Scott, Winfield (1786–1866)

General-in-Chief of the U.S. Army

Winfield Scott is regarded by many as the most accomplished soldier of the 19th century. His long and productive career influenced a generation of U.S. military officers. A capable military administrator, Scott's prowess on and off the battlefield shaped an American military policy that planted the seeds of military professionalism in the officer corps and transformed the U.S. Army into an effective fighting force.

Born near Petersburg, Virginia, in 1786, Scott dropped out of the College of William and Mary, studied law, and eventually joined the military. He enlisted in a voluntary cavalry unit before receiving a commission as a captain of light artillery in 1808. Accusing his superior of being a traitor on a level equal with Aaron Burr, Scott was court-martialed in 1810 and suspended from active duty for one year.

Scott's subsequent baptism by fire in the War of 1812 convinced him of the link between military discipline and battlefield effectiveness. In 1812 Lieutenant Colonel Scott commanded elements of the 2nd Artillery in an attempt to cross the Niagara River and invade Canada. At the Battle of Queenston Heights, Scott and other American regulars surrendered and were captured by the British. Exchanged in March 1813, Scott helped plan the attack on Fort George before participating in the failed Montreal offensive. In that campaign, he observed that those untrained militias led by elected officers were no match for veteran soldiers commanded by officers schooled in the art of war. When he was promoted to brigadier general in March 1814, Scott had the opportunity to put these lessons into practice. He was ordered to Buffalo, New York, where he initiated a training program to reform his tattered brigade. Earning the sobriquet “Old Fuss and Feathers” for his fastidious attention to detail and military decorum, he drilled his men for as many as 10 hours a day, six days a week. At the end of four months, Scott's troops were a highly disciplined force well-suited to the rigors of military duty.

On July 5, 1814, Scott demonstrated that rigorous training could produce great results, defeating the British at Chippewa in the first battle of a renewed Niagara offensive. Less than three weeks later, Scott's brigade fought in the climactic battle of the Niagara Peninsula when challenged at Lundy's Lane. The brigade attacked a larger British force instead of waiting for reinforcements, but Scott's men held their ground until relieved. This earned the respect of those within the military establishment and won Scott the acclaim of the American people. He was subsequently promoted to major general, a rank he retained at the end of the war.

In the decade following the War of 1812, Scott made a name for himself in the peacetime Army, participating in the postwar reduction in force, writing the Army's first drill manual (which would be used for nearly 45 years), and drafting the general regulations for the U.S. Army. He also proved adept at settling disputes and maintaining peace. In 1832 he [Page 773]negotiated treaties to end conflict with the Sauk and Fox tribes, and traveled to Charleston, South Carolina, to thwart nullification. In 1838 he supervised the removal of the Cherokee from Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee to Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma), before dealing with British officials to maintain peace along the New England–Canadian border. Repeated demonstrations of honesty and leadership won him both recognition and promotion from American politicians. In July 1841, Scott received command of the entire U.S. Army, a post he would hold for the next 20 years.

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