West Pointers and the Civil War: The Old Army in War and Peace (Civil War America) [Hardcover]

Wayne Wei-siang Hsieh (Author)

Book Description

Release date: October 15, 2009 | Series: Civil War America

Most Civil War generals were graduates of West Point, and many of them helped transform the U.S. Army from what was little better than an armed mob that performed poorly during the War of 1812 into the competent fighting force that won the Mexican War. Wayne Wei-siang Hsieh offers an insightful and original portrait of the American army from 1814 to the end of the Civil War.

Hsieh demonstrates how the "old army" transformed itself into a professional military force after 1814, and, more important, how "old army" methods profoundly shaped the conduct of the Civil War. The dominance of both armies by West Point-trained generals prevented either side from gaining a marked superiority in military competence. Moreover, the long, grinding war, with heavy casualties on both sides, had unforeseen political implications--for instance, the war's great length strengthened the hand of the abolitionists, which would not have been the case if the North had won a quick and decisive victory.

The first book to show how the antebellum U.S. Army, and especially West Point graduates, affected the course of the Civil War, this volume makes a unique contribution to the history of America's greatest cataclysm.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Thought provoking."
-Louisiana History

"West Pointers and the Civil War is a fine study that reminds readers that personality and leadership matter in understanding the conflict and those who participated in it."
-The Historian

"A must read for anyone interested in the subject of why the war was fought the way it was."
-The Past in Review

"[A] closely reasoned, thoroughly researched, and provocative work. . . . Recommended."
-Choice

"Skillfully explores institutional efforts to develop and maintain the army's infantry, artillery, and mounted standards."
-Civil War Book Review

"This original and important book asks us to reconceptualize much of what we think about the Civil War."
-The Journal of Southern History

"Offers something for almost everyone. Those who revel in minutiae will enjoy Hsieh's detailed discussion of the tactical changes of the 1815-45 years and of the impact . . . of rifled weapons on the battlefield. Hsieh's discussions of some of the Civil War's major campaigns . . . will provide food for thought for those who prefer to study the war's larger military aspects."
-Blue & Gray Magazine

"Leaves few stones unturned in examining how the professional officer corps produced by the U.S. Military Academy in the 19th century influenced the evolution of battlefield tactics at this critical point in our nation's history. . . . [Adds] another perspective to the historiography of a complex topic."
-Civil War Times

"A truly original and interesting study that places the Civil War within the context of the development of the United States Army in the nineteenth century. . . . Concise and well written."
-H-Net Reviews

"CAMP members who are Civil War buffs will want to add West Pointers and the Civil War to their military libraries."
-The Journal of America's Military Past

"A solid contribution to scholarship . . . [An] excellent treatment of antebellum debates over tactical doctrine and particular tactical events during the war."
-The Journal of Military History

"Students of the Civil War will find this analysis worth considering."
-On Point

"Judicious and well-researched. . . . Hsieh's project . . . is to explain the mentality of military professionals. . . . It is a task that he accomplishes with great skill."
-Journal of American History

"Hsieh challenges studies that have argued that field fortifications and rifles gave the advantage to defenders, insisting instead that other factors, such as leadership, morale, and troop strength were more influential in success or failure. Smart and genuinely stimulating, West Pointers and the Civil War will be controversial in the best sense of the word."
-Joseph T. Glatthaar, author of General Lee's Army: From Victory to Collapse

"The originality and importance of this book are indisputable--both scholars and amateurs will find much that is new in Hsieh's scholarship. West Pointers and the Civil War will challenge all readers to take Civil War officers on their terms, to understand their collective and individualized histories, and to see the contingency of war on the front lines of the Civil War."
-Peter S. Carmichael, author of The Last Generation: Young Virginians in Peace, War, and Reunion

"Trac[es] the evolution of military professionalism from the War of 1812 to the Civil War."
-ARMY

"[An] excellent new study. . . . [Hsieh's] broad military-historical treatment allows him to make an intelligent answer to the question which every Civil War historian has to answer: Why did it grind on for so long?"
-Weekly Standard

"A scholarly, well-footnoted book. The author has many ideas that he supports with logical documented arguments. . . . The author writes well, having an excellent readable way of presenting that never makes reading this book a chore."
-TOCWOC

From the Inside Flap

Most Civil War generals were graduates of West Point, and many of them helped transform the U.S. Army from what was little better than an armed mob that performed poorly during the War of 1812 into the competent fighting force that won the Mexican War. Hsieh demonstrates how the "old army" transformed itself into a professional military force after 1814, and, more important, how "old army" methods profoundly shaped the conduct of the Civil War.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press (October 15, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807832782
• ISBN-13: 978-0807832783
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 1 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #813,130 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Wayne Hsieh immigrated to the United States as an infant from Taiwan and grew up in Alhambra--a suburb of Los Angeles with a large overseas Chinese population. He received an excellent public high school education at Alhambra High School, and went on to Yale University, where he received a B.A. in History (2000). He wrote a senior essay on Lincoln and religion under the direction of David Brion Davis. He attended the University of Virginia for his graduate work, where he received a PhD in History (2004) and worked under the direction of Gary W. Gallagher and Edward L. Ayers--the latter is now President of the University of Richmond.

