Upton and the Army

by Stephen E. Ambrose

Book Overview

Emory Upton (1839-1881) was "the epitome of a professional soldier," according to Stephen E. Ambrose. Indeed, his entire adult life was devoted to the single-minded pursuit of a military career. Upton... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0807118508
• Release Date: August 1993
• Publisher: LSU Press
• Length: 216 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 0.5" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

A brilliant man who was gone before he could be appreciated.

Upton and the Army by Stephen E. Ambrose is an excellent biography of a truly remarkable man. Emory Upton came from a poor New England family yet attended West Point Military Academy. He graduated at the start of the Civil War and in 4 years was a Major General at the age of 26. He was a brilliant tactician and helped not only reform tactics of the Army but also toured the world's Armies, wrote a book about it and had served in all 3 main branches of the Army; Calvary, Artillery and Infantry by the age of 40. Unfortunately he suffered from extreme headache, a possible tumor, and felt he was a failure due to slow promotion and lack of recognition in the post Civil War Army. He ended his life while posted to command at the Presidio in California at the age of 42. Emory Upton was not appreciated for his writings and recommendations during his lifetime but now he has earned the place as one of the Fathers of the amazing Army we now have in America. Mr. Ambrose states the facts and puts his life before us in this easy reading book. A great book for Civil War historians or those looking for a life of leadership.

Outstanding

As a student of the Civil War, I have read many books about the subject, and this one to me ranks as among the best. Steven Ambrose is America's best historical biographer and proves it in this outstanding study of Emory Upton, a hero of the Civil War and a brilliant tactician who was the first to recognize the need for new army tactics brought about by the changing technology of the Civil War. Ambrose covers Upton's full life story, his brilliant tactical evolutions of the War, and his struggle to modernize the Army manual of tactics. I thoroughly enjoyed the book because it reveals a little known chapter of American Military history and the life of a figure who played a deep, and perhaps not fully appreciated role in it.Perhaps the best line from the book is General Sherman's description of Emory Upton: "Thoughts are ephemeral, deeds substantial. To unite both requires genius." The same can be said of Mr. Ambose's work.