Winfield Scott

Lieutenant General Winfield Scott, 1861

Winfield Scott (born June 13, 1786 in Laurel Branch near Petersburg , Dinwiddie County , Virginia , † May 29, 1866 in West Point , Orange County , New York ) was an American general , diplomat and politician.

biography

family

Origin of the Scott family from the clan areas of Scotland

Scott's ancestors come from Scotland , as the name Scott shows . Scott's grandfather, James Scott (1720-1760), was born in the Scottish Lowlands on the border with England near Abbotsford in the county of Roxburghshire . He was a member of the Scottish clan of Scott of Buccleuch , of its roots to 1120 on a Uchtredus filius Scoti can return. James Scott was a Jacobite , a follower of the Catholic King James (Jacob) II / VII, who was overthrown in the Glorious Revolution in 1688 . from England and Ireland and Scotland from the House of Stuart . During the Second Jacobite Revolt of 1745/46, James Scott fought as a rider in the small squadron cavalry of the Lowland clans on the side of the Jacobites under Charles Edward Stuart . However, this suffered a crushing defeat against the British troops in the Battle of Culloden in 1746.

The 26-year-old James Scott then fled to North America to the British New England colonies in Jamestown , Virginia. He settled near Petersburg , where he also studied British law ( common law ) and practiced as a lawyer. In 1746 he married Sarah Elizabeth Pegram from an influential Virginia family, with whom he had a total of six children, including the second oldest son, William Scott, Scott's father.

William Scott (1747–1791) became a successful farmer and built the Laurel Branch plantation in Dinwiddie County, 14 miles southwest of Petersburg , which he gradually expanded into a family estate. As early as 1767 he had married Ann Mason (1751-1803), daughter of Daniel Mason and Elizabeth Winfield, whose families were the most respected and wealthiest in Virginia and all of Dinwiddie County. During the American Revolutionary War from 1776 to 1783, William Scott last fought as a captain in the Continental Army in the war against the United Kingdom .

Scott was born in 1786 on his parents' Laurel Branch plantation, the youngest of eight children. It was named after his mother's brother, wealthy uncle Winfield Mason Scott. His seven older siblings were Elizabeth (1767-1838), Mary (1772-1838), Elisha (1774-?), Ann (1775-1872), James (1777-1840 / 42), Rebecca (1780-1850) and Martha (1783-?). Later, both his brother James, who was the eldest son who took over his parents' plantation, and his sister Rebecca married into the Pegram family in Virginia.

Winfield Scott's wife Maria DeHart Mayo, painting circa 1831

After his parents passed away, 17-year-old Scott was largely on his own.

Scott married in 1817 Maria DeHart Mayo (1789-1862) of Richmond, Virginia, who came from one of the most respected and wealthy families in Virginia . She was the daughter of Abigail DeHart (1761-1845) and Colonel John Mayo (1760-1818). The marriage had seven children - five girls and two boys; four died in childhood:
daughter Cornelia (1825–1885) was married to Colonel Henry Lee Scott (1814–1886), long-time aide to General Scott. The marriage of the same name Winfield Scott emerged.
Daughter Adeline Camilla (1831-1882) married Gould Hoyt (1822-1883), a wealthy merchant from New York City. The marriage had six children.
Daughter Marcella (1834-1909) married Charles Carroll McTavish (1818-1868) from a Catholic family dynasty in Maryland . The marriage had five children.

Scott's brother James Scott (1777-1840 / 42) fought in the British-American War of 1812 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Virginia militia and commanded the 83rd Infantry Regiment, which defended the Atlantic coast in the Norfolk (Virginia) section from landing attempts by British troops .

education

College of William & Mary; Scott studied here

Little is known of Scott's upbringing and schooling. He often visited the neighbor James Greenway, a physicist, from whose extensive library he often borrowed books. Scott's actual schooling was sporadic. In 1798/99 he was at the boarding school of Quaker James Hargrave in Williamsburg (Virginia) for almost two years . In 1804 he attended the Academy of the Scots James Ogilvie in Richmond (Virginia) for a year .

In 1805 Scott enrolled in the prestigious College of William & Mary in Williamsburg (Virginia) , the second oldest higher education institution in the USA after Harvard University in Cambridge (Massachusetts) . In the college headed by Bishop James Madison, a cousin of the later US President James Madison of the same name , he studied chemistry, natural and experimental philosophy and law ( common law ). Since he quickly found an interest in law and wanted to follow his grandfather's choice of career, James Scott, he also chose civil law and international law as subjects of study. In this context he also heard for the first time lectures, lectures, speeches and discussions by his law professor Henry St. George Tucker about the "special institution" ("The Peculiar Institution") of slavery in the United States and the legal possibilities of a possible gradual emancipation of Afro-American people Slaves into American society, which influenced his later political views and career. In addition, he began to be interested in religion and in particular in the Episcopal Church and was also enthusiastic about the politics of the USA and the political program of the anti-federalists who had come together in the Democratic Republican Party under US President Thomas Jefferson .

He also spent a lot of time reading, for example the works of philosophers and historians such as Adam Smith , John Locke , Thomas Hobbes , Edward Gibbon and David Hume , publications by essayists and poets such as William Shakespeare , John Milton , Joseph Addison and John Dryden and books by writers and novelists such as Henry Fielding , Oliver Goldsmith , Washington Irving , James Fenimore Cooper and Sir Walter Scott , with whom he was even extensively related through his grandfather James Scott and the Scottish clan Scott . In addition, he was very interested in generals like Caesar or Scipio Africanus and dealt with their lives and their political and military work. In addition, he perfected his reading skills in French-language texts so that he could read and understand them without any problems, but spoke French with little fluency and a clear accent.

