ePub Right Hand of Command by R. Steven Jones in History

Review

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. he does a fine job in beginning to fill this gapBy CustomerJones provides a careful overview to the critical role played by staff officers in the Civil War. With very little published information in this area of Civil War research; he does a fine job in beginning to fill this gap. An excellent book!0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Making Organizational Theory ExcitingBy T. BernerProfessor Jones not only proves that there are new things to write about the Civil War; but that you can make a study of organizational theory exciting.The author views the Civil War as it was fought by each of his subjects through the prism of how they used their staffs.To be sure; the chapters on McClellan; Lee and Sherman drag toward the end; not because of Professor Jones' prose or analysis; but because each of his subjects were so predictable and static in their (mostly non-)use of their staffs.It is a very different story with General Grant. You watch how his thinking evolves and he adapts through three different stages of the war by the way in which he used his staff. More than any other book I have read on Grant; The Right Hand of Command gave me greater insight into how Grant's mind worked and how he developed. You can recognize just how great a man he was by how he molded his behavior to meet the facts of the war. As a result; Grant was the only one of the four generals who was able to leverage his generalship by an innovative and skillful use of his staff.It is clear; too; how important General Rawlins was in his role as "housemother" to Grant's headquarters; including his concern over the use of alcohol near the general. Although Grant's drinking may have been exaggerated during the war - a possibility which the author acknowledges - Rawlins' puritanism probably kept a tighter lid on all members of the staff; forcing each of them to take their duties more seriously.Of the four generals being studied; Grant is the only one who had a hardscrabble pre-war life. The others were wealthy; well connected and successful in their careers. It is interesting to speculate whether that hard period helped make Grant intellectually more flexible. On the other hand; in the greatest depths of his poverty; Grant was given a slave by his father-in-law. Rather than sell him for much needed cash; he freed his slave and then hired him to work side by side in the fields with him. That is an act of principle which also illustrates that Grant was a man of character and that ability to rise above his ego may have given him this ability. Either way; The Right Hand of Command helps to complete a full picture of the man.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Scholarly look at how four significant Civil War generals used their military staffsBy E. JakseticThis book; which is based on the author's Ph.D. dissertation; discusses the various ways that military staffs were used by Civil War generals. To make the discussion manageable; the author focuses on how four significant Civil War generals (George B. McClellan; Robert E. Lee; Ulysses S. Grant; and William T. Sherman) selected; managed; and used their military staffs to assist them during the course of the Civil War. In the Preface; the author explains his reasons for focusing on those four Civil War generals instead of trying to survey all or most Civil War generals.In the opening chapter; the author briefly discusses how the use of military staffs by the American military was different from the use of military staffs by the French and Prussian armies; and how the American military left the management and use of military staffs to the discretion of its generals. The opening chapter provides an interesting perspective on the use of military staffs that the author occasionally uses later in the book to compare and evaluate the use of American military staffs during the Civil War. The author devotes one chapter each on General McClellan; General Lee; and General Sherman; but three chapters for General Grant. The author contends the different treatment for General Grant is warranted by the fact that General Grant's selection; management; and use of military staff changed and evolved during the course of the Civil War. Although that contention is plausible; some readers may conclude the author's decision to devote more chapters to General Grant is not warranted.The author discusses the personality; character; and lives of each general; and shows how their personality; character; and life experiences were significant factors in how each general selected; managed; and used military staffs during the Civil War. The book provides an insightful perspective on how the four generals -- with different personalities; characters; and life experiences -- (1) dealt with the pressures and demands of major military command; (2) decided when and how to delegate various duties and responsibilities to subordinate officers; and (3) sought to maintain a proper balance between (a) maintaining final authority and responsibility for their major commands; and (b) not becoming bogged down in; or overwhelmed by; administrative details that could be delegated.This book could be of interest to the following: (1) People interested in a different perspective on the Civil War; (2) People interested in military leadership; and (3) People interested in the problem of how a military leader can strike a proper balance between (a) delegating duties to enhance efficiency; and (b) maintaining effective control and ultimate responsibility. Because of the scholarly; academic approach taken by the author; this book is not recommended for readers with only a casual interest in the Civil War or Civil War generals.