Grant as military commander

by James Marshall-Cornwall

Marshall-Cornwall, James, Grant As Military Commander

Genres: History, American Civil War, Biography, American History, Military History

244 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

General Sir James Handyside Marshall-Cornwall KCB, CBE, DSO, MC was a British Army officer and linguist.

Reviews

[Martin Koenigsberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, because it delivers on its promise- here is Grant as The General- without too much other encumbrance. James Marshall- Cornwall, a former Serving British officer and author on Military Subjects, goes over the American Civil War and Grant's role in it with an eye to the Command Decisions that led to his meteoric rise. After the most spare biographical setting, the author gets down to the facts- showing us that Grant grew into the role of supreme Military commander for the Union by cutting his teeth on large unit warfare in the Western theatre. Marshall - Cornwell shows Grant learning how to navigate period battlefield warfare, period logistics, period man management, and period political infighting all at once in the crucible of America's bloodiest war. Perhaps the most important thing he learned was to try keeping minor political concerns out of his thinking- and which subordinates he could really rely on. The author comes to recognise Grant as the first Master of modern war- using economic strategic concepts , gross attrition, and Napoleonic Classic Army destruction ideas to extinguish the Confederacy with a finality no other Union General seemed to be able to conceive.

I have to say it was refreshing to have a neutral authority review the war that elicits so much emotion here in the USA to this day. Some of the stranger campaign elements to the American Civil War are finally revealed to be pretty much politically driven, as are many of the General Officer Appointments. Marshall-Cornwell is careful to let you know which officers are Political Appointments, which are real Soldiers called back to the colours- and which officers are a little bit of both. He shows how Grant navigated it all with real skill and a singleness of purpose that few other Civil War Officers could muster. Even when the war devolved into a pre WWI static trench grind- Grant's mind and his understanding of his Naval and logistical resources managed to keep movement part of the inexorable strangulation of Richmond and the Confederacy. By the war's end- Grant's mastery of Train and what passed for engineering and amphibious warfare were Military School lessons that remained germane well into WWII. With a plethora of maps, diagrams and b/w pictures, this is a great way to focus on the military lessons- and see a master develop from mundane roots to become a National saviour , in fact Presidential Material.

There are some adult themes, some outdated language, and enough graphic battle description to make this best for the Junior Reader over at least 14 years old. Written in 1970, the book uses the term "Coloured", already aging when written, to describe African Americans, especially slaves, which some people may find offensive. For the Gamer/Modeler/Military Enthusiast this is a real great resource. Lots of content to help with Scenario/Diorama development- and of course the Military History Buff gets a lot of great analysis about the best General of the ACW. I think this might be a good book for a Gamer new to Historical Games who finds themselves part of an ACW Campaign- especially with the New Black Powder game out now. There are enough lessons and battles that a good sense of the overall ebb and flow of the war comes across. Lee and Grant are America's first real "Great Captains"- and Lee considered his former subordinate Grant the far better Warrior when it was all done. This book shows you how he got it done- and saved the union into the bargain.

#WhatAreYouReading? #AmericanHistory #ACWHistory #AmericanCivilWar #Grant #UnionArmy #Vicksburg #Shiloh #Chattanooga #Wilderness #ColdHarbor #Petersburg #Sheridan #Sherman #Appomattox #UnionSaviour #WargameResearch #BlackPowder #StarsAndBars #JEBRules #FireAndFury #JohnnyReb #RallyRoundTheFlag #OnToRichmond

[Jimmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good basic overview of Grant's Civil War career. It's not too bad, but I did notice some inconsistencies and contradictions scattered through the book. For example, the author stated that the Atlanta Campaign might have finished sooner "under Grant's continuous direction", while Grant had "too little confidence in Mead" and Grant's "tight control of Meade's army . . . [was] justified by Meade's limitations as an independent commander". The author doesn't explain which theater Grant should have been in personal command of.

As a minor complaint, I don't think having five chapters explaining the background of the Civil War was very helpful in understanding Grant's generalship; the appendix covering the flags of both sides was also extraneous. There were one or two minor mistakes; for example, the author had the Army of the Potomac's cavalry corps organized for the first time by Grant in the spring of 1864, while this actually happened a year earlier.

[Jim Gallen · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Grant As Military Commander” is a relatively short, concise, evaluation of Grant’s military successes and failures. Author General Sir James Marshall-Cornwall admires Grant and rates his professional abilities very highly.

The book sets the stage with brief summaries of the origins of the War, its geography, relative resources in manpower and material, and armament and tactics. That is followed with an introduction to Grant’s pre-war life. It then presents Grant’s campaigns into Tennessee, Shiloh, Corinth, Vicksburg. With transfer to the East, the scene changes to Chattanooga, The Wilderness, Cold Harbor, Petersburg, The Shenandoah Valley, Georgia and final victory at Appomattox.

Marshall-Cornwall is critical of many other officers, both Grant’s superiors and subordinates. “Halleck’s…manner was harsh and forbidding, while his nature was jealous and devious.” As might be expected from a British historian, these pages are leavened by comparisons to Napoleon, Wellington and their battles. The test is supplemented by helpful maps, photos and sketches.

An advantage of this volume is that it organizes Grant’s Civil war career so as to provide the reader with an easy-to-understand outline of the sequence and relatedness of events. I found the author’s opinions of others with whom Grant shared his stage to provide new viewpoints that I had not picked up from other tomes that I have read. “Grant As Military Commander” is a good introduction for Civil War novices and offers novel perspectives for the more seasoned reader.

[Glenn Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A strong and concise bio of US Grant's military experience from West Point to Appomattox. Short chapters on each of the major battles that Grant participated or directed. None of the chapters were in depth, this book is merely a synopsis and quick overview.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of detail but worth the effort
for readers who like military history