After leaving college in 1806, Scott joined the lawyer David Robertson's office in Petersburg, where he completed his law degree. Scott also pursued the 1807 trial against former US Vice President Aaron Burr for treason and conspiracy, in which Brigadier General James Wilkinson was also heard as a witness; Scott met him a few years later.

Service in the militia, entry into the US Army

In early July 1807, Scott briefly joined the Virginia militia as a corporal of the cavalry . In 1808 he was taken over as captain of the artillery in the US Army . Almost six feet tall, he was physically impressive. There was also a pronounced vanity. He is characterized by a strong thirst for knowledge, a quick grasp and a great thirst for education. He learned Greek , Latin , rhetoric and philosophy as well as military tactics , read works by European authors on strategy and always had an extensive library with him during his campaigns. With his in-depth knowledge of military theory, he was an exception in the amateur US Army of his time. However, his thirst for recognition also got him into considerable trouble. Because of an argument with his superior James Wilkinson , which he had publicly criticized, he was demoted for a year . Later he was often criticized for his handling of public money, but never with a major impact on his career.

British-American War, 1812

Scott as Brigadier General in the Battle of Chippawa, 1814

1812, at the outbreak of war with the United Kingdom Lieutenant Colonel Scott (was Lieutenant Colonel ). As such, he came into British captivity during the heavy American defeat at the Battle of Queenston Heights in October 1812, from which he was released again by a prisoner exchange in January 1813. He had led a contingent of regular troops who had crossed Niagara during the battle but were cut off and forced to surrender.

In March 1813 Scott became the Colonel ( Colonel promoted), and was chief of staff of Major General Henry Dearborn . He was involved in the capture of Fort George in May as regimental commander . He publicly expressed sharp criticism of "weak-headed" officer colleagues and of the American strategy as a whole, for example the campaign of 1813 on the Niagara Peninsula , where, in his opinion, General Dearborn, the most senior officer in the US Army, delivered decisive blows to the outnumbered Britons had been withheld. He had no part in the embarrassing defeats of this campaign (battles at Stoney Creek and Beaver Dams ) and thereby - unlike some of his colleagues - did not lose his good reputation.

Scott was promoted to brigadier general by President James Madison in 1814 as a prudent and competent commander . He was the youngest general in the US Army and took command of a brigade stationed in Buffalo . He immediately began to shape these units according to his ideas. The officers were trained in combat tactics, and the crews were drilled to exhaustion over several months. Scott also made a radical improvement in sanitary conditions, which led to a significant decrease in diseases. In this way he formed an efficient, well-trained and homogeneous large unit, instilled new self-confidence in his soldiers and earned their respect with his in-depth military knowledge, leadership talent and personal courage.

Scott and his brigade took part in Jacob Brown's invasion of Canada in July 1814 , the last and most serious attempt to conquer the British colony for the United States. With this approximately 2,000-strong unit, he succeeded on July 5 in inflicting a serious defeat on British troops under Major General Phineas Riall in the Battle of Chippewa . He turned out to be a master of classic infantry tactics, breaking through the lines of the British with a swift attack, forcing them to make a hasty retreat. This victory laid the foundation for Scott's further career, but had no lasting military impact. Since the Americans failed to take advantage of their success in time, they lost the decisive battle at Lundy's Lane on July 25, 1814 against the considerably strengthened British under Brigadier General Gordon Drummond . Scott's aggressiveness, which had brought him the victory at Chippewa, had tragic consequences here, because his brigade was largely destroyed in this extremely costly battle in a frontal attack against strong British units, and he himself was seriously wounded. Critics accused him of sacrificing his soldiers to his personal lust for fame and vanity, but nothing changed the fact that he emerged from the war of 1812 as a widely celebrated hero. After the war he was therefore able to continue his efforts to improve the training of the army and professionalize the officer corps. Thereby he shaped the American army in the 19th century. Several officers in the corps, such as Robert E. Lee, gained their first military experience under his command.

Campaigns against the Indians

Although he made numerous enemies because of his character - he is said to have clashed with Andrew Jackson in such a way that both agreed to a duel but refrained from fighting because each was convinced of the other's courage - he received other important commands. In 1829 he became commander in chief of the Eastern Department of the Army. In 1832 Scott commanded troops in the Black Hawk War , in the same year he was commander-in-chief of the federal troops that deployed against the state of South Carolina in the so-called nullification crisis (see also Nullification Doctrine ) . It was also used in the Second Seminole War (1835–1842) in Florida . In 1838 he forced on the orders of President Martin Van Buren , the deportation of the Cherokee - Indians from Georgia in the Indian Territory in what is now Oklahoma , called the Trail of Tears . Due to bad climatic conditions, poor organization and indifference on the part of the Americans, around 4,000 Indians died. Although Scott undoubtedly shared the racist attitude of most of his countrymen towards the Indians, he was humane enough to stop the deportation because of this experience, which earned him massive criticism from those responsible, including Andrew Jacksons. In March 1839, Scott mediated tensions between the US state of Maine and the Canadian province of New Brunswick (the so-called Aroostook War ).

