Abraham Lincoln: President and Commander in Chief



Union ArmyAbraham Lincoln: President and Commander in ChiefLincoln was far less prepared for the task of commander in chief than his Southern adversary.?Lincoln's only military experience had come in 1832, when he was captain of a militia unit that saw no action in the Black Hawk War. But Lincoln was a conscientious scholar – and he became a student of military tactics and eventually a better master of military strategy than his generals or Davis. Lincoln was an activist commander-in-chief who frequently “interfered” with his generals by asking questions and goading them to perform more aggressively. Perhaps the most important challenge Lincoln faced in the area of civil-military relations was that early in the war, his generals pursued the war they wanted to fight rather than the one their commander-in-chief wanted them to fight. The clearest example of this problem was McClellan. One of Lincoln’s great strengths as commander-in-chief then, was his decisiveness in relieving failed generals.?In this, he differed greatly from the Confederate president. In 1862, he relieved not only McClellan, but also John Pope after Second Manassas, Don Carlos Buell as commander of the Army of the Cumberland and Ambrose Burnside, McClellan’s successor, after the disaster at Fredericksburg. Lincoln never let sentiment of his personal opinion of an officer get in the way of his assessment of the officer’s military potential.Why did Lincoln rely on McClellan rather than Grant or Sherman in 1862? The answer is that Grant’s greatness was not apparent in 1862. Neither was Sherman’s. Indeed, in 1862, there was little difference between McClellan and Grant concerning how to conduct the war. Irvin McDowellIrvin McDowell graduated from West Point in 1838, and taught tactics at the academy from 1841 to 1845 to many of the generals he would eventually face on the battlefield.?At the outbreak of the Civil War, Irvin McDowell was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General as a result of political connections.? Although he had never before commanded troops in combat, McDowell, facing political pressure, attacked Confederate forces at the First Battle of Manassas where he was consequently defeated.? After the defeat, General George B. McClellan?was made commander of the newly formed Army of the Potomac, and McDowell was detached from the army to protect Washington, DC.? George B. McClellanMcClellan entered West Point in 1842.? He graduated second in a class of 59 in 1846.? He served under General Winfield Scott during the Mexican-American War; returned to West Point as an instructor after the war and was a military observer during the Crimean War.??Upon the outbreak of the Civil War, Ohio governor William Dennison appointed McClellan?major general of Ohio Volunteers.? This promotion encouraged Lincoln to?commission McClellan a major general in the Regular Army, making him one of the highest ranked individuals in the service under only Winfield Scott.? His success in this position, combined with the defeat of?General?Irvin McDowell?at the battle of?First Bull Run, led McClellan?to becoming commander of the Army of the Potomac, and?later General-in-Chief of all Federal armies upon the retirement of General Winfield Scott’s?in November 1861.During this time that McClellan cemented his bond with the men of the Union army.? After the defeat at Manassas, much of the Army of the Potomac was unorganized, and?so McClellan?set to work?providing the men proper military training and instilling in them a remarkable?esprit de corps.? As he built his army, however, McClellan also became wary of Confederate forces, fearing that he faced numbers many times his own.?This fear is evident in Peninsular Campaign, Seven Days Battle. As a result of the failed campaign, the Army of the Potomac was given to General?John Pope.Following Pope's failure?to capture Richmond and defeat at the battle of?Second Manassas,?McClellan?was once again leading the Army of Potomac.???The Army of the?Potomac moved to counter Lee's?1862 invasion of Maryland.??The?Union chief molded his?campaign around a captured a?document?outlining Lee’s?invasion plan.? The two armies?met in an epic?contest at?Antietam?on September 17, 1862, the single bloodiest day of the war.???Battle weary and bloodied, the Confederate Army retreated back into Virginia.?Though he had?managed to thwart the?Lee's?plan, McClellan's trademark?caution?once again denied the Northern cause?a decisive victory, and the once-cordial relationship between the him and Lincoln had been badly damaged.? In November of that year McClellan was relieved?of command for the last time and?ordered back to Trenton, New Jersey to await further orders, though none ever came.In 1864, McClellan became involved in politics when he was nominated to be the Democratic candidate for president against his former boss, Abraham Lincoln.? However, Lincoln was elected for a second term.Ambrose BurnsideBurnside graduated 18th in a class of 47 from West Point in 1847.? He served during the Mexican-American War, and at the outbreak of the Civil War, organized the 1st Rhode Island