Lincoln and the Military

166 Pages·2014·1.533 MB·English

by  John F. Marszalek

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rs JOHN F. MARSZALEK
“John Marszalek’s briskly written survey of the Civil War illuminates z
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Iwmarp lfeomr tehnet aUtinoino onf ftohricse ns.ew philosophy won the Icanrna dpft auirnntgidc Ueurlnsaciro,o nMre ssat rtrahszteea gcleyekn a tsnrhdaol ,mw esav ncelnaeg adirnelygc i hhsioivswe o, fart oepnloe lutithniacctoa loLlypin escrkaoitlllinevd ep gLlaeiynneecdroa illnns. L lek Lincoln and Woh fe tnh Ae bUrnahitaemd SLtinatceosl nin w 1a8s6 e0le, chteed c apmresei dinetnot
Tying the necessity of emancipation to the office with practically no experience in military
i
integrated his antislavery policy with war planning.” n
preservation of the Union, Marszalek consid- strategy and tactics. Consequently, at the start of
—craig l. symonds, author of Lincoln and His Admirals c
ers the many presidential matters Lincoln had o the Civil War, he depended on leading military
to face in order to manage the war effectively ln the Military men to teach him how to manage warfare. As the
“No conflict in our history better illustrates the positive impact that
and demonstrates how Lincoln’s determination, war continued and Lincoln matured as a military
a
decisive thinking can have on the outcome. No president to date of-
humility, sense of humor, analytical ability, and n leader, he relied less and less on the advice of
fers more examples of the difference between being decisive and just d
knack for quickly learning important information others, and he became the major military mind

making a decision. In its brief compass, Lincoln and the Military ably t
proved instrumental in his military success. Based h of the war. In this brief overview of Lincoln’s
demonstrates how Lincoln’s thinking impacted military affairs great
primarily on Lincoln’s own words, this succinct e military actions and relationships during the war,
and small. This book is a fine précis of Lincoln’s interaction with his
volume offers an easily accessible window into M John F. Marszalek traces the sixteenth president’s
military, demonstrating yet again that Father Abraham was himself
a critical period in the life of Abraham Lincoln i evolution from a nonmilitary politician into the
one of the Union’s most potent weapons of war.” l
and the history of the nation. i commander in chief who won the Civil War,
t
—william c. davis, author of The Rogue Republic: How Would-Be a
demonstrating why Lincoln remains America’s
Patriots Waged the Shortest Revolution in American History r
john f. marszalek is the Giles Distinguished y greatest military president.
Professor Emeritus of History, Mississippi State As tensions erupted into conflict in 1861,
“The strategic plans, the operational decisions, the bitter disagreements,
University; the executive director of the Ulysses S. Lincoln turned to his generals, including Win-
the shocking defeats, and the brilliant victories of the Union high
Grant Association’s Ulysses S. Grant Presidential field Scott, George B. McClellan, and Henry W.
command are superbly covered by John Marszalek, who illustrates
Library at Mississippi State University; and the Halleck, for guidance in military strategy. These
in compelling fashion how Abraham Lincoln grew into the position
editor of The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant. He is the men were products of the traditional philosophy
of commander in chief. The president was not, as some have argued,
author or editor of fifteen books, including Sher- of war, which taught that armies alone wage war
a natural military leader. As Marszalek brilliantly argues, Lincoln
man: A Soldier’s Passion for Order. and the way to win was to maneuver masses of
learned on the job, and he had many bad days in the office. Marszalek
forces against fractions of the enemy at the key
concludes this incredibly thoughtful book by suggesting that Lincoln’s
point in the strategic area. As Marszalek shows,
greatest gift to the Northern war effort was his management of the
Lincoln listened at first and made mistakes along
dysfunctional politics of the nation’s capital, ensuring that the armies
the way, but he increasingly came to realize that
in the field had the necessary material and moral support to secure
these military men should no longer direct him.
the cause of Union and emancipation.”
He developed a different philosophy of war, one
—peter s. carmichael, Robert C. Fluhrer Professor of History
that advocated attacks on all parts of the enemy
and director of the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College P
rin line and war between not only armies but also
ted in societies. Warfare had changed, and now the
southern illinois university press th generals had to learn from their commander in
e U
www.conciselincolnlibrary.com n chief. It was only when Ulysses S. Grant became
ited S UnSo commanding general, Marszalek explains, that
tates of Americ iversity Pressuthern Illinois Lincoln had a leader who agreed with his approach.
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CLL Marszalek cvr mech.indd 1 8/18/14 11:54 AM

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edited by richard w. etulain,
sara vaughn gabbard, and
sylvia frank rodrigue

john f. marszalek
Lincoln and
the Military
Southern Illinois University Press
Carbondale
Copyright © 2014 by the Board of Trustees,
Southern Illinois University
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
17 16 15 14 4 3 2 1
The Concise Lincoln Library has been made possible
in part through a generous donation by the Leland E.
and LaRita R. Boren Trust.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Marszalek, John F., 1939–
Lincoln and the military / John F. Marszalek.
pages cm. — (Concise Lincoln library)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8093-3361-5 (cloth : alk. paper)
ISBN 0-8093-3361-9 (cloth : alk. paper)
ISBN 978-0-8093-3362-2 (ebook)
ISBN 0-8093-3362-7 (ebook)
1. Lincoln, Abraham, 1809–1865—Military leadership.
2. United States—History—Civil War, 1861–1865—
Campaigns. 3. Civil-military relations—United
States—History—19th century. I. Title.
E457.2.M364 2014
973.7092—dc23 2014008176
Printed on recycled paper.
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum
requirements of American National Standard for In-
formation Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed
Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1992.
For the Lincoln Forum

Contents
Preface ix
1 “No Commander Ever Started with a Heavier Handicap” 1
2 “Why Don’t They Come!” 9
3 “The Integrity of the Union [Is] Prominent” 21
4 “Without Slavery the Rebellion Could
Never Have Existed” 34
5 “It Is the Old Difficulty” 45
6 “He Is Managing the War” 59
7 “He Has the Grit of a Bulldog!” 70
8 “A Victory Worth More . . . Than a Battle Won” 86
9 “He Will Stand in History beside
Washington, Perhaps Higher” 98
Conclusion 109
Notes 117
Index 129
Gallery of illustrations following page 58