Since it was first published in 1952, Lincoln and His Generals has remained one of the definitive accounts of Lincoln’s wartime leadership. Similarly, it would have been foolish to alienate General Carl Schurz, who was a leading German-American Republican. Lincoln and His Generals by Williams, T. Harry and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at AbeBooks.com. According to Prokopowicz, Lincoln’s views on slavery were consistent. Lincoln and His Generals - AbeBooks Skip to main content abebooks.com Passion for books. Lincoln and His Generals T. Harry Williams (The Civil War) 1st Ed. His cardinal mistake is that he isolates himself, & allows nobody to see him; and by which he does not know what is going on in the very matter he is dealing with. Williams introduces the Union army as one that has no shape to it. Founded by The Lehrman Institute. Ultimately, he was commander-in-chief. In 1994 Oxford University Press published Lincoln's Generals. Lincoln has been much criticized for the appointment of “political generals.” Historian Thomas J. Goss wrote:“Though much contemporary and historical attention has been placed upon these amateur commanders in the field and highlights their numerous tactical shortcomings, their assignment patterns demonstrate that political factors outweighed any military criteria in the administration’s judgment of their success. He did not care whether or not an officer was friendly, or politically opinionated, or overly deferential to his status as President of the United States—he just wanted victories. $11.22. That visit occurred before the Civil War broke out and only served to convince Sherman that President Lincoln was being naive about the coming conflict. President Lincoln’s primary concern was the conduct of the Civil War so it was natural that military leaders would be frequent visitors to the White House. So President Lincoln repeatedly sought military positions for Schurz which would keep him and his fellow German-Americans happy. President Abraham Lincoln and three of his generals will discuss the last six months of the American Civil War at the Orland Park History Museum on Saturday, February 16. Lincoln and His Generals by T Harry Williams (1952 Hardcover). He was a superb organizer and popular with his troops, but an ineffective battlefield commander. One general who did not usurp his authority was Ulysses S. Grant, whose success was in part due to his understanding of both his mission and his relationship to civilian authority. And he let Illinois Democrat John McClernand, a longtime political opponent, raise troops for a separate command in the west. Grant preferred to be in the field and the President usually visited him there. On March 4, 1864, Lincoln signed this certificate making Ulysses S. Grant a lieutenant general, a rank previously held only by George Washington. Frémont needs assistance which it is difficult to give him. Photograph by Alexander Gardner, October 3, 1862. Lincoln unexpectedly visited McClellan and his army to observe its condition. The Peacemakers (David Dixon Porter, Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman). This primary source comes from the Records of the War Department General and Special Staffs. Mr. Lincoln closed the letter to Hooker: “And now, beware of rashness. For example, General John Frémont had a major conflict with President Lincoln in the summer of 1861, but the former Republican presidential candidate rarely visited the White House. After he appointed Joseph Hooker to command the army of the Potomac in January 1863, he wrote Hooker a classic letter of advice: “I have heard, in such way as to believe it, of your recently saying that both the Army and the Government needed a Dictator. Beware of rashness, but with energy, and sleepless vigilance, go forward, and give us victories.” 4, When the generals did not live up to the President’s expectations, Mr. Lincoln changed them. Your rank is one grade too high to be ordered to it; but will you not serve the country, and oblige me, by taking it voluntarily?”2, Ironically, Hunter subsequently got himself in the same kind of hot water with the President as Frémont —usurping the presidential prerogatives on slavery. There is no better way to demonstrate this understanding than to compare a passage in one of Grant’s letters to Lincoln to another from the pen of McClellan. $14.96. In Lincoln’s Generals, Gabor S. Boritt and a team of distinguished historians examine the interaction between Abraham Lincoln and his five key Civil War generals: McClellan, Hooker, Meade, Sherman, and Grant, providing fresh insight into this mixed bag of officers and the … Lincoln’s knowledge of the Wolfe story would have made it easier for him to construct the clever riposte about sending whiskey to his other generals. © 2002-2021 The Lehrman Institute. But it was not always the most important military leaders who came to the White House. T. Harry Williams (1909-1979) was an American historian who taught (often to overflow lectures) at Louisiana State University from 1941 to 1979, and who won both a National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize for his 1969 biography of Louisiana governor Huey P. Long. HC/DJ 1952. Between 12th and 14th Streets The same went for Lincoln’s relationship with his generals. Union commanders like Winfield Scott, George B. McClellan and Henry Halleck made their headquarters in Washington and visited the White House often. Lincoln and McClellan Lincoln gave Gen. George McClellan the task of building and training the Union army in 1861. Butler had been a Democrat before the war, but like Frémont, he had become a hero of Radical Republicans. Rather, Lincoln inspired General Meade, giving him trust and encouragement. General William T. Sherman, one of the Army’s two leading generals at the end of the