Mexican-American War

Scott's Entry into Mexico City , lithograph by Adolphe Jean-Baptiste Bayot after a drawing by Carl Nebel, 1851

In 1841 Scott became Major General and Commander in Chief of the Army . During the Mexican-American War (1846–1848) he commanded the southern of the two US armies that advanced into Mexico . He landed at Veracruz , took the city on March 27, 1847 and followed the route of the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés from 1519 towards Mexico City . Scott's opponent in this campaign was the Mexican President and General Antonio López de Santa Anna . Scott defeated the Mexicans at the Battle of Cerro Gordo on April 18, 1847 after his pioneers found a mountain path that enabled the Americans to bypass the enemy position. On August 19 and 20, he defeated them again in two consecutive battles at Contreras and Churubusco, which cleared the way to Mexico City. After unsuccessful negotiations, the Americans captured Mexican positions near Mexico City in the bloody battle of Molino del Rey on September 8. On September 13th, after two days of fighting in the Battle of Chapultepec, this important fort covering the capital was captured. On the orders of his subordinate William Harney, ten were those at Churubusco at the moment the American flag was visible on the fort Members of the San Patricios , a group of mostly Irish-born Americans serving in Mexican military service, who were captured and sentenced by court-martial , were hanged. To this day, the status of these soldiers and their execution is controversial; sometimes the execution is viewed as a war crime, and sometimes as the legitimate punishment of traitors .

On September 14th, after another bloody fighting, the Americans invaded Mexico City after Santa Anna withdrew his troops from the city. As the city's military commander, Scott earned the respect of both Mexicans and the US authorities. Conflicts within his officer corps and the hostility of the administration of President James K. Polk because of his affiliation with the Whig Party led to his replacement. A preliminary investigation has even been launched to investigate Scott's disciplinary actions against disloyal officers. The allegations were dropped, however, and the general was honored with a gold medal from Congress for his brilliant leadership of the campaign .

Presidential candidacies

Results of the US presidential election in 1852

Ever since Andrew Jackson was elected US president in the mid-19th century, successful military commanders have been very popular among American voters. Already during the presidential election in 1840 Scott had been a potential candidate and the nominating convention of the Whig Party competed. In the first ballot there he was able to place himself promisingly, but was ultimately persuaded by the party leaders from New York and Pennsylvania to withdraw in order to help William Henry Harrison to win over Henry Clay . For the 1848 presidential election , Scott ran again for the White House . His main competitor within the Whigs was Zachary Taylor , another commander in the Mexican-American War. The politically more experienced Scott was at first sight the more suitable candidate than the rough-hewn, politically almost non-positioning himself Taylor, but his reputation as an inflated character, which was shown, among other things, in a predilection for unusual uniforms and quarrels with other officers, had earned him the well-known nickname “old Fuss and Feathers” (German: “old busybody”) from his soldiers and stood in his way. When Secretary of War William L. Marcy leaked letters from the Mexican-American War in which he had called for Taylor to be replaced, his reputation was severely damaged and important figures within the Whigs such as John J. Crittenden supported Taylor from then on. At the Whig National Convention in Philadelphia in June 1848 , which determined the presidential candidate, Scott was clearly defeated by the future President Taylor after four ballots with 60: 171 votes.

Four years later, Scott ran again. At the Whigs' nomination convention in June 1852, he was nominated as a candidate by the delegates after several ballots. He prevailed against the incumbent President Millard Fillmore , who moved into the White House after the death of Zachary Taylor in 1850. Scott's military fame played a role in his nomination, as did the fact that incumbent Fillmore had made himself unpopular with many Northern delegates for his slavery-friendly attitude. His running mate former was Governor of North Carolina William Alexander Graham selected. However , he lost the presidential election on November 2, 1852 against the Democrat Franklin Pierce . Scott's defeat had various reasons: his attitude towards slavery cost him votes, especially in the south , while the slavery-friendly party program of the Whigs prevented his election in the north. On top of that, his opponent Pierce, as brigadier general, was a veteran of the war against Mexico. Scott was only able to win four states with 42 electoral votes and was clearly defeated by Pierce (254 electors). Almost 44 percent of the electorate cast their vote for Scott, Pierce united 50.8 percent.

Civil War and Last Days

Despite his defeat, he continued to enjoy great popularity, but was still the target of countless anecdotes, jokes and caricatures due to his pronounced vanity, obesity and obesity. He not only had the disrespectful nickname “Old Fuss and Feathers”, but was also known as the “Grand Old Man of the Army” because of his longevity and reputation. Congress took this popularity into account in 1855 when it promoted Scott to lieutenant general. In 1859 he was sent to the northwest by President Buchanan to settle the pig dispute with Great Britain.

Scott's "Anaconda Plan," 1861 cartoon

Although Scott was from the southern states , he was an opponent of secession and therefore remained loyal to the Union. When the Civil War broke out in 1861 , Scott, who was too old, ill and overweight to be a field command, offered supreme command of the field army to Colonel Robert E. Lee , who, however, assumed command in the Virginia army after Virginia left the Union.

