From hero to leader : the development of nineteenth-century American military leadership

Abstract

This study examines the process of military leadership within the Regular Army in the period 1815 to 1898 and poses a paradigm that attempts to go beyond the argument about whether leadership is an art or science. Few senior officers discussed the elements of effective leadership with those officers they led; as an intuitive process, leadership was grounded in character and fundamental to an officer's personality. It is possible, however, to grasp what men understood as the essentials of leadership. The battle of New Orleans, the Dade Massacre, the battle of Cerro Gordo, the Fettenran Massacre, and the battle o f El Caney are used as case studies to explore this understanding. Military leaders practiced their craft in a constantly changing environment throughout the nineteenth century. What did not change was the place of the Army within the Western military tradition. The acceptance of a European model in the post-1815 reorganizations, Winfield Scot's long-term leadership, the institutionalizing force of the Military Academy, and the Napoleonic scope of Civil War operations all forged a cultural view of the Regular Amy as a distinct, formal band of professional warriors sharing a common, ancient heritage with the armies of Europe. Although seldom discussed, and not fully understood, at the heart of the military leadership process in the Regular Army in the nineteenth century was a concept of leadership that dated from the days of Achilles and Odysseus. It was based on power, will , courage, and the idea, articulated by the Taoist philosopher Lao Tzu in the sixth century B. C., that if you fail to honor men they will fail to honor you.