reader a pedagogical framework for understanding the central themes and events in the American military experience and their relation to American history. It serves as a foundation for undergraduate courses in military history.