Scott, unlike the majority of northern politicians and military officials, did not believe that a quick victory against the southern states was possible. He drew up a campaign plan that provided for the gradual occupation of important terrain such as the Mississippi and the port cities on the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico , and from there to advance to Atlanta . This plan was publicly ridiculed, as almost all politicians and military officials assumed a short war. Increasing criticism of the warfare, most recently after the defeat in the battle at Balls Bluff , as well as intrigues by Major General McClellan , the Commander in Chief of the Potomac Army , prompted Scott's resignation on November 1, 1861. His successor was McClellan. Scott, who wrote his memoirs after his adoption and traveled to Europe, saw that his anaconda plan was taken up and proved to be decisive for the war, particularly through the blockade of the ports and the campaigns of Grant and Sherman (see, among other things, the Atlanta campaign ).

meaning

Scott is considered to be the most important US military officer of his time. Without ever having attended a military academy or received any further military training, he was a brilliant military commander. He served 53 years from 1808 to 1861 in the US Army, 47 years with the rank of general alone, under a total of 14 US presidents from Thomas Jefferson to Abraham Lincoln and thus longer than any other officer in the USA. From 1841 to 1861 he was also Commanding General of the United States Army for 20 years , with the longest period of service in the United States to date. His greatest merit was the modernization of the army, which he transformed from a small, poorly equipped and administered, overly politically dominated and loosely organized militia force into an effectively organized, disciplined, powerful professional army , including through the professionalization of the officer corps, a standardized training and improved training of soldiers and crews, based on established regulations, rules and regulations based on the European, in particular French, model, as well as the creation of a bureaucratized US military administrative apparatus.

During his long service, Scott was involved in all major military, political and diplomatic events and decisions in the USA and shaped the US Army for half a century. He led US troops on the battlefields of three major US wars (British-American War, Mexican-American War, and at the beginning of the American Civil War). In addition, he mediated in the nullification crisis of 1832/33 in South Carolina , was in the 1830s in the Black Hawk War of 1832 in Illinois and in the Second Seminole War from 1835 in Florida as well as in the expulsion of the Muskogee (Creek) and Cherokee in that Indian Territory ( Oklahoma ), west of the Mississippi , involved in the Path of Tears . Thanks to his diplomatic negotiating skills in border conflicts and disputes with British Canada during the " Caroline Affair " in 1837, the Aroostook War 1838/39 and the Pig War in 1859, Scott prevented three threatening wars between the United States and Great Britain. Despite losing candidacies in a presidential election, he nonetheless remained a popular national figure.

In 1855 Scott was promoted to lieutenant general with brevet rank by the US Congress . Until then, this rank was only awarded to George Washington in 1798 and then to Ulysses S. Grant in 1864 , to William T. Sherman in 1866 and to Philip H. Sheridan in 1869 .
At the beginning of the American Civil War in 1861, at the age of 75, he worked as a Commanding General in the US Army with the Anaconda Plan, the Union's long-term overall military strategy to end secession and suppress the rebellion in the southern states .

Ranks and posts

Ranks

• July 1807: Lance Corporal , Cavalry, Virginia Militia
• May 3, 1808: Captain , 2nd Battery, US Light "Flying" Artillery
• July 6, 1812: Lieutenant Colonel , 2nd US Artillery
• March 12, 1813: Colonel , 2nd US Artillery
• March 9, 1814: Brigadier General
• July 25, 1814: Brevet Major General
• July 5, 1841: Major General , Commanding General of the US Army
• February 15, 1855, retroactively from March 29, 1847: Brevet Lieutenant General

Posts

• May 3, 1808 to July 6, 1812: Commanding Officer of the 2nd Battery, US Light “Flying” Artillery
• July 6, 1812 to March 12, 1813: Executive Officer of the 2nd US Artillery
• March 12, 1813 to March 9, 1814: Commanding Officer of the 2nd US Artillery
• March 18 to July 18, 1813: Chief of Staff and Adjutant General of the US Army of the Center
• March 9, 1814 to July 25, 1814: Commander of the Niagara Front (1st and 2nd "Buffalo Brigade")
• October 1814 to May 1815: Commander of the 10th US Army Military District ( Baltimore , Maryland )
• May 1816 to May 1821: Commander of the 3rd US Army Military Department ( Castle Clinton , New York City)
• May 1821 to 1823: Commander of the Eastern Department ( Governors Island , New York City)
• 1823 to 1825: Commander of the Western Department ( Louisville , Kentucky )
• 1825 to 1827: Commander of the Eastern Department (New York City)
• 1827 to 1828: Commander of the Western Department ( Cincinnati , Ohio )
• November 1829 to 1831: Commander of the Western Department (Jefferson Barracks, St. Louis Arsenal, St. Louis , Missouri )
• 1831 to 1833: Commander of the Eastern Department (New York City)
• 1833 to 1835: Commander of the Western Department ( Memphis , Tennessee )
• 1835 to 1837: Commander of the Eastern Department (New York City)
• 1837 to 1839: Commander of the Western Division (Jefferson Barracks, St. Louis Arsenal, St. Louis, Missouri)
• 1839 to July 5, 1841: Commander of the Eastern Division (New York City)
• 1841–1861: Commanding General of the US Army (General-in-Chief)

Battles and missions

Butcher

British-American War of 1812-14:

• October 13, 1812: Battle of Queenston Heights
• May 25, 1813: Battle of Fort George
• July 3, 1814: capture of Fort Erie
• July 5, 1814: Battle of Chippewa
• July 25, 1814: Battle of Lundy's Lane

Mexican-American War 1846-1848:

• Mexico City campaign from March 9 to September 15, 1847
  • 9-29 March 1847: Conquest of Veracruz
  • April 18, 1847: Battle of Cerro Gordo
  • 19. – 20. August 1847: Battle of Contreras
  • August 20, 1847: Battle of Churubusco
• Battle of Mexico City from August 8th to 15th September 1847
  • September 8, 1847: Battle of Molino del Rey
  • 12-13 September 1847: Battle of Chapultepec
  • September 13, 1847: Attack on the Belén and San Cosme city gates
  • 14.-15. September 1847: Entry and occupation of Mexico City

Diplomatic missions

• Nullification crisis of 1832/33
• Caroline / McLeod Affair 1837
• Aroostook War 1838/39
• Pig conflict 1859

honors and awards

Honors

Equestrian statue of Scott at Scott Circle of the same name in Washington

Scott County, in the US state of Iowa.

