William Mahone

[USS ALASKA]

While reading @Jimklag 's attached article in this thread, https://civilwartalk.com/threads/battle-of-the-weldon-railroad.142347/#post-1737549 , came across a name that keeps popping up.

William Mahone...

Doing a quick search and some reading about the gent;

https://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/Mahone_William_1826-1895#start_entry

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Mahone

...and the books I've read over the years that mention him, he seems to be quite the character.

Given @DaveBrt 's comments about the lack of a professionally applied understanding of logistics within the CSA, is this one example of someone who would have been more useful to the Confederacy working RRs instead of on the battlefield?

There was the idea that the bravery of Southern men would suffice,

Sir, could this be an influence on why men like Mahone were drawn to the fighting side?

Cheers,
USS ALASKA

 

[jgoodguy]

Sir, could this be an influence on why men like Mahone were drawn to the fighting side?

Yes. Because fighting for the South was seen as glamorous and glorious, the best of Southern men went off to fight,. What was left went into politics and government. Even Davis wanted to lead an army into battle; he became President in a large part because no one else wanted it. The antebellum Southern culture had a fighting side to it. Davis is alleged to have as a young man at one time or another challenged all of this cabinet except one to duels. Fighting to settle disputes and for honor was common. The Southern honor aspect also made leaders contemptuous about logistics and made unforced errors and were otherwise wasteful. Retreat To Victory suggests that the Southerners had no margin for errors but then committed a bunch of errors because culture tended toward the extravagant in the elites.

 

[DaveBrt]

While reading @Jimklag 's attached article in this thread, https://civilwartalk.com/threads/battle-of-the-weldon-railroad.142347/#post-1737549 , came across a name that keeps popping up.

William Mahone...

Doing a quick search and some reading about the gent;

https://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/Mahone_William_1826-1895#start_entry

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Mahone

...and the books I've read over the years that mention him, he seems to be quite the character.

Given @DaveBrt 's comments about the lack of a professionally applied understanding of logistics within the CSA, is this one example of someone who would have been more useful to the Confederacy working RRs instead of on the battlefield?



Sir, could this be an influence on why men like Mahone were drawn to the fighting side?

Cheers,
USS ALASKA

In general, railroad presidents were responsible for raising money, managing the debt load and interacting with the public and government. Many were planters or lawyers before becoming president and were selected for their wisdom and devotion to their railroad. For example, the president of the Charlotte & South Carolina RR during the war, William Johnston, had been a lawyer, ran for governor of North Carolina and was later mayor twice of Charlotte. He lived in Charlotte and visited the operational center of his railroad, Columbia, SC, about one every ten days.

Superintendents were the real railroad men. Many had been trained as civil engineers and all of them were very "practical" men -- they tried to find what worked, regardless of theories.

The South did not have a large community of industrial factory owners, railroad men, international traders, etc from which to draw a logistical leadership. Sims, the third RR Bureau chief, had been a financial man (exact position not known) on a Georgia railroad for a very few years, then became a newspaper owner/editor. He was sharp, well-like and respected by the railroad world, but his background left a lot to be desired for one in his position. He made good use of other men (Atlantic & North Carolina RR president John D. Whitford, for example), but he had few to draw from.

 

[Mr. King]

Much like the Japanese in WW2, the best chance the South had to win the war was a quick, overwhelming victory. The American industrial machine has proven time & again that it can overcome almost any enemy when given enough time to flex it's muscle and work out the kinks. The men in the field fighting are certainly our heroes, but the truly unsung heroes are the men & women in the shipyards, factories, and merchant marine. The railroad men who haul all the supplies, the coal miners and oilfield trash who keep the ships steaming, the cattlemen and pig farmers who supplied the gov't. It takes more than guns and ammo to fight a war. Sadly, most people don't understand that.

 

[USS ALASKA]

@jgoodguy

Not that I disagree with Mahone, sir - when deployed I would have much rather been preforming my primary trained-for function than serving time as an LNO and SME at some JHQ.

