Winfield Scott

1265 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Informative essay the foundation of army leadership

Abstract

Winfield Scott was a true American hero. Serving in 3 wars and numerous other battles and conflicts, he left a legacy that was talked about for over 5 decades. He served in the War of 1812, the Mexican War, and the Civil War. He began his military career and advanced quickly in the ranks. He was a formidable leader and very studious in military tactics. A big man, he stood at 61/2 feet tall, and demanded respect both when in uniform and without. He was referred to as "Old Fuss and Feathers" because of his regard for military procedures and wear of military uniforms. He wrote the first complete manual of military tactics in the U.S. Army in 1825. He later expanded it with the completion of Infantry Tactics in 1835. These manuals helped to form the basis for some of our modern day military tactics. A combination of literary works, and online resources was used for the information in this paper.

Winfield Scott was one of America's most prominent and honored war heroes. Serving in The United States Army for over 50 years, Scott experienced the throes of battle in three different wars. Winfield Scott served in the War of 1812, the Black Hawk War (1832), the Mexican War (1846-1848), and the American Civil War (1861-1865), (The World Book Encyclopedia, 2004). This paper will discuss Winfield Scott's life during some the most historic time in The United States, and will show how his actions helped to form our military tactics.

Winfield Scott was born on June 13, 1876, near Petersburg, Virginia. Being very ambitious, Scott went to the William and Mary College to study law. When he joined the United States Army in 1808, Scott's ambition to become a lawyer subsided and subsequently, he began to focus on mi...

... middle of paper ...

... U.S. Army in 1825. He later expanded it with the completion of Infantry Tactics in 1835. These manuals helped to form the basis for some of our modern day military tactics. Winfield Scott left a legacy that would vividly live on in Americans minds for five decades. Historians consider him the greatest military strategist of his time.

References

Carnes, M.C., and Garraty, J.A. The American Nation: Volume One: A History of the

United States to 1877(11th ed.). New York: Longman

Greenblatt, M. (2003). War of 1812. New York: Facts on File, Inc.

Oates, S.B. (1968). The Republic of Texas. Palo Alto, California: American West

Publishing Company

Scott, Winfield (2004). In The World Book Encyclopedia (Vol. 22, pp. 364-365).

Chicago: World Book, Inc.

Winfield Scott 1786-1866. Retrieved March 6, 2005, from http://www.u-s-history.com

Show More
Related

  • Book Analysis of Stephen W. Sears’ Landscape Turned Red

    963 Words  | 2 Pages

    Stephen W. Sears’ Landscape Turned Red is an account of political and military plans. Especially General Robert E. Lee’s Maryland Campaign as well as the Battle of Antietam. Sears frames his work around the pending support of Great Britain and France to the Confederate cause due to cotton. Landscape Turned Red covers the battle of Antietam. It offers a vivid account of both armies, the soldiers and officers, and the bloody campaign. It analyzes the impact of Antietam on the Civil War as a whole. Sears' use of diaries, dispatches, and letters recreate the Battle of Antietam. You experience the battle not only from its leaders but also by its soldiers, both Union and Confederate. Sears attempts to examine the tactical moves of both Lee and General George McClellan. He also talks about the foolish decisions that troubled both the Federal and Confederate forces. Sears' use of traits, political pursuits, and tactical preferences, explain the thoughts of many. Some of these include President Lincoln, General Halleck and General McClellan, and their subordinates. Stephen Ward Sears is an American historian specializing in the American Civil War. He is a graduate of Oberlin College and an attendant to a journalism seminar at Radcliffe-Harvard. As an author he has concentrated on the military history of the American Civil War. Such as the battles and leaders of the Army of the Potomac. He was an editor for the Educational Department at American Heritage Publishing Company. American Heritage Publishing two of his ten books.

    Read More

  • COL Prescott’s Command in the Battle of Breed’s Hill

    1339 Words  | 3 Pages

    COL Prescott’s role in the Battle of Bunker Hill, or more correctly know as the Battle of Breed’s Hill, is a great example of how to properly execute mission command. An overview from The Cowpens Staff Ride and Battlefield Tour (Moncure) reveals a number of operation and strategic objectives that the American militia had to consider. In this instance, COL Prescott takes charge of 1200 men with instructions to defend against incoming British forces that were seeking to occupy the surrounding hills during the Siege of Boston campaign. COL Prescott utilized a variety of steps in the operations process that contributed to his expert utilization of mission command over his forces. Through various sources from published works by experts on the subject, COL Prescott’s mission command demonstrates its effectiveness in his understanding of the situation against the British, his visualization to create an end state for t...

    Read More

  • U.S. Military Hindered by Indian Guerilla Tactics

    2223 Words  | 5 Pages

    Stewart R. W. (2005). American Military History (Vol. 1). The United States Army and the

    Read More

  • What Is Robert Lee's Role In The Mexican War

    1146 Words  | 3 Pages

    General Winfield Scott ordered Lee to become his head engineer. Lee helped Scott on an amphibious attack at Brazos, Texas and then the march to Mexico City. Scott Trusted lee completely allowing him to make decisions close to a commander. The enemy held the upper hand in Jalapa. Lee got Scott to use a route he discovered, leading to the victory in the battle of Cerro Gordo. Lee won the brevet rank of major because of

    Read More

  • Protests Against the Vietnam War

    1005 Words  | 3 Pages

    - - -, ed. "The Anti-War Movement in the United States." English.Illnois.edu. Ed. Oxford Companion to American Military History. 1st ed. Vers. 1. Rev. 1. Oxford Companion to American Military History, 1999. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. .