• In the historical ranking of the highest officers in the United States , he is ranked fourth after George Washington , John J. Pershing and Admiral George Dewey .
• In Washington, DC, north of the White House at Scott Circle, there is an equestrian statue of “Brevet Lt. General Winfield Scott ”, designed by sculptor Henry Kirke Brown in 1874 , made of bronze from cannons captured in the Mexican War.
• Postage stamps
  • 24 cent postage stamp from 1870, of which only one million were issued, which is very valuable today.
  • 2 cent stamp series from 1936/37 depicting Winfield Scott and Andrew Jackson .
• Forts , garrisons , posts, camps and fortress artillery batteries :
  • Fort Winfield Scott in Arlington County, Virginia , part of the Washington Defense Ring in 1861
  • Fort Winfield Scott in the Presidio of San Francisco, California ; built from 1853 to 1861 as Fort Point at the tip of the headland at the Golden Gate . Briefly named Scott in Fort Winfield in 1882, soon renamed back. -
  • Coast Artillery Battery Fort Winfield Scott in the Presidio of San Francisco, California , so named in 1912.
• Counties , cities, villages and townships and unincorporated community areas named after Scott and after battles in the Mexican War:
  • Scott County (Iowa) : Named in memory of the here by Winfield Scott after the Black Hawk War of 1832 negotiated Black Hawk contract with the Sauk - and Fox - Indians - ** Scott County (Kansas)
  • Scott County, Virginia, in Scott's home state, named after him in 1814 in recognition of his achievements in the British-American War of 1812 .
  • Scott County, Minnesota - Scott County, Tennessee
  • Cerro Gordo County, Iowa
  • City of Winfield in Marion County, Alabama and City of Winfield in Putnam County, West Virginia
  • City of Fort Scott in Bourbon County, Kansas
  • Scott Township in Mahaska County, Iowa
  • Town of Winfield in Lake County, Indiana - Town of Scott in Cortland County, New York
  • Town of Churubusco in Whitley County, Indiana - Village of Winfield in DuPage County, Illinois
  • Unincorporated Community Scott Depot in Putnam County, West Virginia
• Mount Scott in the Wichita Mountains near Lawton , in Comanche County , Oklahoma (1851)
• Lake Winfield Scott near Blairsville , in Union County , Georgia
• Scott-Trupial (Latin: Icterus parisorum; English: Scott's Oriole), from the bird genus Trupiale and from the family of starlings , was by Darius N. Couch (1822-1897) of the US Army in 1853/54 on an expedition discovered in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico and named after Scott. Later it turned out that this bird genus had already been discovered and described between 1822 and 1826 by the French-Italian ornithologist Charles L. Bonaparte (1803-1857). Scott's oriole, however, remained the common name for this genus of birds in English-speaking countries.

The side paddle steamer SS Winfield Scott , 1850

• Ships: Side paddle steamer SS Winfield Scott from 1850, Liberty freighter SS Winfield Scott from 1941 and the tug MG Winfield Scott (LT-805) from 1993
• Winfield Scott Plaza and Winfield Scott Elementary School in Elizabeth, New Jersey, formerly Elizabethtown; Scott lived here at Hampton Place between 1817 and 1853
• Winfield Scott Boulevard in Orlando (Florida) and Winfield Scott Drive in Chicago (Illinois) are named after Winfield Scott.
• General Winfield Scott House from 1852 in New York City , Greenwich Village , Manhattan ; Built for him by members of the Whig Party . He had lived in this house from 1853/55, a National Historic Landmark since 1973 .

Awards

• November 3, 1814: Congressional Gold Medal for military merits and achievements in the British-American War of 1812
• February 12, 1816: Commonwealth of Virginia sword of honor and thanks from the General Assembly of Virginia
• November 25, 1816: New York State sword of honor
• March 9, 1848: Gold Medal of Honor and Thanks of Congress for military service in the Mexican-American War, 1846-1848
• 15 February 1855: with retroactive effect from 29 March 1847, the capture of Vera Cruz and the fortress of San Juan de Ulua in the Mexican-American War 1846-1848 - awarded the rank of Brevet Major General of the US Army by the US Congress
• 1815: Member of the order " Society of the Cincinnati "
• 1847: Honorary member of the military order " Aztec Club of 1847 "
• 1865: Brother in arms of the " Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States " ("Loyal Legion", MOLLUS)
• 1814: Honorary Master of Arts (MA) from Princeton College , Princeton (New Jersey)
• 1850: Honorary Doctor of Laws from Columbia College , New York City
• 1861: Honorary Doctorate as Doctor of Laws from Harvard College , Cambridge (Massachusetts)

Interesting facts, films

The William L. Clements Library in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with the estate of Scott

