Comments on: Lincoln as Strategist

By: Military Strategy at the Battle of Bull Run « Bull Runnings

Military Strategy at the Battle of Bull Run « Bull Runnings — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:02:40 +0000

[...] 28 07 2010 Donald Stoker, whose new book on strategy in the Civil War was the subject of this post, sent me a link to his summary of military strategy at the battle of Bull Run. Check it out, see [...]

By: MPC

MPC — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 19:23:08 +0000

I think the reason your not in agreement, to the extent of my knowledge, is because Lincoln never ordered his generals into implementation of any specific war strategies. Aside from ordering McC to make some general movement of the army (to get him off his … ), I never read of some specific plan that he directly (or intended to) implement through his generals.

I think what you see here, is a case of Monday morning quarterbacking. Its easy in hindsight to attribute fault to Lincoln’s generals for not implementing the commander in chief’s wishes. However, that is taken with the assumption that Lincoln, in fact, had a well thought out military strategy in hand that he was passing down to his subordinates. However, I don’t think that’s the case, as Lincoln preferred to let his generals develop strategy, as he knew he was nothing more than an armchair military strategist.

I think Lincoln knew that no matter how many of those strategy books he read from the Library of Congress didn’t make him a military strategist.

By: Drew Wagenhoffer

Drew Wagenhoffer — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 16:55:08 +0000

Harry,
That eye roller bothered me, too. The other thing in the jacket description about Davis’s mistake in invading KY was also curious. Davis didn’t authorize the initial incursion (although, he sustained it after the damage was already done), but, if not that and the author is instead talking about the Fall 1862 campaign, the author’s contention doesn’t make much sense there either as the activist citizens had already made their choice by that late point.

That said, I do have a copy of the book and am looking forward to reading it.

By: Terry Johnston

Terry Johnston — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 12:47:42 +0000

Harry:

I haven’t; but there’s an article (presumably an excerpt of the book) by Stoker in the latest N&S. Haven’t read that either, but it should give you a taste.