Studies Military and Diplomatic, 1775-1865

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v, 424 pp. 8vo. 1971 reissue of 1911 original. Charles Francis Adams II (May 27, 1835 – May 20, 1915) was a member of the prominent Adams family. He served as a colonel in the Unio n Army during the American Civil War. After the war, he was a railroad regulator and executive, president, successively, of the Union Pacific Railroad, the Massachusetts Historical Society, and the American Historical Association. His writings and addresses both on problems of railway management and on historical subjects frequently gave rise to widespread controversy. In this work, first published in 1911, Adams writes with impressive clarity and fresh perspective a severe critique of George Washington's military abilities as opposed to his qualities of character that made him a great leader; the strategic aspects of the American Revolution; and the need for American historians of that period to refrain from sacrificing the truth to patriotic self-indulgence. He describes the War of 1812's battle of New Orleans from a British perspective. Moving on to the Civil War, he discusses the moral and constitutional rights of the States to secede from the Union; the South's tragic self-delusion that led to war; the decisive role of the Union's naval blockade of the South; the consequential incompetence of Union general, Benjamin Butler; and the rules of war with respect to Sherman's 'march to the sea.' He delivers a thoughtful disertation on the nature of Robert E. Lee's treason, his actions at Gettysburg, and the profound significance of his conduct at Appomattox. He describes the diplomatic maneuvering during the Civil War by the United States and the Confederacy for the purpose of influencing British and French policies — flavored with a lesson about the unreliability of eyewitness accounts as an historical resource. Studies, Military and Diplomatic, written by a significant historian with considerable practical as well as academic experience, is both an important and an enjoyable read for any student of American history. Show more