• During the Mexican-American War of 1846/48, Scott carried out the largest amphibious landing operation in US military history in Veracruz with 10,000 US soldiers.
• The expression used in the USA of amazement, amazement, amazement or fright “Great Scott!” Could indirectly go back to the person of Scott, but has various explanations. First, the term could go back to Sir Walter Scott , a poem of whom was published in the Sydney Monitor in 1830 with the remark “When shall we see thy like again? Great Scott! ”. After that, in an edition of the New York Times from May 1861, it read: "These gathering hosts of loyal freemen, under the command of the great SCOTT." The term, however, is documented later under the title Eye of the Storm: A Civil War Odyssey published the diary of the private Robert Knox Sneden (1832-1918), who served as a cartographer on the side of the Northern States during the American Civil War. A diary entry from 1864 reads: “'Great Scott,' who would have thought that this would be the destiny of the Union Volunteer in 1861–2 while marching down Broadway to the tune of 'John Brown's Body'.” Also in The term can be found in three other writings, once in “Galaxy Magazine” of July 1871: “'Great — Scott!' he gasped in his stupefaction, using the name of the then commander-in-chief for an oath, as officers sometimes did in those days ", on the other hand in the book Americanisms. The English of the New World by Maximilian Schele De Vere from 1872: “'Scott, Great!' a curious euphemistic oath, in which the name of a well-known general is substituted for the original word, probably merely because of its monosyllabic form "and in the sentence," Great Scott! I must be bad! ”From the novel The Tinted Venus listed in the Oxford English Dictionary . A Farcical Romance from 1885, by British author Thomas Anstey Guthrie, who published under the pen name F. Anstey.
• Scott has been portrayed in the following films and series by the following actors:
  • The Fall of Blackhawk , historical drama, USA 1912 (short film), played by Chester Gould (* 1900 † 1985)
  • The Heart of Maryland , drama, romance, USA 1927, played by SD Wilcox (1863–1945)
  • Abraham Lincoln , biographical historical drama, USA 1930, played by James Bradbury Sr. (1857–1940)
  • They Died with Their Boots On (Eng .: His last command ), biographical drama, romance, USA 1941, played by Sydney Greenstreet
  • Kansas Pacific , Western, Romance, USA 1953, played by Roy Gordon (1896–1978)
  • Riverboat (series, 2 seasons, 44 episodes): Season 2, episode 9: The Quota (1960), Western, Adventure, USA 1959–1961, played by Stuart Randall (1909–1988)
  • Lincoln (Mini-Series, 2 seasons, 6 episodes): Season 2, Episode 1: The Unwilling Warrior (1975), biographical historical drama , USA 1974–1976, played by Robert Emhardt (1914–1994)
  • North and South (German: Torches in the Storm , mini-series, 3 novels, 3 seasons, 15 episodes): Season 2, Episode 1 (German: On the Edge of the Abyss , 1986) and Season 2, Episode 3 (German. : The Chains Fall , 1986), adaptation of the novel, USA 1985786, 1994, played by Lee Anthony
  • Lincoln (mini-series), drama, USA 1988, played by John Houseman (1902–1988)
  • Lincoln , biographical historical film, USA 1992, played by Burgess Meredith
  • War of 1812 (mini-series, 4 episodes), historical docudrama, Canada 1999, played by Nigel Bennett
  • One Man's Hero (Eng .: Riley's last battle ), action history drama, USA, Spain, Mexico 1999, played by Patrick Bergin (* 1951)
  • Lost River: Lincoln's Secret Weapon , historical film, USA 2009, played by Wayne Strickler
• The estate of Scott with personal documents, letters, papers and documents is now as Winfield Scott Collection, 1809-1862 in the portfolio of William L. Clements Library of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor ( Michigan ).

literature

Scott's writings

• US War Department, Winfield Scott: Rules and Regulations for the Field Exercise and Maneuvers of Infantry , New York 1815.
• Pierce Darrow, Winfield Scott: Scott's Militia Tactics comprising the Duty of Infantry, Light-Infantry, and Riflemen. In six Parts , Hartford 1821.
• US War Department, Winfield Scott: General Regulations for the Army, or, Military Institutes , Philadelphia 1821.
• US War Department, Winfield Scott: General Regulations for the Army, or, Military Institutes , Washington 1825.
• US War Department, Winfield Scott: Infantry Tactics, or Rules for the Exercise and Maneuvers of the United States Infantry. Vol. I: Schools of the Soldier and Company, Vol. II: School of the Battalion, Vol. III: Evolutions of the Line, New York 1835.
• US War Department, Winfield Scott: System of Discipline for the Army. Letter from the Secretary of War, Transmitting, A Revision of the System of Discipline for the Army, prepared by Major-General Winfield Scott (United States 23d Congress, 2d Session, House Document 121). Washington 1835.
• Scott's 1861 Anaconda Plan , in: US War Department, The War of the Rebellion. A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies , Series I, Volume 51, Part I, Serial 107: Supplements, Washington 1897, pp. 369-370. Online: eHISTORY (Ohio State University, OSU. Department of History: Primary Sources)