Civil War, only visited the White House once. When General Joseph (“Fighting … The Officers (Mr. Lincoln and Friends). Edited by Gabor Boritt, it presented assessments of Lincoln's relationship with five army commanders. Once in command of the Union armies, Grant undertook a relentless and bloody campaign against Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. Free shipping . This overlaps to some degree territory covered by Catton's recent Mr. Lincoln's Army (1950- P. 744), though the focus there is on the Army of the Potomac- and here the range of appraisal is wider. Historical setting. On October 3, 1862, Alexander Gardner photographed Lincoln and McClellan at the Fifth Corps headquarters. Not until General Ulysses Grant was given that role in March 1864 did Mr. Lincoln truly feel comfortable with his top military commander. This book provided him with many national and local acclaims. Lincoln was highly intelligent and had an innate strategic vision that outclassed all of his generals (the prime objective was to destroy Lee's army, not capture Richmond). He would have been politically foolish to alienate Butler. Lincoln apparently was familiar with the Wolfe anecdote, and it is plausible that a delegation visited the President and requested the dismissal of General Grant for excessive drinking. All rights reserved. Explored in depth are Lincoln’s often fraught relationships with generals such as McClellan, Pope, Burnside, Hooker, Fremont, and of course, Ulysses S. Grant. Brooks D. Simpson in Frank J. Williams, William D. Pederson, and Vincent J. Marsala, editors. Some like McClernand, McClellan, John Logan of Illinois and John Dix of New York were War Democrats whose support President Lincoln could hardly risk. Publication date 1925 Topics Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865, Generals Publisher Philadelphia : Dorrance and company Collection illinoishistoryandlincoln; university_of_illinois_urbana-champaign; americana Digitizing sponsor A signal contribution to Lincolniana in a study of the development of Lincoln's military policy towards his generals, Fremont, Banks, Grant, Sherman, McClellan, Scott. Engraving of Gen. U. S. Grant receiving his appointment from President Lincoln. Gift of Julia Dent Grant and William H. Vanderbilt, 1887. Lincoln did not send the letter--writing such correspondence and storing it away was a favorite coping mechanism of his. Shortly after the Battle of Gettysburg, Abraham Lincoln composed a letter to General George Meade in which he expressed profound disappointment in Meade's inability to pursue and destroy Robert E. Lee's army. So Butler kept coming up with new ideas for employment and visiting the White House to promote them. Constitution Avenue, NW Williams introduces the Union army as one that has no shape to it. Many generals, like McClernand, were only somewhat less political than members of Congress. On one occasion, he instead sent his wife, Jesse Benton Frémont, who seemed to exacerbate rather than solve her husband’s problems. Lincoln and McClellan: The Troubled Partnership between a President and His General by Waugh, John C. and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at AbeBooks.com. Lincoln gave Gen. George McClellan the task of building and training the Union army in 1861. The first set of beliefs Lincoln got rid of was about how he related to his generals. The live presentation with Lincoln and his generals --- Grant, Sherman and Ord --- is being held in … Lincoln's telegrams to generals in the field were a turning point in military history, as they marked the first time a commander in chief could communicate, practically in … Like Sherman, General George Meade was a professional, West Point-trained soldier. Free shipping . Lincoln’s frustration and depression deepened as Union military defeats continued into 1863. Download Lincoln And His Generals books, Since it was first published in 1952, Lincoln and His Generals has remained one of the definitive accounts of Lincoln’s wartime leadership. Courtesy of the Library of Congress. He was a superb organizer and popular with his troops, but an ineffective battlefield commander. From the outset of the war, Mr. Lincoln had problems with generals who held the title of general-in-chief—like Winfield Scott, McClellan and Henry Halleck—but failed to exercise the authority of that post or give advice to the President so that he could exercise it. Lincoln and His Generals was the breakthrough book for Williams who had only written one book previously. In March 1865, General-in-Chief Ulysses S. Grant invited President Lincoln to visit his headquarters at City Point, Virginia.By coincidence, Major General William Tecumseh Sherman (then campaigning in North Carolina) happened to visit City Point at the same time. Several essays echoed themes first sounded by T. Harry Williams more than four decades earlier in his 1952 study, Lincoln and His Generals. What I now ask of you is military success, and I will risk the dictatorship.” Hooker was chagrined and chastened. During the Seven Days battle in 1862, a rattled McClellan telegraphed Washington, ‘If I save this Army now I tell you plainly that I owe no thanks to you or any other persons in Washington—you have done your best to sacrifice this Army.’ Compare this to the closing sentence of Grant’s last letter to Lincoln before the start of the 1864 offensive: ‘Should my success be less than I desire and expect, the least I can say is, the fault is not with you.’ The man who could write these words was worthy of Lincoln’s confidence.”3, From the outset of the war, Mr. Lincoln had problems with generals who held the title of general-in-chief—like Winfield Scott, McClellan and Henry Halleck—but failed to exercise the authority of that post or give advice to the President so that he could exercise it. generals often had big egos. Hunter’s ego was wounded by a presidential order in the fall of 1861 to take a command which he considered beneath his exalted rank. Even Ulysses S. Grant infrequently came to the White House to see the President after he was placed in charge of all Union armies in March 1864. His direct command experience was very limited but he, like Illinois’ John Pope, had the good sense to join President Lincoln’s inaugural entourage to Washington. $9.99. Print showing President Abraham Lincoln sitting on a rock talking with his generals, from left: Admiral Porter, Admiral Farragut, Lincoln, Sherman, Thomas, Grant, and Sheridan. Will you not, for me, take that place? Lincoln would have preferred his generals to dictate effective military strategy. On the other hand, there was considerable sentiment among Radical Republicans in Congress that generals like McClellan and Fitz John Porter were too pro-Southern, too cautious and too poisoned by West Point to be effective in prosecuting the war. Lincoln and His Generals Book Review Lincoln and His Generals is a book by Thomas Williams that focuses on the Civil War as being the first modern war and the way President Lincoln lead his divided nation during this dark historic time. A few days later, Lincoln named General Ambrose Burnside to be the commander of the Army of the Potomac. Typical of these was General David Hunter, most of whose pre-Civil War experience was as an army paymaster. General Benjamin Butler was a perpetual thorn in the side of the Lincoln administration but unlike other thorns -such as Frémont—President Lincoln was unwilling to pull him out of the Union effort. “Lincoln was a hands-on-commander in chief who persisted through a terrible ordeal of defeats and disappointments fo final triumph – and tragedy at the end.”5, Civil War Search Directory He noted that Mr. Lincoln told General William T. Sherman at the end of the war that his warm relations with Generals Sherman and Grant had a simple base: “It was because you never found fault with me, from the days of Vicksburg down.” 2. “Even after ULysses S. Grant became general-in-chief in March 1864, Lincoln maintained a significant degree of strategic overeight,” wrote historian James M. McPherson. Other generals visited frequently — often because of their political connections. Previous owner's name is stamped inside the cover. President Lincoln wrote Hunter gingerly on September 9, 1861: “Gen. President Lincoln himself was confident of his own power. Lincoln and his generals by Macartney, Clarence Edward Noble, 1879-1957. The Union army had every advantage in resources, but failed to assemble the military leadership needed to mount a successful campaign. Washington, D.C. Email powered by MailChimp (Privacy Policy & Terms of Use). he needs to have, by his side, a man of large experience. Lincoln and His Generals Book Review Lincoln and His Generals is a book by Thomas Williams that focuses on the Civil War as being the first modern war and the way President Lincoln lead his divided nation during this dark historic time. Please use the following steps to determine whether you need to fill out a call slip in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room to view the original item(s). This allowed for the war's only three-way meeting of President Lincoln, General Grant, and General Sherman. President Abraham Lincoln and General Ulysses S. Grant didn’t meet often in person. For the Lincoln administration, the risk of these tactical setbacks were exceeded by the political support amassed every day these popular figures were in uniform, revealing how political generals and their West Point peers were judged using different standards based on distinct calculations of political gain and military effectiveness.”1, Regardless of their political leanings or constituencies. Lincoln took his commander in chief role seriously and often took an active part in the campaigns, at least before he finally found Grant. He book was on the best seller list, he received rave reviews in national publications, and scholarly awards where he was teaching at the time, L.S.U. Lincoln and His Generals by T Harry Williams 1952 Hardcover with Dust Jacket. Historian Brooks D. Simpson has written: “Much has been made of Lincoln’s handling of Grant; less has been said about Grant’s handling of his relationship with the president, in which Grant displaced tact, political shrewdness, and an understanding of the nature of civil-military relations that did much to increase his influence with Lincoln. $9.99. He is losing the confidence of men near him, whose support any man in his position must have to be successful. They thought they knew better than the civilians in Washington and were often jealous of prerogatives of their rank, seniority, and authority. It was found among other unsent angry letters after his death. Bittersweet Harvest: Introduction/Introducción, Jamestown, Quebec, Santa Fe: Introducción, Jamestown, Québec, Santa Fe: Introduction, Treasures of American History: Introduction. Lincoln and McClellan never developed a trusting relationship. Please see pictures for details, as they are considered part of the description. Smoke-free home. Although he led the Army of the Potomac from 1863 to 1865, he too was seldom at the White House. Showing signs of wear, but still a serviceable copy for reading or using for decor. Call Number: PGA - Jones & Clark--Lincoln and his generals (C size) [P&P] Medium: 1 print : lithograph. Shipped with USPS Media Mail. In April of 1864, almost exactly a year before his assassination, Lincoln wrote, “I am naturally anti-slavery. Of course it was not for this, but in spite of it, that I have given you the command, Only those generals who gain successes, can set up dictators. T. 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