Infantry (which was one of the first units to arrive in Washington and offer the capitol protection).? Burnside was promoted through the ranks, and after McClellan’s failure, Burnside was made commander of the Army of the Potomac.?Burnside decided to attempt a rapid approach to Richmond, leading to a very costly Union defeat on December 13 at the Battle of Fredericksburg, during which the Union army received 13,000 casualties.? Burnside was relieved of command, and Joseph Hooker was given command.After the war, Burnside briefly served as Senator from the state of Rhode Island.? The distinctive facial hair he wore throughout most of his life led to the identification of that form of facial hair by the modern name, sideburns, created from his last name.Joseph HookerA career United States Army officer and Mexican-American War veteran, Hooker was appointed in 1861 as a brigadier general of the Union Army. Hooker began the war commanding a division of the Army of the Potomac around Washington DC under Major General?George McClellan. In 1862 Hooker commanded the 2nd Division of the III Corps in the Peninsula Campaign. During this time Hooker earned the reputation of an aggressive leader who cared for the welfare of his men.? Following a loss at Fredericksburg and a series of poor decisions Lincoln removed Burnside, promoting Hooker in early 1863.As commander of the Army of the Potomac, Hooker improved conditions for the soldiers including food, medical care, and leave.? However, disagreements with his staff and commanders, along with a loss to Confederate commander General?Robert E. Lee?at Chancellorsville, Virginia, led to Hooker’s resignation.George MeadeGeorge Gordon Meade was one of the few Union generals who began his life and career in a foreign country.? Born in Spain, Meade came to America during the Napoleonic Wars.? He received an appointment to the United State Military Academy, in 1831, and graduated 19th out of 56 members of the class in 1835. He served briefly during the Seminole War and Mexican-American War, but saw no major combat in the latter.?On August 31, 1861, Meade was promoted from captain to brigadier general of volunteers, and was given command of a Pennsylvania brigade, where he helped work on the defences of Washington. He then joined the army of the Potomac under General McClellan and participated in the Seven Days battles, where he received several serious wounds.? After the several Union defeats, Hooker resigned from command of the Army of Potomac and Meade was given command.? Meade would achieve both his greatest victory, and make his greatest mistake, during his first encounter with Confederate general Robert E. Lee.During the battle of Gettysburg, Meade was able to both hold off Lee’s attacks and smash the Confederate army on the third day.? After the battle, Lee retreated back into Virginia, and Meade received harsh criticism from Lincoln?for not finishing off the Army of Northern Virginia.? Meade offered his resignation, but it was denied. In the spring of 1864,?Ulysses S. Grant, made his headquarters with the Army of the Potomac.? Although Meade was nominally in charge of the Army of the Potomac, Grant made all command decisions in regards to the movement of the army.?? Meade commanded the army through the battles of the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, and Cold Harbor, and finally outside of Petersburg.? After his successes during the battles, Grant asked for Meade to be promoted to major general, and it was permitted.? Ulysses E. Grant After a mediocre stint as a cadet, he graduated twenty-first out of?the thirty-nine cadets in class of?1843.? Yet despite his less than exemplary school record, he performed well as a captain during the Mexican War. Only when?the fighting stopped and Grant was assigned monotonous duties at remote posts far from his wife and family did he?again begin?neglecting his work and drinking heavily. He resigned in 1854.When the Civil War began in 1861, he jumped at the chance to volunteer for military service in the Union army. His first command was as the colonel of the 21st Illinois Infantry, but he was quickly promoted to brigadier general in July 1861, and?in September was given command of the District of Southeast Missouri. His 1862 triumphs at Fort Henry and?Fort Donelson?in western Tennessee won him the nickname “Unconditional Surrender” Grant, and placed him before the public eye.? However, when?a surprise attack by Confederate forces at the?Battle of Shiloh?yielded devastating casualties during the first day's fighting, President?Abraham Lincoln?received several demands for Grant's removal from command. Nevertheless, Lincoln refused, stating, “I can’t spare this man. He fights.”? The following day, Grant's?Army - bolstered by troops under Maj. Gen.?Don Carlos Buell?