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General Winfield Scott Biography
Biographical Sketch
General Winfield Scott was born on June 13, 1786, near
Petersburg, Virginia. He served and fought against the British in the War of 1812; Scott was captured during
the Battle of Queenston Heights in 1812, but was released in a prisoner exchange; in July 1814, Scott commanded the First
Brigade of the American army in the Niagara campaign, decisively winning the Battle of Chippewa. He was wounded during the
bloody Battle of Lundy's Lane; Scott earned the reputation of a peacemaker by helping to ease the Nullification Crisis in 1832 and settling border disputes with Canada; he engaged in the Black Hawk War and the Second Seminole
War; in 1838 Scott supervised the removal of the Cherokee (The Trail of Tears) from Georgia and other southern states to reservations west of the Mississippi River; he authored the army’s drill manual; President John Tyler elevated him to commander of all U.S. forces in 1841 (aka
commanding general and general-in-chief); Scott, an outspoken Whig, opposed President James K. Polk’s policies
toward Mexico, a move that cost him the primary field command in the ensuing Mexican American War of 1846-1848; when General Zachary Taylor's campaign bogged down at Monterrey, Scott proposed a bold plan to land an army at Vera Cruz and to march overland to capture
Mexico City. Polk grudgingly agreed, and Scott’s campaign succeeded brilliantly and won the Mexican American War; at the advanced age of 75, Scott, as general-in-chief of the United States Army, was the architect of Union war planning
in 1861; Scott authored the “Anaconda Plan” in 1861, by which the North would strangle the South with a blockade and capture the Mississippi River; he resigned
from his post in late 1862; upon Scott's retirement, George B. McClellan assumed command as general-in-chief of the United
States Army; Winfield Scott retired to West Point, New York, and died there
on May 29, 1866.
Recommended
Reading: Winfield Scott: The Quest
for Military Glory (Hardcover). 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.
Although John Eisenhower's recently published Agent of Destiny provides a solid summary of Scott's remarkable life, Timothy
D. Johnson's much deeper critical exploration of this flawed genius will become the standard work. Thoroughly grounded in
an essential understanding of nineteenth-century military professionalism, Johnson's work draws extensively on unpublished
sources to reveal neglected aspects of Scott's life, present a complete view of his career, and accurately balance criticism
and praise. Continued below…
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 explains how Scott's aristocratic pretensions
were out of place with emerging notions of equality in Jacksonian America and made him an unappealing political candidate
in his bid for the presidency. Johnson recounts the details of Scott's personality that alienated nearly everyone who knew
him, as well as the unsavory methods Scott used to promote his career and the scandalous ways he attempted to alleviate his
lifelong financial troubles. Although Scott's legendary vanity has tarnished his place among American military leaders,
he also possessed great talent and courage. Johnson's biography offers the most balanced portrait available of Scott by never
losing sight of the whole man.
Recommended
Reading: Winfield
Scott and the Profession of Arms (Hardcover: 328 pages) (Kent State University Press). Description: Winfield Scott And The Profession Of Arms is the true story of Winfield
Scott (1786-1866), who is perhaps best known for his role in bringing professionalism to the U.S. Army during his long military
career (1807-61). He served as general in the War of 1812, major figure during the Indian Wars, key character in the "Trail
of Tears", commanded U.S. forces in the final campaign of the Mexican American
War, and was the general-in-chief at the beginning of the Civil War. Continued below…
Additionally,
he was a presidential candidate and foe or friend to every president from Madison to Lincoln. History
professor emeritus Allan Peskin draws upon research in the National Archives to unearth a comprehensive portrait of General
Scott as a visionary managerial officer, who anticipated drastic changes in technology and business principles for the military
and adapted in response. An in-depth, balanced biography of a remarkable figure and his lasting legacy.
Recommended Reading:
Agent Of Destiny: The Life And Times Of General Winfield Scott (Hardcover). Description:
It's about time somebody wrote a biography of Winfield Scott, and reading this fascinating account by accomplished military
historian John S. D. Eisenhower, you'll wonder why nobody did it sooner. Scott's career spanned an astonishing 54 years and
he spent most of it as a general. He was one of the few American heroes to emerge from the War of 1812; he launched a daring
and successful invasion of Mexico in 1847; and he defended a vulnerable Washington, D.C., during the first months of the Lincoln
administration in 1861. Continued below...
Scott was a profoundly courageous man with a flair for the organizational side of military life. Yet an
unseemly amount of ambition and vanity marred his character, even as these qualities help make him an interesting subject
for Eisenhower (who is, you guessed it, the son of Ike). Agent of Destiny is a skilled portrait of a man who is often
overshadowed by the generation of Civil War leaders following him. Eisenhower deserves our thanks for writing this magnificent
book about a vital figure.
Recommended Viewing: The Civil War - A Film by Ken Burns. Review: The
Civil War - A Film by Ken Burns is the most successful public-television miniseries in American history. The 11-hour Civil War didn't just captivate a nation,
reteaching to us our history in narrative terms; it actually also invented a new film language taken from its creator. When
people describe documentaries using the "Ken Burns approach," its style is understood: voice-over narrators reading letters
and documents dramatically and stating the writer's name at their conclusion, fresh live footage of places juxtaposed with
still images (photographs, paintings, maps, prints), anecdotal interviews, and romantic musical scores taken from the era
he depicts. Continued below...
The Civil War uses all of these devices to evoke atmosphere and resurrect an event that many knew
only from stale history books. While Burns is a historian, a researcher, and a documentarian, he's above all a gifted storyteller,
and it's his narrative powers that give this chronicle its beauty, overwhelming emotion, and devastating horror. Using the
words of old letters, eloquently read by a variety of celebrities, the stories of historians like Shelby Foote and rare, stained
photos, Burns allows us not only to relearn and finally understand our history, but also to feel and experience it. "Hailed
as a film masterpiece and landmark in historical storytelling." "[S]hould be a requirement for every
student."
Recommended
Reading:
Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders (Hardcover). Description:
More than forty years after its original publication, Ezra J. Warner’s Generals in Blue is now available in paperback
for the first time. Warner’s classic reference work includes intriguing biographical sketches and a rare
collection of photos of all 583 men who attained the rank of general in the Union Army.
Here are the West Point graduates and the political appointees; the gifted, the mediocre, and the inexcusably bad; those of
impeccable virtue and those who abused their position; the northern-born, the foreign-born, and the southerners who remained
loyal to the Union. Continued below...
Warner’s valuable introduction discusses the criteria for appointment and compares the civilian careers
of both Union
and Confederate generals, revealing striking differences in the two groups. Generals in Blue is that rare book—an essential
volume for scholars, a prized item for buffs, and a biographical dictionary that the casual reader will find absorbing.
Try the Search Engine for Related Studies: General
Winfield Scott Autobiography and History, Biography of General Winfield Scott, Mexican American War Military Army Service
and Career Details, General Scott and the Trail of Tears, Results Involvement and the Indian Removal Act.
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