Winfield Scott
Winfield Scott (June 13, 1786May 29, 1866) was an American military commander and political candidate. He served as Commanding General of the United States Army from 1841 to 1861, having taken part in the War of 1812, the Mexican–American War, the early stages of the American Civil War, and also in the American Indian Wars earlier in his career. Scott was the Whig Party's presidential nominee in the 1852 election, but was defeated by Democrat Franklin Pierce. He was known as Old Fuss and Feathers for his insistence on proper military etiquette, as well as the Grand Old Man of the Army for his many years of service.Scott was born near Petersburg, Virginia, in 1786. After training as a lawyer and brief militia service, he joined the army in 1808 as a captain of the light artillery. In the War of 1812, Scott served on the Canadian front, taking part in the Battle of Queenston Heights and the Battle of Fort George, and was promoted to brigadier general in early 1814. He served with distinction in the Battle of Chippawa, but was badly wounded in the subsequent Battle of Lundy's Lane. After the conclusion of the war, Scott was assigned to command army forces in a district containing much of the Northeastern United States, and he and his family made their home near New York City. During the 1830s, Scott negotiated an end to the Black Hawk War, took part in the Second Seminole War and the Creek War of 1836, and presided over the forced removal of the Cherokee. Scott also helped to avert war with Great Britain, defusing tensions arising from the Patriot War and the Aroostook War.
In 1841, Scott became the Commanding General of the United States Army, beating out his rival Edmund P. Gaines for the position. After the outbreak of the Mexican–American War in 1846, Scott was relegated to an administrative role, but in 1847 he led a campaign against the Mexican capital of Mexico City. After capturing the port city of Veracruz, he defeated Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna's armies at the Battles of Cerro Gordo, Contreras, and Churubusco. He then captured Mexico City, after which he maintained order in the Mexican capital and indirectly helped envoy Nicholas Trist negotiate the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which brought an end to the war.
Scott unsuccessfully sought the Whig presidential nomination three times, in 1840, 1844, and 1848. He finally won it in 1852, when the party was already dying off. The Whigs were badly divided over the Compromise of 1850, and Franklin Pierce won a decisive victory over his former commander. Nonetheless, Scott remained popular among the public, and in 1855 he received a brevet promotion to the rank of lieutenant general, becoming the first U.S. Army officer to hold that rank since George Washington. In 1859 he peacefully solved the conflict of the Pig War, ending the last in a long series of British-American border conflicts. Despite being a Virginia native, Scott stayed loyal to the Union when the Civil War broke out and served as an important adviser to President Abraham Lincoln during the opening stages of the war. He developed a strategy known as the Anaconda Plan, but retired in late 1861 after Lincoln increasingly relied on General George B. McClellan for military advice and leadership. In retirement, he lived in West Point, New York, where he died on May 29, 1866.
Scott's military talent was highly regarded by contemporaries, and historians generally consider him to be one of the most accomplished generals in U.S. history. Provided by Wikipedia
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Infantry tactics, or, rules for exercise and manoeuvres of U.S. infantry, new edition, Evolutions of line. by Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866
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System of discipline for the army Letter from the secretary of war, transmitting a revision of the system of discipline for the army / by Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866
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Memoirs of Lieut.-General Scott, LL.D by Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866
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Proceedings of the Military court of inquiry, in the case of Major General Scott by Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866
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Memoirs of Lieut.-General Winfield Scott / by Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866
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Infantry tactics, or, rules for exercise and manoeuvres of U.S. infantry, new edition. by Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866
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Infantry tactics, or, rules for exercise and manoeuvres of U.S. infantry. by Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866
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Infantry tactics or, Rules for the exercise and manoeuvres of the United States' infantry: Vol. I. Schools of soldier and company [on infantry drills] by Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866
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Infantry tactics, or, rules for exercise and manoeuvres of U.S. infantry. School of battalion, and instruction for light infantry or rifle. by Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866
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Proceedings of the Military Court of Inquiry, in the case of Major General Scott and Major General Gaines by Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866
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National militia standard embracing the discipline of infantry, ligh infantry, riflemen, light artillery, horse artillery, cavalry / by Darrow, Pierce, 1782?-1835
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Modifications of the Mexican military contribution tariff
Published 1847Other Authors: “…Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866…”
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Defence of Major Gen. Pillow before the court of inquiry at Frederick, Maryland, against the charges preferred against him by Maj. Gen. Winfield Scott. by Pillow, Gideon Johnson, 1806-1878
Published 1848Other Authors: “…Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866…”
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Correspondence between Major General Jackson, and Brevet Major General Scott, on the subject of an order, bearing date the 22d April, 1817 by Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845
Published 1819Other Authors: “…Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866…”
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Rules and regulations for the field exercise and manoeuvres of infantry compiled and adapted to the organization of the Army of the United States, agreeably to a resolve of Congres...
Published 1815Other Authors: “…Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866…”
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Rules and regulations for the field exercise and manoeuvres of infantry
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Proceedings of the military court of inquiry, in the case of Major General Scott and Major General Gaines
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Proceedings of the military court of inquiry, in the case of Major General Scott and Major General Gaines printed in pursuance of a resolution of the Senate of March 3, 1837.
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Letter from the Secretary of War transmitting a system of field service & police, and a system of martial law, for the government of the Army of the United States /
Published 1820Other Authors: “…Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866…”
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Related Subjects
Drill and tactics
Courts-martial and courts of inquiry
Infantry drill and tactics
Trials (Military offenses)
Mexican War, 1846-1848
Creek War, 1836
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