Agent of Destiny: The Life and Times of General Winfield Scott (review)

book reviewsi6i Oddly, adept at diplomacy and pacification, Scott was wholly inept at politics . He wanted to be president, but he lacked the common touch. Instead of attracting voters, his abrasive, bombastic personality and high-falutin', longwinded speechmaking repelled them. Not for him the trenchant stump speech or hard-hitting one-liner. Johnson makes that clear as well, giving more than equal weight to Scott's warts. The strength ofJohnson's biography is its research. He has turned over virtually every rock in every crevice that bears on Scott. One might wish that he had paired his impressive research with more dramatic punch and less matter-offact prose. But that should not stop a reader from picking up this book with profit and becoming acquainted—or reacquainted—with this soldier who occupied the American stage so dramatically for so long and then was permitted, for all too long, to fade into obscurity. Johnson's book—and Eisenhower's—together are important, long overdue bids to put him back under the spotlight where he belongs. John C. Waugh Arlington, Texas Agent ofDestiny: The Life and Times of General Winfield Scott. By John S. D. Eisenhower. (NY: Free Press, 1997, Pp xiv, 464. $27.50.) Winfield Scott is the longest active-duty general in U.S. history (1814-1861). Scott had outstanding traits that kept him in the good graces of some of his peers, and he had negative traits that got him in trouble. He was generous in nature, outgoing, and liked to learn. He achieved the rank of general through energetic work in forming and training an effective military command that could fight on equal terms with the BritishArmy regulars. Traits ofbrashness, ambition, impulsiveness , and egotism sometimes caused him to have difficulties with many people. He had stormy affairs with President Andrew Jackson, the only one ever to humble Scott. President James K. Polk, Secretary of War Jefferson Davis, and Generals James Wilkerson, Edmund P. Gaines, Gideon Pillow, and George B. McClellan all had squabbles with Scott. He had a "tendency to injure himself politically whenever he opened his mouth or picked up his pen." Despite his personality traits, Scott, a survivor, achieved a significant number ofaccomplishments. He provided a needed psychological lift with his military leadership during the War of 18 12. His handling of the Black Hawk War and cholera epidemic earned him high marks.The Second SeminoleWar and the removal ofthe Cherokee Indians to OklahomaTerritory were difficult operations handled with mixed success by Scott. He skillfully negotiated a number of Canadian border disputes that contributed to a stronger relationship between the nations. At age sixty he gained his major claim to fame, with the most ambitious amphibious expedition in history up to that time, at Veracruz, Mexico. His development and use ofthe "flying" or light artillery made a difference in the war. l62CIVIL war history Although understaffed and with limited supplies, Scott led his forces successfully in Mexico. In 1 852 Scott became the last Whig presidential candidate. However, some of his personality traits were not popular with voters. His nickname of "Old Fuss and Feathers," his tendency to be blustery and be preoccupied with personal appearance, worked against him. He predicted a long Civil War before anyone in Washington, D.C, would grasp the reality of the conflict. President Abraham Lincoln and Scott last consulted with one another in June of 1862 at West Point. Scott had served in the Army for fifty-three years, under fourteen presidents. The day of his funeral, cannons fired at every Army post, and Federal executive offices and the New York Stock Exchange were closed for the day, in his honor. The giant general now rests at his favorite Army post, West Point. John Eisenhower's biography is ajoy to read! The writing is clear and smooth. It is admirable that Eisenhower traveled to major places where Scott soldiered. He examined the terrain from Lundy's Lane, Ontario, Canada, to Mexico City, Mexico. However, Eisenhower's biography does not mine scattered manuscript collections; scholars looking for such may wish to study Timothy D. Johnson's recent Winfield Scott: The Questfor Military Glory (Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1998). Eisenhower's...