Civil War Generalship The Art Of Command

by Wood, William J.

• ISBN13: 9780306809736
• ISBN10: 0306809737
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-06-16
• Publisher: Da Capo Press

Summary

In this unique examination of Civil War leadership, W. J. Wood looks at the tactical and strategic problems that threatened to overwhelm untried Civil War generals and the pragmatic strategies, born of necessity, that they developed to solve them. Focusing on three decisive battles involving six generals, Wood provides the background necessary to understand the problems confronting commanders on both sides of the war, then looks at the campaign of Cedar Mountain, directed by Stonewall Jackson and Nathaniel Banks; the battle of Chickamauga, where Confederate Army leader Braxton Bragg and Union General William Rosecrans faced each other; the battle of Nashville, where Jon Bell Hood led his Southern troops against George H. Thomas and his Union army. Deftly describing the art of war these men developed, an art that provides paradigms for military leaders to this day, Wood demonstrate why Civil War remains a topic of never-diminishing interest.

Author Biography

W. J. Wood (19171501997), was a retired Army lieutenant colonel whose background included not only professional authorship but also combat experience in World War II and the Korean war, a decade spent in professional war gaming for weapons systems analysis at the Army Material Command, and a lifetime studying military history. His books include Battles of the Revolutionary War and Leaders and Battles.

Table of Contents

Illustrations	ix
Preface	xi
Acknowledgments	xiii
Part One: The Sandwiched War
The American Civil War in Western History	3	(6)
Pre--Civil War American Military Thought	9	(6)
``Lessons'' from Napoleonic Warfare	15	(6)
Defining an Art of Command	21	(10)
Part Two: Cedar Mountain: Meeting Engagement
Stonewall Jackson Plans and Conducts His Campaign	31	(12)
Nathaniel Banks and the Advance to Cedar Mountain	43	(12)
The Battle of Cedar Mountain	55	(18)
What Happened at Cedar Mountain?	73	(12)
Part Three: Chickamauga: Lost Command, Lost Victory
Rosecrans and His Chickamauga Campaign	85	(26)
Braxton Bragg, Confederate Strategy, and the Tactical Offensive	111	(28)
The Battle of Chickamauga	139	(38)
The Two Perspectives of Chickamauga	177	(14)
Part Four: Nashville: The Last Great Adventure
John B. Hood and Certain Differences in Confederate Strategy	191	(16)
The ``Rock of Chickamauga'' Prepares a New Kind of Battle	207	(10)
The Battle of Nashville	217	(10)
Why Thomas Won More than a Victory	227	(8)
Part Five: Reflections
Reflections	235	(12)
Notes	247	(6)
Selected Bibliography	253	(12)
Index	265