Lincon' attention to the details of the battles, etc.

[samgrant]

It is remarkable to me that President Lincoln had such an acute awareness of the particulars of the doings of the Union Armies, in particular, the Army of the Potomac.

Of course the AOP was, in effect, his 'home team', so he followed it closely.

I have seen and read that some generals (and later day critics) have suggested that he in some respects tried to 'micromanage', in today's parlance, the actions of the generals in the field.

Well, I think Lincoln can be vindicated of those accusations in such cases as the pursuit of Stonewall Jackson in the Shenandoah Valley. From what I have read, Lincoln ordered sufficiently cogent (and in retrospect) reasonable instructions to his commanders as to perhaps cut off or capture Jackson, but his 'orders' were not followed. This an early example.

I think it was when Lincoln needed to deal with the recalcitrant McClellan that sent him to the Library of Congress in search of books on Military Strategy, etc.

So, no, he was not an educated military acadamy graduate (he was not a education graduate of anything, for that matter), but one cannot doubt his intelligence.

Just here an example of his attention to detail of the conditions of the battlefield:

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CITY POINT, VA., April 1, 1865-5.30 p.m.


Honorable W. H. SEWARD,

Secretary of State, Fort Monroe:

Dispatch just received, showing that Sheridan, aided by Warren, had, at 2 p.m., pushed the enemy back, so as to retake the Five Forks and bring his own headquarters up to J. Boisseau's. The Five Forks were barricaded by the enemy and carried by Devin's division of cavalry. This part of the enemy seem to now be trying to work along the White Oak road, to join the main force in front of Grant, while Sheridan and Warren are pressing them as closely as possible.

A. LINCOLN.
(Same to Honorable Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary of War.)

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[ole]

General Sam Grant, with respect sir (he says while pulling his forelock), Lincoln did dabble, and perhaps injuriously on occasion, in the the affairs of his generals. He did, however, know when to leave off and let the generals run the show.

The man was, quite simply, an amazing example of a politician whose time was come and who acquitted himself in an, as yet, unequalled performance.

ole

[Dred]

Samgrant..

I believe you are right on with The Mclellan thing. After a few months Lincoln realized that if he left even the smallest loophole in his orders , Mclellan would find it and exploit it. He had to micromanage to cover every aspect and leave no wiggling room. I believe after Mclellan he had become so used to doing this he kept right on micromanaging..

Ole,
Curiuos as to what occasion you might consider to have been injuriuos.