Hsieh spent the 2004/5 academic year as an Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow at Yale's Whitney Humanities Center, where he also taught half time in Yale's Directed Studies curriculum--a freshman Great Books program of which Hsieh is himself a proud alumnus. In August 2005 he joined the U.S. Naval Academy History Department, where he remains an assistant professor.

Between July 2008 and June 2009, Hsieh was on interagency detail with the U.S. State Department in Iraq, where he served as the Tuz Satellite Lead for the Salah ad Din Provincial Reconstruction Team. The most important of his duties centered on facilitating ethnic and political reconciliation in the Tuz district (approximately 150,000 inhabitants). He received a Commander's Award for Civilian Service from 3 BSTB (Department of the Army), and a Meritorious Honor Award from the U.S. Department of State (Embassy Baghdad).

Hsieh has a diverse number of interests in military history, although he remains a nineteenth-century Americanist by trade and training. He also, on occasion, wistfully regrets not pursuing to a greater degree his earlier interests in intellectual history, which led to such doomed pursuits as attempting to learn Ancient Greek. Speaking of doomed pursuits, he expends vast quantities of time and energy on following the Los Angeles Dodgers, despite the probable prospect of disappointment most every year. Yet he begins the grim process again every spring, in a testament to the triumph of faith over reason.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Book! February 23, 2010

By James W. Durney TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Building a million plus man army is a gut wrenching task. In 1861, two nations set out to do this while fighting a civil war. During the building process, any military experience becomes a critical asset. Veterans of the War with Mexico, members of the militia, and graduates of private military schools struggle with half-remembered, misunderstood or just plain wrong ideas. However bad they are better than no idea of what to do. At ground zero stand the graduates of West Point, the only fully trained professional military either side has. West Pointers set the professional standard for training and conduct during the American Civil War. Their efforts convert ill-trained armed mobs into veteran armies. Their military thinking controls the military direction and application of the armies they trained. What they considered right and proper conduct became the right and proper way to fight the war. West Pointers, for good or ill, controlled and conducted the American Civil War. While they have nothing to do with the political decisions that lead to war, they have everything to do with waging that war.
Wayne Wei-siang Hsieh brings us a look at how West Point learned about war, trained the cadets and how these lessons applied during the Civil War. Starting with the armed semi-trained mobs during the War of 1812, the author covers the development of America's professional officers. The War with Mexico vindicated the changes after 1814 giving the army a solid foundation while determining the direction taken into the 1850s. West Pointers understanding of moral, leadership and logistics allowed armies to develop. The daunting paperwork requirement of these armies was second nature to these men. They, more than any group, stepped forward and brought order out of chaos.
This is a scholarly, well-footnoted book. The author has many ideas that he supports with logical documented arguments. 40+ pages of footnotes with a 20 page Bibliography testify to the depth of research that went into this book. However, this is a very readable book. The author writes well, having an excellent readable way of presenting that never makes reading this book a chore.
This excellent background book will increase the reader's ability to understand the decisions based on shared training and experiences that determined the direction taken. This book truly tells us how "the old army thus served both in war and in peace".

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Valuable Contribution to American Civil War Studies July 21, 2011

By Rawi Na Narok

Format:Hardcover

I listened to the audio version of this book and found it to be a valuable and enjoyable study. It added greatly to my understanding of the Civil War's leadership -- on both sides -- and I learned a lot about the education of nineteenth century military officers. It is a scholarly book that is written with clarity and directness (and an absence of jargon). I think that serious scholars of the conflict -- as well as the armchair historian -- will benefit from reading it (or listening to it). It certainly reshaped my understanding of these iconic American figures. Also, I imagine that people with a West Point connection will get a kick out of the sections on the school's curriculum in the first part of the nineteenth century. This book belongs on the bookshelves -- or in the MP3 players -- of anyone who wants a full view of the Civil War.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Why Civil War battles were indecisive February 25, 2012

By John Hamill

Format:Hardcover

If you have an interest in Civil War battles and tactics, "West Pointers and the Civil War" will be an excellent addition to your collection. The book's title is admittedly a little deceptive as the book is mainly an investigation into why Civil War battles were indecisive. Hsieh accepts the conclusions of historians like Earl Hess and Brent Nosworthy that the rifled musket was not the great leap forward that many believe it was. He does this without much comment on the subject, so to fully appreciate this book you might do some reading on the topic from other authors. In rejecting the traditional dogma, we are left with an unanswered question - if the rifled musket didn't make Civil War combat indecisive, what did? There isn't a single, obvious answer. Hsieh believes that because the leaders on both sides shared the same educational background, neither side had an obvious leadership advantage. In the end, there are specific reasons why each battle ended far short of annihilation, and Hsieh discusses these reasons for each major battle. He discusses the Mexican War in some length, showing that the US Army greatly improved as a reaction to disasters during the War of 1812 then maintained a high level of competence. The tactical discussion and evolution before the Civil War is also discussed. Although imperfect, the book certainly does not deserve the handful of negative to mediocre reviews from some readers. The book is well written, well argued, and thought provoking. I look forward to reading the author's future books.