- fended off Confederate?advances and ultimately?won the day.?In March 1864, President Lincoln?elevated Grant to the rank of lieutenant general, and named him general-in-chief of the Armies of the United States. Making his headquarters with the Army of the Potomac, Grant was determined to?crush?Robert E. Lee?and his?Army of Northern Virginia?at any?cost.? A series of battles and the subsequent?siege of?Petersburg?effectively destroyed the rebel army, leading to the fall of Richmond and Lee's surrender.? After the Civil War, President Andrew Johnson named Grant Secretary of War over the newly reunited nation. In 1868, running against Johnson, Ulysses S. Grant was elected eighteenth President of the United States. William T. ShermanSherman attended the United States Military Academy, and he graduated sixth in the class of 1840.? He saw some combat during the Second Seminole War in Florida, but unl, did not fight in the Mexican-American War, serving instead in California.? At the outbreak of the Civil War, Sherman resigned from the academy and headed north, where he was made a colonel of the 13th United States Infantry. Sherman first saw combat at the Battle of First Manassas, where he commanded a brigade of Tyler’s Division.? Although the Union army was defeated, Lincoln?was impressed by Sherman’s performance and he was promoted to brigadier general.? During the battle of Shiloh, Sherman commanded a division, but was overrun during the battle by Confederates under?Albert Sydney Johnston.? Despite the incident, Sherman was promoted to major general of volunteers on May 1, 1862. After?Ulysses S. Grant?was promoted to commander of all the United States armies, Sherman was made commander of all troops in the Western Theatre, and began to wage warfare that would bring him great notoriety in the annals of history.By?1864 Sherman had become convinced that?the Union needed to destroy the Confederacy's material and psychological will to wage war.??To achieve that end, he launched a campaign in Georgia that was defined as “modern warfare”, and brought “total destruction…upon the civilian population in the path of the advancing columns [of his armies].”?? The success of the campaign ultimately helped Lincoln win?re-election.? Following his successful campaign through Georgia, Sherman began marching through the Carolinas.? He continued his campaign of destruction, in particular targeting South Carolina.? He captured Columbia, South Carolina, on February 17, 1865.? He went on to defeat the forces of Johnston in North Carolina during the Battle of Bentonville, and eventually accepted the surrender of Johnston and all troops in Georgia, Florida, and the Carolinas on April 26, 1865, becoming the largest surrender of Confederate troops during the war.?Don Carlos BuellDon Carlos Buell began his military career after graduating 32nd out of 52 from the United States Military Academy in 1841.? He fought against the Florida Indians and during the Mexican-American War.? At the outbreak of the Civil War, Buell was promoted to brigadier general, and arrived in Washington DC in order to begin training Union soldiers.? He helped form the Army of the Republic, and was chosen by?George B. McClellan?to lead the Army of the Ohio in Kentucky.? He suggested that Union forces move along the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers towards Nashville. This was opposed by both McClellan and?Abraham Lincoln, but it was adopted and used with great success by General?Ulysses S. Grant?. He then went on to participate in the first day of the battle of Shiloh, helping turn the tide of battle before Union forces were defeated.In September of 1862, Buell moved into Kentucky to stop the invasion by Confederate forces under generals?Braxton Bragg?and?Edmund Kirby Smith.? He moved into Louisville unopposed, and on October 8, 1862, fought the battle of Perryville to an indecisive conclusion.? Although he had held the advance of Braxton Bragg during the battle, he did not follow the retreating forces quick enough.? On October 24, 1862, Buell was relieved of his command as a result of his inaction.? George Henry ThomasThomas was born into a slaveholding family on a Virginia. At age 20, he received an appointment to West Point, where he graduated in 1840, 12th in a class of 42. During the Mexican-American War, Thomas served alongside Braxton Bragg. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Thomas did not resign his commission in the U.S. Army, despite the offer of several prominent commissions in the Confederate army. His decision to remain loyal to the Union created a deep rift with his family, one that would not heal in his lifetime. Although an earlier back injury made his physical movements deliberate, Thomas possessed deep tactical understanding of warfare, attributable to having served in all three branches of the military. During the Battle of Chickamauga, he held his position, rallying broken and scattered units to prevent a hopeless rout. Thomas’s innate desire for privacy — he destroyed his private papers to keep his life from being “hawked in print” — and early death prevented him from publishing his memoirs. William T. Sherman, however, called Thomas’s services throughout the war “transcendent” and listed him along with Ulysses S. Grant as the heroes deserving “monuments like those of Nelson and Wellington in London, well worthy to stand side by side with the one which now graces our capitol city of George Washington.” ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download