Biographies

• John SD Eisenhower : Agent of Destiny: The Life and Times of General Winfield Scott , The Free Press, New York / NY 1997, ISBN 0-684-84451-6 .
• Charles Winslow Elliott: Winfield Scott. The Soldier and the Man. The Macmillan Company, New York / NY 1937.
• Timothy D. Johnson: Winfield Scott: A Quest for Military Glory (Modern War Studies). University Press of Kansas, Lawrence / KS 1998, ISBN 0-7006-0914-8 .
• Erasmus Darwin Keyes: Fifty years' observations of Men and Events, Civil and Military , Charles Scribners Sons, New York / NY 1884.
• Edward Deering Mansfield: The Life of General Winfield Scott. AS Barnes & Co., New York / NY 1846.
• Edward Deering Mansfield: The Life of General Winfield Scott, embracing his Campaign in Mexico. AS Barnes & Co., New York / NY 1848.
• Edward Deering Mansfield: Life and Services of General Winfield Scott, including the Siege of Vera Cruz, the Battle of Cerro Gordo and the Battles in the Valley of Mexico, to the Conclusion of Peace and his Return to the United States. AS Barnes & Co., New York / NY 1852.
• Edward Deering Mansfield: The Life and Military Services of Lieut.-General Winfield Scott, including his brilliant achievements in the War of 1812, in the Mexican War, and the pending War for the Union , NC Miller Publishing Agent, New York / NY 1861 .
• Allan Peskin: Winfield Scott and the Profession of Arms. The Kent State University Press, Kent / OH 2003, ISBN 0-87338-774-0 .
• Winfield Scott: Memoirs of Lieut.-General Scott, LL.D. , 2 volumes, Sheldon & Company Publishers, New York / NY 1864.
• Raphael Semmes: The Campaign of General Scott in the Valley of Mexico. Moore & Anderson, Cincinnati 1852.
• Arthur Douglas Howden Smith: Old Fuss and Feathers. The Life and Exploits of Lt.-General Winfield Scott. The Only American Commander who never Lost a Battle, the One Victorious General to Lose a Presidential Election, Patron of Lee, Protector of Lincoln, most Inept of Politicians, Strategist, Statesman, Humanitarian , The Greystone Press, New York / NY 1937.
• Marcus J. Wright: General Scott (Great Commanders) , D. Appleton and Company, New York / NY 1894.

Brief portraits

• William Gardner Bell (US Army Center of Military History, CMH): Commanding Generals and Chiefs of Staff 1775-2005. Portraits & Biographical Sketches of the United States Army's Senior Officer (Army Historical Series) , Washington, DC 2005, pp. 78-79.
• John C. Fredriksen: American Military Leaders. From Colonial Times to the Present. Santa Barbara 1999, p. 699.
• Barney Sneiderman: Warriors Seven. Seven American Commanders, Seven Wars, and the Irony of Battle. New York 2006, pp. 75-112.
• Ezra J. Warner: Generals in Blue. Lives of the Union Commanders. Baton Rouge 1999, pp. 429-430.

Essays

• Jochen S. Arndt: The True Napoleon of the West. General Winfield Scott's Mexico City Campaign and the Origins of the US Army's Combined-Arms Combat Division. In: Journal of Military History. 76, July 2012, pp. 649-671.
• Daniel T. Canfield: Winfield Scott's 1847 Mexico City Campaign as a Model for Future War. In: Joint Force Quarterly (National Defense University Press). Issue 55, 4th Quarter 2009, pp. 95-100. (PDF; 416 KB)
• James William Chichetto: General Winfield Scott's Policy of Pacification in the Mexican American War of 1846-48 . In: Combat. The Literary Expression of Battlefield Touchstones. Vol. 5, No. 4, Fall / Oct. 2007, pp. 4-5.
• James A. Cope: Winfield Scott's Mexico City Operation. The Genesis of American Operational Art? (School of Advanced Military Studies United States Army Command and General Staff College) . Fort Leavenworth 1989. (PDF; 2 MB)
• Gerald A. Dolinish: General Winfield Scott. His Development and Application of political / civil-military Concepts during the Mexican War (US Army War College Strategy Research Project) . Carlisle Barracks 2002. (PDF; 1.2 MB)
• Charles W. Elliott: Winfield Scott and the Black Hawk War. In: Infantry Journal. 41, Sep-Oct 1934, p. 335.

Lexicon entries

• Winfield Scott, in: William A. Ganoe: Dictionary of American Biography, Vol. 16 (Robert-Seward) , New York 1935, pp. 505-511.
• Winfield Scott, in: ENCYCLOPEDIA VIRGINIA. A Publication of Virginia Foundation for the Humanities.

Web links

Commons : Winfield Scott  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

• About North Georgia: Winfield Scott
• US-History.com: Winfield Scott 1786-1866
• Winfield Scott Collection (estate) in the William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan
• Civilwarhome.com: The "Anaconda Plan"
• Works by or about Winfield Scott , in: Internet Archive (Digitized Books from Original Editions)

