John M. Schofield and the Politics of Generalship (Civil War America)
Editorial Reviews
Review
"Donald B. Connelly has combined thoroughness with balance to produce an excellent biography."
Steven E. Woodworth, Texas Christian University
Book Description
In the first full biography of Lieutenant General John McAllister Schofield (1831-1906), Donald Connelly examines the career of one of the leading commanders in the western theater during the Civil War and the role of politics in the formulation of military policy during both war and peace in the latter half of the nineteenth century.
Connelly relates how Schofield, as a department commander during the war, had to cope with contending political factions that sought to shape military and civil policies. Following the war, Schofield occupied every senior position in the army--including secretary of war and commanding general of the army--and became a leading champion of army reform and professionalism. He was the first senior officer to recognize that professionalism would come not from the separation of politics and the military but from the army's accommodation of politics and the often contentious American constitutional system.
Seen through the lens of Schofield's extensive military career, the history of American civil-military relations has seldom involved conflict between the military and civil authority, Connelly argues. The central question has never been whether to have civilian control but rather which civilians have a say in the formulation and execution of policy.
John M. Schofield and the Politics of Generalship (Civil War America)
John M. Schofield and the Politics of Generalship (Civil War America),Donald B. Connelly,The University of North Carolina Press,0807830070,19th century,Biography,Biography / Autobiography,Campaigns,Civil War, 1861-1865,Civil-military relations,Generals,History,History: American,Military,Military - General,Military - United States,United States,United States - Civil War,History / United States / Civil War Period (1850-1877),John M. Schofield; Commanding General; Secretary of War; Civil War; Department of the Missouri; Atlanta Campaign; Battle of Franklin; Nashville Campaign; Reconstruction; Army reform; military professionalism; army and domestic disorder; military government; civil-military relations; civilian control of military; guerrilla warfare
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