Grant on Sedgwick

[trice]

From Ulysses S. Grant, Personal Memoirs, Chapter LXX

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Sedgwick was killed at Spottsylvania before I had an opportunity of forming an estimate of his qualifications as a soldier from personal observation. I had known him in Mexico when both of us were lieutenants, and when our service gave no indication that either of us would ever be equal to the command of a brigade. He stood very high in the army, however, as an officer and a man. He was brave and conscientious. His ambition was not great, and he seemed to dread responsibility. He was willing to do any amount of battling, but always wanted some one else to direct. He declined the command of the Army of the Potomac once, if not oftener.
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Any comments?

Tim

 

[matthew mckeon]

In several of this assessments of his fellow commanders, Grant mentions the desire for independent command vs. the comfort of someone else in charge as an essential criteria. With Meade he also mentions age as a disadvantage, which he also notes with Lee.

 

[trice]

In several of this assessments of his fellow commanders, Grant mentions the desire for independent command vs. the comfort of someone else in charge as an essential criteria. With Meade he also mentions age as a disadvantage, which he also notes with Lee.

In all of these, Grant is looking at the fitness of men for high command.

Age relates to the vigor of a man as well as his experience. In an age where command meant being active in the field, usually on a horse, travelling through rough country, physical health was very important. But in addition, with a man like Meade he is commenting on the fact that he never actually commanded troops in the field until he was 46. Most high commanders had command experience much earlier; Meade missed out on that by being an Engineer in the Mexican War and afterwards. By comparison, Lee (another Engineer in Mexico) served in a cavalry regiment in the 1850s, gaining valuable experience as a commander.

Grant was also a man who valued the chain of command and harmony among his subordinates. He wanted independent command -- but felt it his duty to be a loyal and submissive subordinate. Men like Hooker and "Baldy" Smith caused too many problems for Grant with their constant arguments and maneuvering.

At the same time, he notes that men like Burnside and Sedgwick really didn't want the top spot or were unsuited for it. It limited them as far as advancement went -- but it would be important as well for the man making decisions to know, so that he would not put them where they would not function well.

Tim

 

[matthew mckeon]

Unfortunately, it DIDN'T limit Burnside's advancement. He would have been better as a brigade commander.