However, I was once at a doctrine conference and the words of one high ranking attendee who ran Joint Command Centers always stuck with me. He stated "Don't send me who you can afford, send me the guy that hurts not to have. He can do more for the overall war effort with me than he can with your unit! The other guy - he's worthless..."

So there is that function of 'central leadership' that needs to be considered. And when did that really start happening? I believe after the ACW...the whole General Staff organization...and no one being in a position to say, "No dude, you serve us best over here...

Interesting side-line,
USS ALASKA

 

[USS ALASKA]

@DaveBrt

Yes sir, that is the reason I ask. Mahone seemed to be an engineer of some esteem. He didn't seem to be the biggest investor / most politically connected / local BMOC.

Cheers,
USS ALASKA

 

[jgoodguy]

@jgoodguy

Not that I disagree with Mahone, sir - when deployed I would have much rather been preforming my primary trained-for function than serving time as an LNO and SME at some JHQ.

However, I was once at a doctrine conference and the words of one high ranking attendee who ran Joint Command Centers always stuck with me. He stated "Don't send me who you can afford, send me the guy that hurts not to have. He can do more for the overall war effort with me than he can with your unit! The other guy - he's worthless..."

So there is that function of 'central leadership' that needs to be considered. And when did that really start happening? I believe after the ACW...the whole General Staff organization...and no one being in a position to say, "No dude, you serve us best over here...

Interesting side-line,
USS ALASKA

My example would be John Pelham, invaluable as a light mobile artillery commander, got killed leading a cavalry charge just because he wanted to lead a charge.

I'd be tempted to suggest that the Union did the opposite. Kept all the competent folks at home but sent all the incompetent ones to be generals.

 

[USS ALASKA]

Much like the Japanese in WW2...

(sorry for cherry picking and not using your whole quote - please forgive me...)

...they too thought they held the spiritual, moral, constitutional and honorable high ground. And whatever may come, that would carry them through to victory.

And how many deaths did it take to prove that incorrect - if ever. Die-for beliefs are just that...

And I have them also...

Not so many cheers,
USS ALASKA

 

[USS ALASKA]

Virginia Commonwealth University
VCU Scholars Compass
Theses and Dissertations Graduate School
2019

Architect of the New South: The Life and Legacy of William Mahone
Heath M. Anderson
Virginia Commonwealth University

This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at VCU Scholars Compass. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of VCU Scholars Compass. For more information, please contact [email protected].

Abstract
In Virginia following the Civil War, white and black people formed complex and shifting alliances based on their own self-interests that cut across the lines of established political parties. In this turbulent atmosphere, William Mahone forged a new biracial political coalition called the Readjuster Party in order to transform Virginia's economy so that it would be competitive in the years to come. Chapter One argues that Mahone's experience as a soldier and railroad man gave him the political clout needed to enter politics and an industrial vision for Virginia's future that was markedly different from many of his contemporaries. Chapter Two argues that William Mahone's leadership of the Readjuster Party, and its advocacy of universal male suffrage and economic reform, created a new political center in Virginia and demonstrates that the actions of both white and black people cannot be viewed as a monolith in the postwar era. Chapter Three demonstrates how William Mahone's political career was excluded from white Virginians' narrative of Reconstruction following his death because it provided a historical example of African American suffrage and an attempt to establish fair elections that clashed with Virginia's established **** social order.

https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=7005&context=etd

Cheers,
USS ALASKA

 

[USS ALASKA]

University of Richmond
UR Scholarship Repository
Master's Theses
Student Research
5-2005

The Battle of the Crater, William Mahone, and Civil War memory, 1864-1937
Kevin Michael Levin

This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Research at UR Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of UR Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected].

