Civil War Leadership And Mexican War Experience

Many commanders in the American Civil War (1861-1865) served in the Mexican War (1846-1848). This book explores influence of the earlier war on those men who would become leaders of Federal and Confederate forces. Kevin Dougherty discusses professional soldiering before both wars. He shows experiences of twenty-six men in Mexico, thirteen who would serve the Confederacy and thirteen who would remain with the Union. He traces how tactics they used and reactions they had to Civil War combat reveal a remarkable connection to what they learned campaigning against Santa Anna and Mexican generals. Personalities discussed range from well-known leaders to lesser-known figures, from geniuses to mediocrities and from aged heroes to developing practitioners. Impact of these experiences on major tactical decisions in the Civil War is far-reaching--Publisher's description.

Long overshadowed by the American Civil War, the Mexican-American War (1846–1848) has received significantly less attention from historians partly because of its questionable origin and controversial outcome. Rather than treat the conflict with a form of historical amnesia, the contributors to this volume argue that the Mexican-American War was a formative experience for the more than three hundred future Civil War generals who served in it as lower-grade officers. The Mexican War was the first combat experience for many of them, a laboratory that equipped a generation of young officers with practical lessons in strategy, tactics, logistics, and interpersonal relationships that they would use later to command forces during the Civil War.

This work is a narrative of Zachary Taylor’s Mexican War campaign, from the formation of his army in 1844 to his last battle at Buena Vista in 1847, with emphasis on the 163 men in his “Army of Occupation” who became Confederate or Union generals in the Civil War. It clarifies what being a Mexican War veteran meant in their cases, how they interacted with one another, how they performed their various duties, and how they reacted under fire. Referring to developments in Washington, D.C., and other theaters of the war, this book provides a comprehensive picture of the early years of the conflict based on army records and the letters and diaries of the participants. Trailing Clouds of Glory is the first examination of the roles played in the Mexican War by the large number of men who served with Taylor and who would be prominent in the next war, both as volunteer and regular army officers, and it provides fresh information, even on such subjects as Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant. Particularly interesting for the student of the Civil War are largely unknown aspects of the Mexican War service of Daniel Harvey Hill, Braxton Bragg, and Thomas W. Sherman.

"This is the first full-length work on the state's involvement in the Mexican War. Tennessee contributed a huge number of volunteers to the war effort, and Johnson's account not only seeks to describe the military context but also to explore the motivations of Tennessee soldiers. Their notions of duty, a martial mentality and strong sense of masculinity, and the aspirations of a new nationalism all combined to create a culture of honor that was the ideological wellspring for the operation. For Tennesseans, as for many Americans, the war wasn't without controversy, especially as battle casualties mounted, disease spread, the incompetence of military leaders (including Tennessee's own Gideon Pillow) became apparent"--

Drawing on numerous diaries, journals, and reminiscences, Richard Bruce Winders presents the daily life of soldiers at war; links the army to the society that produced it; shares his impressions of the soldiers he "met" along the way; and concludes that American participants in the Mexican War shared a common experience, no matter their rank or place of service. Taking a "new" military history approach, Mr. Polk's Army: The American Military Experience in the Mexican War examines the cultural, social, and political aspects of the regular and volunteer forces that made up the army of 1846-48, presents the organizational framework of the army, and introduces the different styles of leadership exhibited by Zachary Taylor and Winfield Scott.

There have been many books written about the Civil War, but none have captured the bloody battles quite like Great Commanders Head to Head. Discover what drove Ulysses S. Grant and other great Civil War leaders on and off the battlefield, and how their victories and losses shaped the war--and America. Each chapter examines a decisive battle between a pair of imposing adversaries, featuring some of the greatest American commanders in battle: Lee vs. McClellan on the blood-soaked fields of Antietam, Beauregard vs. McDowell at First Manassas, and Sherman vs. Hood in the March to the Sea. Each head-to-head battle includes a contextual introduction, a description of the action, and an analysis of the aftermath. Military experts share their insights into the strategies of each commander. Specially commissioned, full-color maps depict an overhead view of featured battles, including the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863. Conflicts are described as they happened, with insightful annotations and color-coded symbols to show the movement of opposing forces. Special box features showcase opposing commanders' strengths and weaknesses, and offer analysis as to why one triumphed on the battlefield while the other failed.

In The Great Commanders of the American Civil War, the best military leaders of both sides are pitted against each other and their strengths and weaknesses examined – Robert E. Lee versus George Meade at Gettysburg, Ulysses S. Grant versus Albert Sidney Johnston at Shiloh, William Tecumseh Sherman versus John Bell Hood in the March to the Sea, along with eight other pairs. The book also explores a decisive battle between each pair of adversaries, highlighting the decisions made and why the battle was won. Each featured battle includes a contextual introduction, a description of the action, and an analysis of the aftermath. A specially commissioned color map illustrating the dispositions and movement of forces brings the subject to life and helps the reader grasp the course of each battle. Featuring full-color illustrations, paintings and photographs alongside the battle maps.

This is an exploration of the Charleston Campaign in the Civil War through the lens of leadership. Part One, "Understanding Charleston," contains a discussion of leadership, a campaign overview, and a brief introduction to the key participants. Part Two, "Leadership Vignettes," includes 21 scenarios that span the actions of the most senior leaders down to those of individual soldiers. Each scenario provides the context, explains the action in the terms of leadership lessons learned, and concludes with a list of "take-aways" to crystallize the lessons for the reader. The book ends with summary information and a set of conclusions about leadership during the Charleston Campaign. Although it featured some of the era's most advanced military technology, the Charleston Campaign was decided by more than just shot and shell, and this book offers a perspective of the campaign as a leadership laboratory.