Crisis Of Command In The Army Of The Potomac

by Simson, Jay W.

• ISBN13: 9780786436538
• ISBN10: 0786436530
• eBook ISBN(s): 9781476620718
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-07-20
• Publisher: McFarland Publishing

Summary

With the ascendancy of Ulysses S. Grant in late 1863, the command tone of the United States Army underwent a dramatic change. While Grant's predecessor George McClellan had been overly cautious about committing troops and resources to fight the South, Grant held the philosophy that a war fought for total ends required total means. Philip Sheridan set about reorganizing the army to reflect Grant's new style. During the last six months of the war, he relieved three generals of their commands because of their inability to follow his orders precisely. William Averell, Alfred Torbert and Gouverneur Warren found themselves and their careers casualties of Sheridan's intense determination to bring an end to the hostilities. Only Ranald S. Mackenzie managed to survive Sheridan's search for effective leaders, proving himself the ideal subordinate.

Author Biography

Journalist Jay W. Simson is a member of the Western Ohio Civil War Roundtable

Table of Contents

Introduction and Acknowledgments	p. 1
Prologue: Sheridan Takes Command	p. 5
William Woods Averell: The Man Who Preferred Mountains
Averell's Background	p. 19
The Battle of Kelly's Ford	p. 24
The Chancellorsville Campaign	p. 29
Redemption in the Mountains	p. 37
Averell and Sheridan	p. 41
Fisher's Hill	p. 48
Sheridan Sacks Averell	p. 53
Alfred Thomas Archimedes Torbert: The Man Who Was Promoted Too Far
Commissioned by Both Sides	p. 61
Torbert in the Overland Campaign and at Trevilian Station	p. 68
Chief of Cavalry	p. 74
Failure at Milford	p. 79
Hesitation at Tom's Brook	p. 84
The Battle of Cedar Creek	p. 89
Flunking the Final Exam at Gordonsville	p. 97
Gouverneur Kemble Warren: The Man Who Suffered from Combat Fatigue
The Master Engineer, Cartographer and Teacher	p. 105
Showing the Spark at Second Manassas/Bull Run	p. 111
The Hero at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg	p. 118
A Strong Performance at Bristoe Station	p. 125
Moral Courage at Mine Run	p. 129
The Long Hard Grind of the Overland Campaign	p. 137
On the Road to Five Forks	p. 149
Broken Hero at the Fatal Victory of Five Forks	p. 154
The Court of Inquiry	p. 161
Ranald Slidell Mackenzie: The Man Who Proved the Rule
The Most Promising Young Officer in the Army	p. 171
The Perpetual Punisher	p. 176
Mackenzie at Five Forks	p. 181
The Pursuit to Appomattox	p. 187
The Most Tragic One of Them All	p. 192
Sheridan's Troubleshooter	p. 201
Epilogue: The Method Behind Sheridan's Madness	p. 211
Notes	p. 223
Bibliography	p. 227
Index	p. 233
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