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Robert Underwood Johnson, Clarence Clough Buell, Battles and Leaders of the Civil War: The Opening Battles. Volume 1., In command in Missouri. (search)
were slow to realize the actuality of war; it was long before they realized its magnitude. Several commands in the East were suggested to me, but I preferred the West, which I knew, and I held the opinion that the possession of the immediate valley of the Mississippi river would control the result of the war. Who held the Mississippi would hold the country by the heart. A command was agreed upon between President Lincoln, Montgomery Blair, his Postmaster-General, who was a graduate of West Point, and myself, of which the great object was the descent of the Mississippi river. Necessary to this was first the firm possession of the State of Missouri, freed and protected from the secession forces within and around it. In pursuance of this plan The Western Department was created, comprehending, with Illinois, the states and territories west of the Mississippi river to the Rocky Mountains, including New Mexico. For reasons not wholly military, the President reserved the State of Kentu
Robert Underwood Johnson, Clarence Clough Buell, Battles and Leaders of the Civil War: The Opening Battles. Volume 1., chapter 12.46 (search)
he village physician. He was born February 3d, 1803, in Mason County, Kentucky. He was a handsome, proud, manly, earnest, and self-reliant boy, grave and thoughtful. His early education was desultory, but was continued at Transylvania and at West Point, where he evinced superior talents for mathematics, and was graduated in 1826. He was a lieutenant of the 6th Infantry, from 1827 to 1834, when he resigned. His only active service during this period was the Black Hawk war, in which he won colifornia, or any part of the regular army, was false and absurd. Under no circumstances, even if intended, could such a plan have succeeded, especially with the regular army. But no such breach of trust was intended, nor would any graduate of West Point in the army have committed or permitted it. It had no better foundation than the statement of Senator Conness of California, who three years later urged and secured the assignment of General McDowell to command on the Pacific coast, on the grou
Wiley Britton, Memoirs of the Rebellion on the Border 1863., Chapter 3: (search)
that if a campaign in this section were conducted according to the military science taught at West Point, and embodied in General Schofield, the enemy could soon put us on the defensive, and we should of directing the movements of troops, which no one can understand unless he be a graduate of West Point, then I have little confidence in it. A special education for a special purpose is always des bodies of troops in time of war; but there seems to be such a tendency among the graduates of West Point to want to do something incomprehensible to the common mind, as to make many of them utter faie, or for any particular arm of the military service. It amounts to this, a blockhead sent to West Point is as apt to come out a blockhead as if he had been sent to any other school. If a boy who haose that military operations will now be conducted according to the military science taught at West Point. We shall see. In the first place it seems that we are already under orders to continue our
Wiley Britton, Memoirs of the Rebellion on the Border 1863., Chapter 17: (search)
al troops in the Indian Territory will not hereafter be so full as usual. As my duties may take me to some other field, or so far away that I will not be conscious of all that is going on here, a little review of the past six months may be of some interest. In looking back over this period, the first thought that comes into my mind is, that Colonel Phillips has shown remarkable executive ability in the management of the troops of his division. And we feel quite sure that no graduate of West Point could have been found who would have displayed greater military sagacity than our commander, Colonel Phillips, in the handling of troops, in seizing advantageous positions, and in meeting all the contingencies liable to arise in administering the affairs of a large district like his. From the time that this division left the Army of the Frontier at Elm Springs, he has gained in popularity with his troops and the people within his military jurisdiction. With every possible shade of humanit
Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, The Passing of the Armies: The Last Campaign of the Armies., Military order of the Loyal Legion of the United States: headquarters Commandery of the State of Maine. (search)
aine, Tuesday, February 24, 1914. He was born in Brewer, September 8, 1828, the son of Joshua and Sarah Dupee (Brastow) Chamberlain. After a course in the public schools of Brewer he attended a military school in Ellsworth where he fitted for West Point. He entered Bowdoin in 1848 and graduated in 1852 with the highest honors. At his mother's instance he then took a three years course at the Bangor Theological Seminary, fitting himself for the ministry. The master's oration delivered by himl quick and inspiring and the judgment has been drilled into coolness and leadership by some experience in life and duty. With the docility of youth he had the independence and self-reliance of manhood. Ames, the colonel, but recently from West Point, could not rest until he had advanced his regiment to as close an approximation of his ideals as the exigencies of active campaigning permitted. He found an able second in his Lieutenant. Under such instruction and leadership the 20th, compos