    Read More

  • Analysis of For Cause and Comrades

    546 Words  | 2 Pages

    The book ‘For Cause and Comrades’ is a journey to comprehend why the soldiers in the Civil War fought, why they fought so passionately, and why they fought for the long period of time. Men were pulling guns against other men who they had known their whole lives. McPherson’s main source of evidence was the many letters from the soldiers writing to home. One of the many significant influences was how the men fought to prove their masculinity and courage. To fight would prove they were a man to their community and country. Fighting also had to do with a duty to their family. Ideology was also a major motivating factor; each side thought they were fighting for their liberty. The soldier’s reputations were created and demolished on the battlefield, where men who showed the most courage were the most honored. Religion also played an important role because the second Great Awakening had just occurred. Their religion caused the men who thought of themselves as saved to be fearless of death, “Religion was the only thing that kept this soldier going; even in the trenches…” (McPherson, p. 76) R...

    Read More

  • What They Fought For by James McPherson's

    558 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Union Army was able to match the intensity of the Confederacy, with the similar practice of dedication until death and patriotism, but for different reasons. The Union soldiers’s lifestyles and families did not surround the war to the extent of the Confederates; yet, their heritage and prosperity relied heavily on it. Union soldiers had to save what their ancestors fought for, democracy. “Our (Union soldiers) Fathers made this country, we, their children are to save it” (McPherson, 29). These soldiers understood that a depleted group of countries rather than one unified one could not flourish; “it is essential that but one Government shall exercise authority from the Gulf of Mexico to Canada, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific” (Ledger, 1861).

    Read More

  • Revolutionary War Dbq

    1561 Words  | 4 Pages

    Nathanael Greene, although not afforded many victories in battles, was a masterful strategist, soldier and statesman. He was able to successfully employ militia, regular, light and mounted units during his command in the South. He built upon the reputation that he made for himself at the beginning of the war in Boston. It is because of this reputation and his ability to produce results that made him the second most important general in the continental army, next only to George Washington.

    Read More

  • The battle of antietam

    1536 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Battle of Antietam on September 17th, 1862 was the single, most bloodiest day in American History, where more than 23,000 men became casualties of war. General George Brinton McClellan’s inability to use Mission Command, as a warfighting function was a key reason this battle did not end the American Civil War. An analysis of General McClellan’s Mission Command operational process will show how his personality, bias, and fear were detrimental to the outcome of the Battle of Antietam.

    Read More

  • Battle Of Gettysburg Research Paper

    1660 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Civil War is one of the defining wars in the history of this great nation. The Battle of Gettysburg was the bloodiest battle in American history, and a turning point in the four year war. At the time, Gettysburg was a small, quiet town generally unaffected by the war. General Robert E. Lee of the Confederate States of America and General George Meade of the Union converged in Gettysburg, and a conflict quickly arose. After three long days of battle the Union pulled away with a victory, though not an easy one. This essay will outline the six themes of history; in essence the who, what, when, where, why, and who cares of this infamous battle.

    Read More

  • The Myth of the Lost Cause

    1363 Words  | 3 Pages

    Following the defeat of the Confederacy and to lift the morale of a shattered people momentum gathered to enshrine the Myth of the Lost Cause which would transform the Southern soldier living and dead, into a veritable hero.

    Read More

  • The Battle of Gettysburg Analysis

    1961 Words  | 4 Pages

    It is far easier for us in the present than it was for those at Gettysburg, to look back and determine the path that the leaders should have taken. As students, studying battles such as this, we have the advantage of hindsight, knowing the outcome. Nonetheless, we can still learn valuable lessons from it. To do so, this analysis will explore some of the decisions of the leaders at Gettysburg, and how they were affected by the operational variables. This essay will scrutinize some of the leaders at Gettysburg, and the impact of their actions. The outcome of this analysis will show that what was true in 1863 is still true today. While many variables are vital to a successful army on the battlefield, none should be neglected. Each variable discussed in this examination will prove to be important, but the information battle will be paramount in the battle of Gettysburg.

    Read More

  • Failure of Mission Command by General McClellan

    2308 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Battle of Antietam could have been a devastating and fatal blow to the Confederate Army if Gen. McClellan acted decisively, took calculated risks, and veered away from his cautious approach to war. There are many instances leading up to the battle and during the battle in which he lacks the necessary offensive initiative to effectively cripple and ultimately win the war. This paper is intended to articulate the failure of Mission Command by GEN McClellan by pointing out how he failed to understand, visualize, describe and direct the battlefield to his benefit.

    Read More

  • Sun Tzu's The Art of War

    2159 Words  | 5 Pages

    Samuel B. Griffith’s translation of “Sun Tzu: The Art of War” is an inside look at military practices of today. I did not find one technique that is not or would not be utilized in modern military maneuver, leadership, or training. The most astounding fact is that the Art of War was written well over two thousand years ago, even at the most conservative date. Although most of the techniques in this text are already in practice today, the value of “The Art of War” is a never-ending treasure chest of knowledge, and it deserves a place as a required reading for anyone seeking knowledge about war fighting or the history of war.

    Read More

  • Sir Walter Scott

    901 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sir Walter Scott was born in a tenement at College Wynd, in Edinburgh, on August 15, 1771. There is evidence that he may have been born in 1770 and when his mother was asked about it she said she had forgotten the detail of when he was born. There was no deep warmth between parents and children in the Scott family. The Scott family had no fewer than twelve children and young Walter was the ninth. Him and his two other brothers were the only children to survive. All other nine children had died because they were premature or they died shortly after they had been born. At the time of Walters birth his mother was thirty-nine and his father was forty-two and having a child was not exciting to them anymore. His parents had named one of their first siblings Walter who was born and died in 1766 and after they named young Walter that he always felt that he had a second hand name. Walter was a healthy child until he was about eighteen months and he got a very bad fever, which kept him in bed for awhile. One day

    Read More

More about Winfield Scott

Open Document