John M. Schofield and the Politics of Generalship
By Donald B. Connelly
488 pp., 6.125 x 9.25, 13 illus., 9 maps, notes, bibl., index
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Paperback ISBN: 978-1-4696-1460-1
Published: March 2014 -
E-book EPUB ISBN: 978-0-8078-7708-1
Published: December 2006 -
E-book PDF ISBN: 979-8-8908-7905-9
Published: December 2006
Civil War America
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Awards & distinctions
2006 Distinguished Writing Award, Army Historical Foundation
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.
About the Author
Donald B. Connelly is associate professor of joint and multinational operations at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. A retired U.S. Army military intelligence officer, he has also served as historian at U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida.
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Reviews
"Provides a comprehensive look not only at Schofield’s wartime career, but also his rather distinguished post-war service. . . . An excellent account of the life and work of a rather over-looked officer."--The NYMAS Review
“A significant addition to nineteenth-century military historiography. . . . There is much to like about this work.”--Arkansas Historical Quarterly
“[A] superb life of General John M. Schofield.”--Parameters
“Connelly breaks new ground in his biography of John Schofield. . . . It adds significantly to our understanding of American military professionalism in the nineteenth century.”--Civil War History
“Supported by extensive research . . . persuasive.”--Historian
"A good study of the interrelationships between the military and the government. . . . A very interesting read."--Civil War News
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