Abstract
The battle of the Crater, which took place outside Petersburg, Virginia on July 30, 1864, proved to be one of the bloodiest engagements in the final year of the Civil War. The attempt on the part of Union commanders to break the growing siege between the two armies by tunneling under a Confederate position and exploding 8,000 pounds of explosives created a battle environment unseen elsewhere. The novelty of the mine explosion, the close hand-to-hand fighting, extensive casualties, the decision to include United State Colored Troops in the attacking columns, and a decisive Confederate victory guaranteed that the battle would not soon be forgotten by those involved. This thesis examines the ways Southerners reinterpreted the battle of the Crater throughout the postwar years through 1937. Memories of the Crater and Confederate Major General William Mahone proved flexible enough to encompass multiple meanings relating to issues surrounding postwar state politics in Virginia, the contentious issue of race, and the drive towards national reunion. By analyzing the various and often contradictory interpretations of important Civil War battles, we more clearly can understand how history is frequently mixed with various elements of public memory and myth.

https://scholarship.richmond.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1666&context=masters-theses

Cheers,
USS ALASKA

 

[USS ALASKA]

Old Dominion University
ODU Digital Commons
History Theses & Dissertations
Fall 1998

William Mahone and the Confederate Command Style During the Siege of Petersburg, 1864-1865
David Kenneth Reed
Old Dominion University

This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the History at ODU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in History Theses & Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ODU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected].

ABSTRACT
William Mahone exemplified the audacity and adaptability acquired by southern commanders during the last year of the American Civil War. Mahone's contribution to Confederate military operations during the siege of Petersburg, Virginia, from 1864-1865 played an important role in the Confederacy's survival. During the siege, he was one of Lee's most trusted and capable lieutenants. The findings of this study show that Mahone's emergence as a superior divisional commander came about mainly because of his knowledge of the terrain surrounding Petersburg. This thesis discusses the way Mahone extended the life of the Confederacy. Four of Mahone's engagements during the siege will be examined; additionally, I will explain how his knowledge and ability influenced Confederate successes during those engagements. Also discussed is Mahone's place in the evolution of siege warfare and his contributions in the development of a limited offensive strategy. The primary sources used for this project include Mahone's personal letters concerning his actions and the Official Records of the War of the Rebellion.

https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1220&context=history_etds

Cheers,
USS ALASKA

 

[USS ALASKA]

The University of Southern Mississippi
The Aquila Digital Community
Dissertations
Doctor of Philosophy
Summer 8-2007

WILLIAM H. MAHONE OF VIRGINIA: AN INTELLECTUAL BIOGRAPHY, 1830-1890
John Fabian Chappo
University of Southern Mississippi

This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by The Aquila Digital Community. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of The Aquila Digital Community. For more information, please contact [email protected]. COPYRIGHT BY JOHN FABIAN CHAPPO 2007

ABSTRACT
William H. Mahone of Virginia is an intellectual history of ante and postbellum Virginia told through Mahone as a central figure. While much has been written about Mahone as leader of the Readjuster Party in Virginia in the closing decades of the nineteenth century, the present study highlights how and why Mahone-a railroad man turned Confederate general turned prominent national political figure despite humble upbringing-came to be a leader of Virginia. Mahone lead a successful political revolt in the 1870s because he little forgot his rural, economically-disadvantaged childhood, as he campaigned for socially progressive change in the Old Dominion. His management skill and engineering erudition came to the forefront before the war. Mahone's reputation as a leader expanded during the war, especially after his successful repulse of Federal troops at the Battle of the Crater. Feeding off public awareness and celebration of his managerial skills as displayed in business and on the battlefield, Mahone led a successful grassroots political revolt in an effort to rebuild the Republican Party in Virginia after Reconstruction and in an effort to maintain Virginia's long-held republican character.

https://aquila.usm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2305&context=dissertations

Because of copyright, please use above link.

Cheers,
USS ALASKA

 

[ColonelBuckwalter]

Off topic:

I've never seen this before. Holy smokes... I thought I was irritating.