Commonly portrayed in Civil War literature as a bungling general who disgraced himself at Fort Donelson; Gideon Johnson Pillow (1806-78) is one of the most controversial military figures of nineteenth-century America. In this first full-length biography; Nat Hughes and Roy Stonesifer take a fresh look at Pillow; calling attention to his prominent role in many of the major conflicts of his day. Pillow was one of Tennessee's wealthiest planters and lawyers as well as an influential broker in national politics. His friendship with fellow Tennessean James K. Polk brought Pillow a generalship in the Mexican War; where he served under Winfield Scott and Zachary Taylor and antagonized the military establishment with his recklessness and self-promotion. Following the war; Pillow attempted to capitalize on his notoriety as the "hero of Chapultepec" by reentering Democratic party politics. Despite his efforts on behalf of Franklin Pierce; he was unsuccessful in his bid for the vice presidency and the Senate. With the outbreak of the Civil War; Pillow again sought the public stage. His organization of what would become the Army of Tennessee placed him at the forefront of the Confederate war effort. But he was bested by Ulysses S. Grant at Belmont and then suffered disaster at Fort Donelson. Following these defeats; he spent the remainder of the war directing Confederate conscription in the West and leading Confederate cavalry forces. As a result of his role at Fort Donelson; Pillow has been dismissed as a political general with destructive military ambitions. Hughes and Stonesifer argue that such a judgment fails to consider the many contributions made by the dynamic planter-lawyer. They point outPillow's organizational abilities (evidenced before and after Donelson); his standing with distinguished peers such as Joseph Johnston and Braxton Bragg; and his continuing service as an infantry and cavalry leader.
#347947 in Books Earl J Hess 2015-04-13 2015-04-13Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.36 x .98 x 6.08l; #File Name: 0807159379368 pagesCivil War Infantry Tactics Training Combat and Small Unit Effectiveness
Review
49 of 49 people found the following review helpful. Excellent review of Civil War formations as used on the battlefield and compared to doctrineBy R. W. LevesqueEarl Hess has written an excellent narrative history that provides a solid review of how both the Union and Confederate armies fought in the American Civil War. Having said that; this is the kind of book that the tactics or Civil War aficionado will appreciate; it is not for a casual reader of the Civil War.The author presents a very logical approach to the subject. Hess’ first two chapters review the tactical heritage inherited by those who fought the Civil War; both European and early American. The author then reviews the three primary manuals available to the two antagonists and how the officers and men trained for battle.Hess then gets into the meat of the book with six chapters reviewing specific; actual tactical situations as they were fought on the battlefield based on first person accounts by soldiers of both sides. He reviews moving forward and skirmishing; multiple lines; changing front; columns; multiple maneuvers; and large formations each with their own chapter. Although a bit dry at times the author really gets into these tactics as they were actually executed vice what the drill manuals said or where they used formations as designed. At the same time he demonstrates that; as the war went on; how the efficiency of the soldiers and their commanders steadily improved; as they were able to execute more complex tactical maneuvers even under fire.Chapter 11 then provides an overview of how tactics evolved after the Civil War. He makes the point that what really changed was not the range of rifled muskets; but the volume of fire especially as the century continued; and how tacticians changed their tactics and formations to deal with the increased lethality of the battlefield; all of which had to be balanced against the need for command and control of the troops to achieve their objectives. He also argues that the range and lethality of the battlefield really didn’t change even as the volume of fire increased; if for no other reason than human factors such as the difficulty a man has of discerning a man-size target after 300 yards.My only issue with the book; and I consider it a small one; is that Chapter 11; “Tactical Developments After the Civil War;†is not really related to the book as a whole. In other words; the first ten chapters do not support the thesis he presents in Chapter 11. And; although I found Chapter 11 very interesting; his argument requires more than a single chapter to support his conclusions.All in all a very good book; and I definitely recommend it for those who are interested in the formations and the issue of command and control on the Civil War battlefield.16 of 16 people found the following review helpful. How whyBy James W. DurneyWhen you move beyond reading about battles and leaders; you quickly discover Earl J. Hess.Chances are you will have read some of his battle histories but are now ready for his how and why books.This author is one of the few authors to look at how and why the war worked as it did.In doing so; he helps us understand some of the “silly decisions†and/or question some of the standard assumptions.These books give us an understanding of the environment the officers and men fought in and the reasons for their decisions.The American Civil War saw the transition from the smooth bore to the rifled muzzleloader.Rifling and bullet design resulted in a weapon that was lethal way beyond a smooth bore.However; battlefield conditions; the ability to communicate and human abilities worked to keep combat at about 100 yards.The author looks at how liner tactics were an efficient way to fight during the war.Additionally; the book looks at formation for regiments to corps on and off the battlefield.The training of both officers and men is well documented with a good discussion of the books available and how they differed. Last is a section looking at how the training; theory and formations worked during battle with examples drawn from reports.This could make for a sleep inducing book except for the author’s skill as a writer.The author grabs and holds are attention with excellent intelligent writing that is easy and fun to read.Well place and easy to understand illustrations support the text.This is a scholarly history with endnotes organized by page numbers at the top of the page.A full index; bibliography and glossary of terms complete the book.This handsome well-made book is a pleasure to hold and to read.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A very interesting read into Civil War tactics!By CustomerThe author presents some very interesting ideas as to how and why Civil War infantry tactics did not actually change much from Napoleonic or even earlier concepts of infantry movement. I'm not sure if I completely agree with his belief that the rifle musket had little impact in how commanders moved their troops on the battlefield. While I agree that most Civil War infantry combat was at close range; I still feel that the increased lethality of the new rifled musket ball with it's comparatively higher velocity is one of the biggest reasons late war battlefields began to ressemble WWI France. I do agree that the linear formations that were used at the time were still the best way to bring fire on the opposing troops when both sides were armed with muzzle loading shoulder arms.
