General Winfield Scott: His Development and Application of Political/ Civil-Military Concepts During the Mexican War

摘要

General Winfield Scott was the United States' preeminent military leader of his day. For 53 years he served his nation. He served under 14 presidents - 13 of them as a general officer. He was the General in Chief of the United States Army for the last two decades of his career (today's equivalent of the Army Chief of Staff). The study of great leaders from our past provides a focus for analysis of leadership skills. By looking at what shaped the leader - in this case General Winfield Scott - and his accomplishments, we can apply the lessons learned to our environment. General Scott was the architect for the planning, resourcing and conduct of the Mexican War as well as the War's most famous commander. During the war General Scott was more than an exemplary soldier and leader - he was served as a politician and diplomat. He skillfully manipulated the political environment through civil military affairs policy that ultimately contributed (and possibly led) to the effective administration of government in Mexico. This paper seeks to document Scott's development into a leader and diplomat and to examine his methods and their effectiveness in shaping the strategic and political environment during the United States war with Mexico.