Commanders of the Army of the Potomac
In his civil war book Commanders of the Army of the Potomac Warren Hassler Jr. fantastically recounts the events that transpired between 1861 to 1865 during which seven men were given the reigns of the North's Army of the Potomac and asked to lead the Union to victory. However, one of the greatest commanders in history stood in their way; Robert E. Lee, and each was pitted against this great general one by one and given the chance to make history. The first, Irvin McDowell was regarded in this book as a great soldier in his own right but a terrible leader who displayed visible gaps in his preparedness, in his tactics, and in his strategy. He was the first to take control of the northern army. Not much later towards the end of May of 1861 General Lee established a defensive hold along the small stream of Bull Run located in Manassas. During the Battle of Bull Run McDowell was crushed by Confederate generals Joseph E. Johnston and Pierre Beauregard due to weak planning and it became apparent that this in fact would not be a short-lived war. Next up was the most popular and perhaps the greatest of the commanders, George B. McClellan. After the embarrassing defeats at Bull Run he masterfully regrouped and disciplined th
" Immediately after he begins to talk a little bit about the early life of each leader but only general details as this is only a fraction of each chapter. I found in-depth discussions on commanders' decisions and how they presented themselves during the war. He lacked the ability to think at moment's notice and get things done immediately when faced with a problem. This victory gave President Abraham Lincoln the opportunity to issue the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862. Grant took over as commander of the AOP in March of 1864 and was fortunate enough to take control of the army as the tide was turning favorably for the Union. Burnside whose troubles lied in his stubbornness coupled with his poor judgement and lack of ingenuity. Hassler did at the beginning of each chapter was first give a physical description of the commander and what he was like and regarded as. After successful campaigns in 1863, as chief of all federal armies Grant was relentless and often forced inconclusive battles, which were very hazardous to the North's position. Unfortunately, many people criticized Meade for not following the Confederates while they were broken. e AOP as he himself showed outstanding military presence and was constantly increasing his knowledge of offensive tactics. Meanwhile, McClellan blew an opportunity to catch the Confederates off balance after he learned of Lee's plans but stalled and hesitated for a day giving the southern reinforcements plenty of time to arrive and group together and the north escaped with a slight victory only after Lee decided it would be wise to withdraw his forces. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1962.
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