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摘要
摘要
From a renowned historian and son of President Dwight D. Eisenhower comes the first-ever biography of General Winfield Scott, the towering commander, a hero of the War of 1812, who was instrumental in shaping America's border and who created the modern U.S. military. 16-page photo insert.
评论 (3)
出版社周刊评论
Despite the publisher's contention that this is "the first-ever biography" of Winfield Scott (1786-1866), Eisenhower's (Intervention!) fine work is actually the latest of several previous biographies of the esteemed general, and the first major work on him since Charles W. Elliott's classic Winfield Scott (1937), now generally unavailable for modern readers. Scott served 14 U.S. presidents, rising from captain in 1798 to general-in-chief of the U.S. Army in 1841. His service in the War of 1812 brought him to national attention; his superb performance in the Mexican War showered international fame upon him. In between, he wrote General Regulations for the Army, the first comprehensive set of military bylaws. Eisenhower, using published primary sources as well as secondary literature, has crafted a first-rate biography that covers the general's flaws (a large ego and quick temper) as well as his military genius, along with his presidential ambitions. This is a nuanced, knowing and overdue study of an influential American who is almost forgotten today except by those who study the art of war. Maps. (Dec.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus评论
A great but frequently overlooked figure in America during the early decades of the 19th century now gets his due. Military historian Eisenhower (son of the late president, and author of Intervention! The United States and the Mexican Revolution, 1993, etc.) describes a natural leader of imposing stature, overweening pride, exceptional courage, and wide learning, who possessed considerable organizational and diplomatic skills along with outstanding martial instincts. Descended from a Scottish warrior who followed ""Bonnie Prince Charlie"" and escaped from bloody Culloden Moor, Scott was educated at William and Mary College and trained as a lawyer. But he was a born soldier: He loved the glamour of the military life. He raised a ragtag national army to professional levels and boldly recruited social outcasts like Irish and German immigrants, offering advancement to ambitious ethnic men when other professions did not. As the nation's youngest general, Scott distinguished himself in the War of 1812, and he was a hero of the Mexican War in the 1840s. After a brilliant campaign fought entirely on foreign soil, he stormed and captured Mexico City despite considerable political maneuvering on the battlefield and the homefront by a variety of influential enemies. In peacetime, he served successfully as a diplomat to the Canadians, the British, the Seminoles, and the Cherokees. Eisenhower argues that the outspoken Scott's military exploits vastly overshadowed those of Zachary Taylor in the Mexican War--but Taylor, who became president in 1850, was an astute politician and Scott, who lost his bid for the presidency in 1852, was not. Scott served 15 presidents, from Jefferson to Andrew Johnson, retiring as general-in-chief. In an afflicted old age, he organized the defense of Washington and started to build the Union Army in 1861. While Eisenhower largely skirts Scott's personal life, he offers a vivid portrait of Scott's times and accomplishments, and of the violent young nation in which he came to prominence. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
《书目》(Booklist)书评
Eisenhower characterizes General Winfield Scott (1786-1866) as an "almost forgotten figure." May his biography do something to redress that undesirable situation. Born in Virginia and trained as a lawyer, Scott joined the army during the period of Anglo-American tension that led to the War of 1812. He served as a general in that war, led the decisive campaign in the Mexican War more than 30 years later, and was indispensable in organizing the regular army and Union strategy for the Civil War. Between major wars, he fought Indians vigorously but fairly, helped establish professionalism in the U.S. Army, and showed a penchant for fancy uniforms and other prerogatives of rank that earned him the nickname "Old Fuss and Feathers." A general officer under 13 presidents, Scott probably did more of the practical work necessary for American westward expansion than any other man, as well as a similar share of the work of founding the regular army. A properly updated biography of him is long overdue. Now that there is one, consider it nearly indispensable for any American history collection. (Reviewed December 15, 1997)0684844516Roland Green