Commanding the Army of the Potomac

Commanding the Army of the Potomac PDF Author: Stephen R. Taaffe
Publisher: Modern War Studies
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 304

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"Stephen Taaffe takes a close look at this command cadre, examining who was appointed to these positions, why they were appointed, and why so many of them ultimately failed to fulfill their responsibilities. He demonstrates that ambitious officers such as Gouverneur Warren, John Reynolds, and Winfield Scott Hancock employed all the weapons at their disposal, from personal connections to exaggerated accounts of prowess in combat, to claw their way into these important posts." "Once there, however, as Taaffe reveals, many of these officers failed to navigate the tricky and ever-changing political currents that swirled around the Army of the Potomac. As a result, only three of them managed to retain their commands for more than a year, and their machinations caused considerable turmoil in the army's high command structure."--BOOK JACKET.

Commanding the Army of the Potomac

Commanding the Army of the Potomac PDF Author: Stephen R. Taaffe
Publisher: Modern War Studies
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 304

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Book Description
"Stephen Taaffe takes a close look at this command cadre, examining who was appointed to these positions, why they were appointed, and why so many of them ultimately failed to fulfill their responsibilities. He demonstrates that ambitious officers such as Gouverneur Warren, John Reynolds, and Winfield Scott Hancock employed all the weapons at their disposal, from personal connections to exaggerated accounts of prowess in combat, to claw their way into these important posts." "Once there, however, as Taaffe reveals, many of these officers failed to navigate the tricky and ever-changing political currents that swirled around the Army of the Potomac. As a result, only three of them managed to retain their commands for more than a year, and their machinations caused considerable turmoil in the army's high command structure."--BOOK JACKET.

A Republic in the Ranks

A Republic in the Ranks PDF Author: Zachery A. Fry
Publisher: UNC Press Books
ISBN: 1469654466
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 336

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Book Description
The Army of the Potomac was a hotbed of political activity during the Civil War. As a source of dissent widely understood as a frustration for Abraham Lincoln, its onetime commander, George B. McClellan, even secured the Democratic nomination for president in 1864. But in this comprehensive reassessment of the army's politics, Zachery A. Fry argues that the war was an intense political education for its common soldiers. Fry examines several key crisis points to show how enlisted men developed political awareness that went beyond personal loyalties. By studying the struggle between Republicans and Democrats for political allegiance among the army's rank and file, Fry reveals how captains, majors, and colonels spurred a pro-Republican political awakening among the enlisted men, culminating in the army's resounding Republican voice in state and national elections in 1864. For decades, historians have been content to view the Army of the Potomac primarily through the prism of its general officer corps, portraying it as an arm of the Democratic Party loyal to McClellan's leadership and legacy. Fry, in contrast, shifts the story's emphasis to resurrect the successful efforts of proadministration junior officers who educated their men on the war's political dynamics and laid the groundwork for Lincoln's victory in 1864.

The Army of the Potomac

The Army of the Potomac PDF Author: François-Ferdinand-Philippe-Louis-Marie d'Orléans prince de Joinville
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 130

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Army of the Potomac

Army of the Potomac PDF Author: THE PRINCE DE JOINVILLE
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 122

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Meade at Gettysburg

Meade at Gettysburg PDF Author: Kent Masterson Brown, Esq.
Publisher: UNC Press Books
ISBN: 1469662000
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 488

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Book Description
Although he took command of the Army of the Potomac only three days before the first shots were fired at Gettysburg, Union general George G. Meade guided his forces to victory in the Civil War's most pivotal battle. Commentators often dismiss Meade when discussing the great leaders of the Civil War. But in this long-anticipated book, Kent Masterson Brown draws on an expansive archive to reappraise Meade's leadership during the Battle of Gettysburg. Using Meade's published and unpublished papers alongside diaries, letters, and memoirs of fellow officers and enlisted men, Brown highlights how Meade's rapid advance of the army to Gettysburg on July 1, his tactical control and coordination of the army in the desperate fighting on July 2, and his determination to hold his positions on July 3 insured victory. Brown argues that supply deficiencies, brought about by the army's unexpected need to advance to Gettysburg, were crippling. In spite of that, Meade pursued Lee's retreating army rapidly, and his decision not to blindly attack Lee's formidable defenses near Williamsport on July 13 was entirely correct in spite of subsequent harsh criticism. Combining compelling narrative with incisive analysis, this finely rendered work of military history deepens our understanding of the Army of the Potomac as well as the machinations of the Gettysburg Campaign, restoring Meade to his rightful place in the Gettysburg narrative.

