The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 77, July 1973 - April, 1974 Page: 89
568 p. : ill. (some col.), maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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The Influence of Jomini on Scott's Campaign
As early as 1809, when he was only a captain of light artillery, he asked
the War Department to grant him leave so that he might take a "military
tour" of England, Germany, and France; and, even at this early date, he
clearly stated his preference for the French system. Such leave was finally
granted in 1815, at which time he wrote that he hoped to be an observer
of the armies of all nations but stated that his "predilection for France"
would place him more often in that camp than in any other. He also ex-
pressed his wish to meet some of the legendary marshals. One may further
see Scott's francophile tendencies by looking at his manual on infantry tac-
tics which was published for the first time in 1835. It is little wonder that
the manual contains subtle allusions to the French, for Scott even wanted
to incorporate a number of French military terms into American army
usage without benefit of translation.8
To appreciate fully Scott's dedication to Jominian principles, however,
one must look beyond his written words and toward his generalship during
the time that he exercised independent command over a major army. No
better example is available than that of Scott's great campaign from Tam-
pico and Vera Cruz into the Valley of Mexico and the capital. Jomini
wrote that even before an army took the field in an offensive war, the
general should study the theater of operations and make preparations.
Scott did just that, spending long hours examining the routes of approach
and the probable means of transportation. In a letter to Secretary of War
William L. Marcy he wrote, "I have occupied myself, incessantly with the
vast preliminary arrangements which can only be made at this place [Wash-
ington]." He conferred with the bureau chiefs who were at that time com-
monly but erroneously known as the General Staff, and he personally super-
vised the acquisition of horse, foot, and artillery. These preparations further
followed Jomini's suggestion that a general should secure the advice and
support of staff officers who would look to the army's welfare in the rear.9
The Riall quotation is variously given. The phrasing in the text is from Elliott, Winfield
Scott, 162. In Arthur D. Howden Smith, Old Fuss and Feathers: The Life and
Exploits of Lt.-General Winfield Scott (New York, I937), 114, it is rendered, "Damme,
these are Regulars!" Scott, himself, says that in addition to the recognition of regulars,
Riall "added an oath." Memoirs, I, I29.
8Scott to William Eustis, July 14, 1809; Scott to Alexander J. Dallas, June 13, 1815
(quotation); Scott to Monroe, June 20, September 28, 1815; Monroe to Scott, June 13,
i8I6, Scott Papers (New York Public Library); [Winfield Scott], Infantry Tactics; or
Rules for the Exercise and Manoeuvers of the United States Infantry, Executive Docu-
ments, 23rd Cong., 2nd Sess. (Serial 273), Doc. No. 121; Elliott, Winfield Scott, 385.
9[Antoine Henri de] Jomini, The Art of War, trans. G. H. Mendell and W. P Craig-
hill (West Point Military Library ed.; Westport, Connecticut, n.d.), 35-37, 44-45, 232-
235; Scott to Marcy, May 21, 1846, Scott Papers (New York Public Library).
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 77, July 1973 - April, 1974, periodical, 1973/1974; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117148/m1/107/: accessed April 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.