HF Books about General Hancock

[Capt7thWvCoA]

Good morning everyone, I'm looking for a good book to read about General Winfield Scott Hancock. Does anyone have any recommendations?

 

[breckod]

For a modern bio, you want Winfield Scott Hancock: A Soldier's Life by David Jordan.

 

[Library Lady]

Here is more information about the book @breckod recommended:

Winfield Scott Hancock

" . . . detailed, well-written and thoroughly documented." —The Journal of Military History" . . . comprehensive, well-written, and thoroughly researched ....

iupress.org

Here are some other books you might want to take a look at since you are looking to do an impression of the general.

Winfield Scott Hancock: Gettysburg Hero by Perry D. Jamieson

Winfield Scott Hancock

Winfield Scott Hancock gained his greatest fame for his crucial contributions to the Federal victory at Gettysburg. Union veterans remembered Hancock as a ge...

www.tamupress.com

Life and Military Career of Winfield Scott Hancock by John W. Forney. This is a vintage book from 1880.

LIFE AND MILITARY CAREER OF WINFIELD SCOTT HANCOCK by Forney, John W: Very Good Hardcover (1880) | The Book Scot

AbeBooks.com: LIFE AND MILITARY CAREER OF WINFIELD SCOTT HANCOCK: Book size about 5 1/2 by 7 1/2 inches with some 502 pages. Bound in deep blue cloth over beveled boards with front cover and spine gilt lettering and decoration. Illustrated with numerous drawings and maps. Biography of this noted...

www.abebooks.com

Hancock the Superb: The Life and Career of General Winfield Scott Hancock. This in on Kindle for $2.99 which other members here apparently consider a good price.

Amazon.com: Hancock the Superb: The Life and Career of General Winfield Scott Hancock eBook : Charles River Editors: Kindle Store

Amazon.com: Hancock the Superb: The Life and Career of General Winfield Scott Hancock eBook : Charles River Editors: Kindle Store

www.amazon.com

Hancock: The Life and Public Service of Winfield Scott Hancock by Augustus Toplady Freed. This is on Kindle for $0.99. The book was first published in 1880. If you buy it in book form, Amazon's choices are modern reprints, not an actual vintage book.

Amazon.com: Hancock: The Life and Public Service of Winfield Scott Hancock eBook : Freed, Augustus Toplady: Kindle Store

Hancock: The Life and Public Service of Winfield Scott Hancock - Kindle edition by Freed, Augustus Toplady. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading Hancock: The Life and Public Service of...

www.amazon.com

Reminiscences of Winfield Scott Hancock by Almira Russell Hancock (Mrs. Hancock). This is a modern reprint, not the original vintage book. I have not read this, but I would think that it would be an interesting take on the general. I would feel the same way about the vintage books from the 1880s. Are they totally accurate? Probably not. Are there ulterior motives to their publication? There probably are. The value, I think, is in their being contemporary to the general's run for president. They will probably give you a particular view which could still be of use to you.

https://bookshop.org/books/reminiscences-of-winfield-scott-hancock/9781582180564

Now don't be worried about your wallet. Librarians would love to help you find copies to borrow. You can decide later if you want to invest in your own copies.

 

[Belfoured]

For a modern bio, you want Winfield Scott Hancock: A Soldier's Life by David Jordan.

Good rec. I'd add Hancock at Gettysburg & Beyond by A.M. Gambone (2002). It's a very detailed, solid look at his performance at Gettysburg but does cover other aspects, as well.

 

[JimN]

Jordan's book is one of the better biographies of a General I think.

 

[Cavalier]

There's another one, Observing Hancock At Gettysburg by Paul Bretzger. Haven't read it yet, myself. The general must have a lot of fans though.

John

 

[breckod]

Jordan's book is one of the better biographies of a General I think.

I liked it quite a bit, but I did have two minor quibbles. The first, which I discussed elsewhere, is about Hancock's feud with John Gibbon from 1864 on. Jordan unreservedly takes Hancock's side but the actual evidence is inconclusive. The second is that in his discussion of Hancock's postwar career, Jordan tries to walk the thin line of praising Hancock as a reconciliatory figure without outright endorsing Hancock's racist anti-Reconstruction politics, but he does not quite pull it off, in my view.

 

[breckod]

Returning to this topic after reading Wars of Reconstruction by Egerton to note that when Hancock took over as a Reconstruction department commander from Phil Sheridan, murders of black Americans in that department skyrocketed. Whether Jordan chose not to look into that or didn't care, it feels like a serious omission either way.

 

[USS ALASKA]

Sir, for some free reading...

Accession Number: ADA223344
Title: Winfield Scott Hancock: A Study in Leadership
Descriptive Note: Study project
Corporate Author: ARMY WAR COLL CARLISLE BARRACKS PA
Personal Author(s): Thede, Peter J.
Report Date: 1990-03-28

Abstract
The purpose of this study is to identify and analyze the leadership competencies of Major General Winfield Scott Hancock, the most consistently successful corps-level commander of the Civil War. Over the course of his 44 years in uniform, General Hancock participated in the Mexican War, Civil War, and Indian Wars. He was the candidate of the Democratic Party in the 1880 Presidential election. Nicknamed Hancock the Superb, he was recognized as the best combat commander in the Army of the Potomac. Remaining a general in the Regular Army after the Civil War, Hancock played a major role in post-war affairs. In order to gain insight into Hancocks leadership competencies, DA pamphlet 600-80 and Field Manual 22-103 will be used as a framework. Research will chronologically follow aspects of Hancocks life and career to identify skills as they are developed and employed.

Distribution Statement: APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA223344.pdf

Cheers,
USS ALASKA