Historians have largely agreed that Pemberton should shoulder the blame for the poor Confederate performance during the Vicksburg campaign. General consensus exists among American Civil War historians that Pemberton proved a confused, indecisive,...
The attached monograph, 'Grant's Final Campaign: A Study in Operational Art', examines General Grant's 1864-65 campaign as an example of combat at the operational level. The monograph begins by presenting the strategic setting--international and...
This monograph reviews Ulysses S. Grant's approach to conducting the final campaign to end the Civil War. Grant's assumption of command of all Union Armies in March 1864 marked the beginning of this campaign. This date sets the stage for...
Historians have examined the tactical aspects of the Vicksburg campaign in great detail. Since hundreds of articles have already been written on the tactical conduct of the campaign, not much new information can be added to the body of knowledge...
This study is an historical analysis of General Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Campaign in Virginia. It begins with Grant's appointment as Lieutenant General and General in Chief of all the Union armies on 9 March 1864, and concludes with the defeat of...
This study is an analysis of the competing initiative displayed between Generals Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee during Grant's 1864 Overland Campaign in Virginia. It begins with Lincoln's appointing Grant as Lieutenant General and General in...
This monograph defines the meaning of the operational raid and demonstrates that raids conducted during the American Civil War were effective methods in achieving limited operational and strategic goals. Current service and joint doctrine and the...
Transition points occur in many activities; they are pivotal junctions in the determination of the future course of events. Identification of such points is crucial if a commander is to make effective and efficient use of the military resources...
This study investigates the decisive factors that affected the Chickasaw Bayou Campaign, General Ulysses S. Grant's first effort to seize Vicksburg. By December 1962 Grant's forces had fought into north central Mississippi. Simultaneously, Major...
This monograph analyzes the significance of the concept of operational vision. It uses classical theory and modern concepts to define the characteristics of operational vision and then expresses the significance of this concept in terms of the...
This monograph examines the relationship between reconnaissance and the application of operational art. The operational artist requires reconnaissance to arrange tactical actions in time, space, and purpose to achieve an overarching strategic...
The research revealed that current Army doctrine on operational reach is inadequate. One of the characteristics of sound doctrine found in TRADOC Regulation 25-36 is "Concise doctrine provides a comprehensive body of thought..." However, the...
The American Civil War introduced the operational level of war and with its introduction came one of the greatest challenges ever confronted by military commanders--operational command and control. In that regard, the objective of this monograph is...
By 1863, the Civil War was basically a stalemate between the two belligerents. Though the Union forces had achieved some success in conducting joint expeditions that resulted in securing the Mississippi River and the majority of the Southern ports,...
This monograph analyzes two historical campaigns and current doctrine to determine what information is required of the operational commander to make decisions. It looks at the nature of the information used by the operational commander in the...
This study concerns an analysis of the Confederate defense of Vicksburg with respect to one of the nine principles of war, the principle of the offensive. The loss of Vicksburg in the American Civil War was a mortal blow to the Confederacy in that...
This study is a historical analysis of the cavalry raids led by Confederate Major Generals Earl Van Dorn and Nathan Bedford Forrest in December 1862 and Union Colonel Benjamin Grierson in April 1863. Each raid is examined in detail based on the...
This monograph discusses the role of operational art in the Sioux War of 1876, the U.S. Army's largest campaign between the Civil War and the Spanish-American War. This campaign, often overlooked in the historical study of operational art,...
Spiva, Scott; Henry, Keith; Carr, Melvin; Hatchett, Todd; Cheesman, Allen
THESIS: Was the encounter of General Grant’s Union Army and General Lee’s Confederate Army at Spotsylvania a victory for either side considering both sides lost thousands of men? The Battle of Spotsylvania cost the Union Army over 18,000 men...
Spiva, Scott; Henry, Keith; Carr, Melvin; Hatchett, Todd; Cheesman, Allen
THESIS: Was the encounter of General Grant's Union Army and General Lee's Confederate Army at Spotsylvania a victory for either side considering both sides lost thousands of men?