John Esten Cooke, Wearing of the Gray: Being Personal Portraits, Scenes, and Adventures of War., Jackson. (search)
he evening, on the 27th of June, 1862, General Stonewall Jackson made his appearance on the field of Cold Harbour. Fresh from the hot conflicts of the Valley — an athlete covered with the dust and smoke of the arena-he came now with his veteran battalions to enter upon the still more desperate conflicts of the lowland. At that time many persons asked, Who is Jackson? All we then knew of the famous leader was this — that he was born a poor boy beyond the Alleghanies; managed to get to West Point; embarked in the Mexican war as lieutenant of artillery, where he fought his guns with such obstinacy that his name soon became renowned; and then, retiring from active service, became a Professor at the Lexington Military School. Here the world knew him only as an eccentric but deeply pious man, and a somewhat commonplace lecturer. Stiff and rigid in his pew at church, striding awkwardly from his study to his lectureroom, ever serious, thoughtful, absent-minded in appearancesuch was the
The Annals of the Civil War Written by Leading Participants North and South (ed. Alexander Kelly McClure), General Reynolds' last battle. (search)
it hurried to the defense of the State in which he was born. Singularly beloved by his comrades in the army, from his West Point days, through his campaigns in Florida, his services on the frontier, his life upon the Plains, he was admired by his vetter to be at the head of a compact corps than to command a scattered army. In no instance of the many supplied by West Point, was there a better example than that of Reynolds of the wonderful effects of a West Point training upon a characteristic American mind. Here was a lad taken from a modest family, brought up in a country town, grown into manhood at West Point, sent to Florida, then from point to point through the West, slowly earning his promotion, recognized as a good soldier, and so good a disciplinarian, that even at the outbreak of the war he was appointed to duty at West Point, and soon after assigned to the slow business of organizing one of the new regular regiments, then given a brigade of the Pennsylvania Reserves, an
The Annals of the Civil War Written by Leading Participants North and South (ed. Alexander Kelly McClure), War as a popular Educator. (search)
thought the small national army was sufficient to man a few forts, keep up the pretense of a military organization, and take care of the Indians. They had no fear of a foreign war, and Mexico had been taught its lesson. The military school at West Point was considered by many people as a useless expense. For what good, they would ask, would be militia trainings or organized volunteer regiments, of what service an expensive army organization, when the country has no foes? The people of this tes, and in none less than in Pennsylvania. There were a few of the trained officers who served in the Mexican war available, and some of the ex-officers of the regular army, both those who had resigned after years of service, and graduates of West Point who had served in the army the legal time. Many of these were physically unfitted for duty. Yet when the call was made for 75,000 men-three months men — the eagerness to be accepted showed the feeling of the people, and their confidence in th
The Annals of the Civil War Written by Leading Participants North and South (ed. Alexander Kelly McClure), How Jefferson Davis was overtaken. (search)
cted to the eastward by the way of Montgomery, Columbus, West Point, and Macon; while a detached brigade, under Croxton, movd the capture of the two fortified towns of Columbus and West Point, was made in less than six days. In order to cover the answer, whereupon I turned to G. W. Smith, a graduate of West Point, and formerly in the regular army, and repeated the question with me, remarked that the relations established at West Point seemed to be like those of Free Masonry, adding, When yo Eggleston was directed to send another party by rail to West Point. By these means it was believed that all considerable dding the post of Atlanta, had also sent a detachment to West Point, to watch the Alabama line in that quarter. General Croion from my headquarters at Macon with Atlanta, Augusta, West Point, Milledgeville, Albany and Eufaula, and, finally, Palmerof subjects. He asked about the different professors at West Point, discussing their merits and peculiarities with spirit a
The Annals of the Civil War Written by Leading Participants North and South (ed. Alexander Kelly McClure), General Stuart in camp and field. (search)
The writer of this paper believes it is in his power to present such a sketch, having enjoyed his personal friendship, and observed him during a large part of his career; and the aim will be to make the likeness presented as accurate as possible to the original. Up to the outbreak of the war Stuart's life was scarcely marked by any incident of interest. He was a native of Patrick county, Virginia, and came of a family of high social position and some distinction. Having graduated at West Point, he served for some years as a lieutenant in the United States army, and when it was obvious that Virginia would secede, he resigned his commission and came to his native State, where he was put in command of the First Regiment of Cavalry,operating on the Upper Potomac. He had been prominent, at this time, in only one scene attracting public attention. This was in 1859, at Harper's Ferry, where he was directed by General, then Colonel, R. E. Lee to summon John Brown to surrender. He rec
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