The Army of the Potomac: Its Organization, Its Commander, and Its Campaign. Translated ... with Notes, by W. H. Hulbert. Copyright Edition

The Army of the Potomac: Its Organization, Its Commander, and Its Campaign. Translated ... with Notes, by W. H. Hulbert. Copyright Edition PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 136

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The Army of the Potomac

The Army of the Potomac PDF Author: François-Ferdinand-Philippe- Joinville
Publisher: Legare Street Press
ISBN: 9781019859049
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
This is a detailed and authoritative account of the Union Army's crucial campaign in the American Civil War. The authors provide a thorough analysis of the organization of the Army of the Potomac, as well as the leadership of its commander, George B. McClellan. Drawing upon a wealth of primary sources, including diaries and letters from soldiers and officers, this book offers a fascinating and illuminating perspective on one of the most important conflicts in American history. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Lincoln's Lieutenants

Lincoln's Lieutenants PDF Author: Stephen W. Sears
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0544826256
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 901

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Book Description
A multilayered group biography of the Civil War commanders who led the Army of the Potomac: “a staggering work . . . by a masterly historian” (Kirkus, starred review). The high command of the Army of the Potomac was a changeable, often dysfunctional band of brothers, going through the fires of war under seven commanding generals in three years, until Grant came east in 1864. The men in charge all too frequently appeared to be fighting against the administration in Washington instead of for it, increasingly cast as political pawns facing down a vindictive congressional Committee on the Conduct of the War. President Lincoln oversaw, argued with, and finally tamed his unruly team of lieutenants as the eastern army was stabilized by an unsung supporting cast of corps, division, and brigade generals. With characteristic style and insight, Stephen Sears brings these courageous, determined officers, who rose through the ranks and led from the front, to life and legend. “A masterful synthesis . . . A narrative about amazing courage and astonishing gutlessness . . . It explains why Union movements worked and, more often, didn’t work in clear-eyed explanatory prose that’s vivid and direct.” —Chicago Tribune

The Sword of Lincoln

The Sword of Lincoln PDF Author: Jeffry D. Wert
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 0743271920
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 576

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Book Description
The Sword of Lincoln is the first authoritative single-volume history of the Army of the Potomac in many years. From Bull Run to Gettysburg to Appomattox, the Army of the Potomac repeatedly fought -- and eventually defeated -- Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia. Jeffry D. Wert, one of our finest Civil War historians, brings to life the battles, the generals, and the common soldiers who fought for the Union and ultimately prevailed. The obligation throughout the Civil War to defend the capital, Washington, D.C., infused a defensive mentality in the soldiers of the Army of the Potomac. They began ignominiously with defeat at Bull Run. Suffering under a succession of flawed commanders -- McClellan, Burnside, and Hooker -- they endured a string of losses until at last they won a decisive battle at Gettysburg under a brand-new commander, General George Meade. Within a year, the Army of the Potomac would come under the overall leadership of the Union's new general-in-chief, Ulysses S. Grant. Under Grant, the army marched through the Virginia countryside, stalking Lee and finally trapping him and the remnants of his army at Appomattox. Wert takes us into the heart of the action with the ordinary soldiers of the Irish Brigade, the Iron Brigade, the Excelsior Brigade, and other units, contrasting their experiences with those of their Confederate adversaries. He draws on letters and diaries, some of them previously unpublished, to show us what army life was like. Throughout his history, Wert shows how Lincoln carefully oversaw the operations of the Army of the Potomac, learning as the war progressed, until he found in Grant the commander he'd long sought. With a swiftly moving narrative style and perceptive analysis, The Sword of Lincoln is destined to become the modern account of the army that was so central to the history of the Civil War.

Campaigns of the Army of the Potomac

Campaigns of the Army of the Potomac PDF Author: William Swinton
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : United States
Languages : en
Pages : 722

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