Commanders of the Army of the Potomac by Warren W. Hassler, Jr. (review)

TtIE CANADIAN I-IISTOHICAL HEVIE%• theterritories andotherissues fromthe 1840'sonward, Buchanan favoured proposals whichwerenot put into effect-theextension of the line of 36ø 30' to thePacific coast(1847), theadmission of Kansas asa statewiththepro-slavery Leeompton constitution (1858), and the callingof a nationalconvention to initiate aconstitutional amendment protecting,the rights ofslaveholders (December 1860). The closing months of Buchanan s presidency_ weremarked by the secession of seven Southern states and the formation of the Gonfederate States of America; whenarmedhostilities commenced in April 1861,somesixweeks afterheleftoffice, manysupporters oftheUnionheldBuchanan at least partially responsible for the success of the secession movement andfor the outbreak of war.Vindication of hisrecord against thiscriticism became virtuallyBuehanan's principal occupation in the seven yearsremaining in hislife afterhe left the presidency. In a broad sense,"vindication" summarizes the crucial issuesconcerning Buchanan's career:Is it likelythat thepolicies he advocated from 1847would have reducedbetterresults(howeverdefined)thanthe measures whichwere P adopted? Werehisactions in thesecession crisis wiseandeffective? Foranswerin thesequestions, Professor Klein resents Buchanan's position full , andit is y valuable to have this presentation •Por comparison with existin corn assionate g P studies of therolesof such olitical rivalsofhisasStephen A Douglas, orAbrap ß hamLincoh,or Jefferson Davis.Mostreaders of President James Buchanan can robabl aee in considerinits authorfair-minded, eventhougha numberof p y gr g readers may closethe bookwith an evaluation of Buchanan lesssympathetic thanthatofhisbiographer. THOMAS j. PRESSLY University of Washington Commanders of theArmyof the Potomac. By W•mm• W. HASS•.v.R, JR.Baton Rouge: Lonisiana StateUniversity Press [Toronto: Bums & MacEachern Ltd.]. 1962.Pp.xxii,281.$7.50. ßm• AR•YOF• •'OTOMA½, themajorUnionarmyin theeastern theatre during theAmerican Civil War, hadthe misfortune to be commanded by menwho,in mostinstances, wereno matchfor RobertE. Lee.With superiority in numbers andmat•rielof war,theArmyof thePotomac should haveaccomplished more thanit didinitsfouryears ofexistence andwhatsuccess it didenjoy was farmore the resultof the valo6randdevotion of the menin the ranksthantheleadership of its commanders. While this is somewhatharsh on McClellan, Meade, and Grant,it applies in full measure to McDowell, Pope,Burnside, andHooker. Thesesevenofficers are the subject of a studyin command by WarrenW. Hassler, Jr. Thisis not biography but rathera critiqueof eachmanin hiscapacityasmilitaryleader . The author takesup eachonein turn,examining his intellectual and-technical fitness for command and his performance with the Army of the Potomac.(Technically, Popeand Grantnevercommanded that army.) In straightforward language he discusses eachgeneral's abilityas a strate'st, tactician,and handlerof the various militaryarmssuchas cavalry andartillery. Me is alsointerested in theirrelationship to Lincoln, Secretary of WarEdwinM. Stanton, andthepoliticians in andoutofCongress. Professor Hassler, relyin to a largeextenton secondary sources (primary g sources havebeenusedwhereappropriate), anddrawingonhisownextensive knowledge of the subjt, reaches the conclusion that,of theseven, McClellan, Meade, and Grant were competent commanders, while McDowen,.., Pope, Buruside ,andHooker were"essentially unsuccess[ul andunsatisfactory.' It isunlikely thattherewill bemuchdisagreement withthisortheotherconclusions reached by Hassler unless it be hisunenthusiastic appraisal of Grant.Stillit is a book that should be of interest especially to thoseCivil War novices whobecome cordused overtherapidturnover in thecommand d theArmyd thePotomac. This raises, .a question which the author chose not to tackle. Why did the Army ofthePotomac have oor,mediocre, or,at best, merely competent commanders? P Thiswould have beenanappropriate subject fordiscussion. Thoiagh theauthor hasmadeaneffortto beunbiased, hehasnotbeenable to hidehispartialityfor McClellan. Professor Hassler hadpreviously writtena sympathetic biography d McClellan andthishasledhimtogloss overhisshortcomings andfailures. Forinstance, he concedes thatMcClellan showed "obtuseness anda lackof tactin dealing withLineoh"whenheshould havesaidthat he wasinexcusably rudeandinsubordinate. His admission thatat the Battleof Antietam on September 17, 1862,"McClellan wouldhavedonebetterto have exercised a greater degree ofpersonal control oftheaction . . ."canonlybedescribed asa gross understatement. Hassler's choice ofsecondary sources leaves something tobedesired. ,Inthe Bibliography hestates thattheFreeman Cleaves biography of Meadeis much better" than theone byPennypacker. ,Yethecites Pennypacker •requently, Cleaves not at all. Kenneth P. Wfiliams Lincoln Finds a General offers interesting andoftennovelcommentary on thecommanders of the Armyof the Potomac, yetthis work isnot ev, enintheBibliography. And toputany reliance whatsoever in AbnerDoubleday s Chancellorsville andGettysburg, astheauthor does, issimply confidence misplaced. Despite these flaws, thisisa readable, scholarly work,a useful addition tothe greatmass d CivilWarliterature. JOHN A. CARP•--NTER Washington andJefferson College Washington, Pa. Fessenden of Maine: Civil War Senator. By CI•mL•.SA. JI•-LLISON. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press [Toronto: Burns & MacEacheru Ltd.].1962.Pp.x, 294,inus.$6.95. AMONGTHE HOSTOF NAMESremembered from the Civil War William Pitt Fessenden...