Individual evidence

1. ^ Clan Scott Society.
2. ^ Buccleuch Group.
3. ↑ Scott: Memoirs of Lieut.-General Scott, LL.D. Pp. 1-3.
4. ↑ Smith: Old Fuss and Feathers. The Life and Exploits of Lt.-General Winfield Scott. Pp. 3-4.
5. ^ ^{A b} Elliott: Winfield Scott. The Soldier and the Man. Pp. 1-2.
6. ^ Eisenhower: Agent of Destiny: The Life and Times of General Winfield Scott. Pp. 1-2.
7. ^ Johnson: Winfield Scott: A Quest for Military Glory. P. 8.
8. ^ Peskin: Winfield Scott and the Profession of Arms. Pp. 1-2.
9. ^ Wright: General Scott. Pp. 41-42.
10. ↑ Elliott: Winfield Scott. The Soldier and the Man. Pp. 212-216, 256-257, 286-288, 394-404.
11. ^ Eisenhower: Agent of Destiny: The Life and Times of General Winfield Scott. Pp. 109-110, 133-141, 208-210, 216-217.
12. ^ Johnson: Winfield Scott: A Quest for Military Glory. Pp. 72-75, 77-78, 106-108, 110-112, 137-143.
13. ^ Peskin: Winfield Scott and the Profession of Arms. Pp. 64-66, 70, 86-89, 117-128.
14. ↑ Scott: Memoirs of Lieut.-General Scott, LL.D. Pp. 3-10.
15. ↑ Smith: Old Fuss and Feathers. The Life and Exploits of Lt.-General Winfield Scott. Pp. 4-13.
16. ↑ Elliott: Winfield Scott. The Soldier and the Man. Pp. 2-8.
17. ^ College of William & Mary.
18. ^ Eisenhower: Agent of Destiny: The Life and Times of General Winfield Scott. Pp. 2-3.
19. ^ Johnson: Winfield Scott: A Quest for Military Glory. Pp. 8-9.
20. ^ Peskin: Winfield Scott and the Profession of Arms. Pp. 2-3.
21. ↑ Scott: Memoirs of Lieut.-General Scott, LL.D. Pp. 11-18.
22. ↑ Smith: Old Fuss and Feathers. The Life and Exploits of Lt.-General Winfield Scott. Pp. 13-18.
23. ↑ Elliott: Winfield Scott. The Soldier and the Man. Pp. 8-12.
24. ^ Eisenhower: Agent of Destiny: The Life and Times of General Winfield Scott. Pp. 3-6.
25. ^ Johnson: Winfield Scott: A Quest for Military Glory. Pp. 9-10.
26. ^ Peskin: Winfield Scott and the Profession of Arms. Pp. 3-4.
27. ↑ Donald Richard Deskins, Hanes Walton, Sherman C. Puckett: Presidential Elections, 1789-2008: County, State, and National Mapping of Election Data. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 2010, ISBN 978-0-472-11697-3 , pp. 115f .
28. ↑ Ethan S. Rafuse: Scott, Winfield (1786-1866). In Christopher G. Bates (Ed.): The Early Republic and Antebellum America: An Encyclopedia of Social, Political, Cultural, and Economic History. Routledge, Abingdon 2010, ISBN 978-0-7656-8126-3 , pp. 901-904; here: p. 901f .
29. ^ John S. D. Eisenhower : Zachary Taylor (= The American Presidents Series. Ed. By Arthur M. Schlesinger , Sean Wilentz . The 12th President). Times Books, New York City 2008, ISBN 978-0-8050-8237-1 , pp. 52, 77.
    James M. McPherson : Dying for Freedom: The History of the American Civil War. Anaconda, Cologne 2011, ISBN 978-3-86647-267-9 , p. 52 (English: Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era. New York 1988. Translated by Christa Seibicke).
30. ^ John S. D. Eisenhower : Zachary Taylor (= The American Presidents Series. Ed. By Arthur M. Schlesinger , Sean Wilentz . The 12th President). Times Books, New York City 2008, ISBN 978-0-8050-8237-1 , p. 75.
31. ^ John S. D. Eisenhower : Zachary Taylor (= The American Presidents Series. Ed. By Arthur M. Schlesinger , Sean Wilentz . The 12th President). Times Books, New York City 2008, ISBN 978-0-8050-8237-1 , p. 83.
32. ^ Amy H. Sturgis: The Trail of Tears and Indian Removal. Greenwood, Westport 2007, ISBN 0-313-33658-X , p. 90 .
33. ^ Smithsonian AmericanArt Museum. Brevet Lt. General Winfield Scott Sculpture.
34. ^ Memorials, Monuments, Statues & other outdoor Art in Washington, DC: Winfield Scott Memorial in the Center of Scott Circle in Washington, DC
35. ^ Smithsonian National Postal Museum. 24 cent "Winfield Scott" stamp from 1870.
36. ^ Smithsonian National Postal Museum. US Army and US Navy commemorative stamp series from 1936/37.
37. ↑ US National Park Service. Fort Point ( Fort Winfield Scott ) National Historic Site.
38. ↑ US National Park Service. Presidio of San Francisco National Historic Site: Fort Winfield Scott .
39. ^ Scott County, Iowa.
40. ^ Scott County, Virginia.
41. ^ Scott County, Minnesota. ( Memento of the original from February 27, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
42. ^ Scott County, Tennessee. ( Memento of the original from April 30, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
43. ^ City of Winfield, West Virginia.
44. ↑ US National Park Service. Fort Scott, Kansas National Historic Site.
45. ^ Robert I. Garden: History of Scott Township of Mahaska County, Iowa , August 1907.
46. ^ Town of Winfield, Indiana. ( Memento of the original from February 27, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
47. ^ History of Scott (New York).
48. ↑ Town of Churubusco (Indiana).
49. ^ The Village of Winfield, Illinois.
50. ^ Oklahoma Historical Society's Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History & Culture. ( Memento of the original from July 23, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
51. ^ Georgia Trails. Lake Winfield Scott.
52. ↑ US National Park Service. National Historic Landmark: General Winfield Scott House . ( Memento of the original from June 5, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
53. ^ ^{A b} Francis B. Heitman: Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army from its Organization, September 29, 1789, to March 2, 1903, Vol. 1 , Washington 1903, pp. 46, 48.
54. ↑ Winfield Scott's Congressional Gold Medal of November 3, 1814.
55. ^ ^{A b} Mansfield: The Life and Military Services of Lieut.-General Winfield Scott , 1861, pp. 153-164.
56. ↑ Winfield Scott's Congressional Gold Medal of March 9, 1848.
57. ^ Society of the Cincinnati.
58. ^ Aztec Club of 1847.
59. ^ Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States.
60. ^ Johnson: A Quest of Military Glory. P. 174.
61. ↑ The Sydney Morning Herald: Scott's Centenary , August 15, 1871.
62. ↑ Winfield Scott Collection, 1809–1862 in the William L. Clements Library of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor (Michigan).