Suggestions, Reflections, And Biases In The History Of The United States Civil War
Suggestions, Reflections, and Biases
The United States Army as well as many other militaries failed to review their own doctrine. This failure to read and operationalize history of the United States Army as well as that of other militaries failures, lead to more deaths than necessary.
For all the ‘4th Generation of War’ intellectuals running around today saying that the nature of war has fundamentally changed, the tactics are wholly new, etc., I must respectfully say, ‘Not really’: Alexander the Great would not be in the least bit perplexed by the enemy that we face right now in Iraq, and our leaders going into this fight do their troops a disservice by not studying — studying, vice just reading — the men who have gone before us. We have …show more content…
Primarily, he saw that with the technological advances within the military did not coincide with tactics. Emory Upton realized that advances in rendered musketry obsolete. The centuries-old infantry tactic of having troops attack in a long line, as the British utilized against the colonies a hundred years before, still fell under Union doctrine. The one line of troops abreast firing a single volley from the inaccuracies of non-rifled rounds or muskets allowed this doctrinal tactic to succeed for many years. Upton, along with the Minnie round, chose a different …show more content…
His superiors did not take him seriously, ultimately leading to his suicide. “On March 14, 1881, Upton wrote his sister of his hope that God would “lead me to sacrifice myself, rather than to perpetuate a method which might in the future cost a single man his life.” He then wrote out a single line resigning his commission, picked up his Colt .45 pistol from his desk and shot himself in the head. He was just 41 years old.” Only after Upton’s death, did his fellow military leaders take his doctrinal writings seriously. This late appreciation of Upton’s doctrinal genius potentially extended the civil war months if not years, and ultimately thousands of lives. Upton’s realization of needing to keep a trained and ready Army, throughout downsizing of the force, is not truly implemented, even today. After World War II, the downsizing of the Army led to Task Force Smith. Task Force Smith, illustrated this when the unit preformed poorly due to an insufficiently trained noncommissioned officer corps depleted from the rapid downsizing after World War II. The Vietnam War found this same fault throughout its units. The noncommissioned officer corps received little training, leading to the “Shake and Bake” noncommissioned officers. This quick and dirty training elevated enlisted Soldiers to the ranks of noncommissioned officer within a few
The United States Army as well as many other militaries failed to review their own doctrine. This failure to read and operationalize history of the United States Army as well as that of other militaries failures, lead to more deaths than necessary.
For all the ‘4th Generation of War’ intellectuals running around today saying that the nature of war has fundamentally changed, the tactics are wholly new, etc., I must respectfully say, ‘Not really’: Alexander the Great would not be in the least bit perplexed by the enemy that we face right now in Iraq, and our leaders going into this fight do their troops a disservice by not studying — studying, vice just reading — the men who have gone before us. We have …show more content…
Primarily, he saw that with the technological advances within the military did not coincide with tactics. Emory Upton realized that advances in rendered musketry obsolete. The centuries-old infantry tactic of having troops attack in a long line, as the British utilized against the colonies a hundred years before, still fell under Union doctrine. The one line of troops abreast firing a single volley from the inaccuracies of non-rifled rounds or muskets allowed this doctrinal tactic to succeed for many years. Upton, along with the Minnie round, chose a different …show more content…
His superiors did not take him seriously, ultimately leading to his suicide. “On March 14, 1881, Upton wrote his sister of his hope that God would “lead me to sacrifice myself, rather than to perpetuate a method which might in the future cost a single man his life.” He then wrote out a single line resigning his commission, picked up his Colt .45 pistol from his desk and shot himself in the head. He was just 41 years old.” Only after Upton’s death, did his fellow military leaders take his doctrinal writings seriously. This late appreciation of Upton’s doctrinal genius potentially extended the civil war months if not years, and ultimately thousands of lives. Upton’s realization of needing to keep a trained and ready Army, throughout downsizing of the force, is not truly implemented, even today. After World War II, the downsizing of the Army led to Task Force Smith. Task Force Smith, illustrated this when the unit preformed poorly due to an insufficiently trained noncommissioned officer corps depleted from the rapid downsizing after World War II. The Vietnam War found this same fault throughout its units. The noncommissioned officer corps received little training, leading to the “Shake and Bake” noncommissioned officers. This quick and dirty training elevated enlisted Soldiers to the ranks of noncommissioned officer within a few