Scott, Winfield, 1786-1866

Winfield Scott’s illustrious life began on June 13, 1786 in Dinwiddie County, Virginia. His military career began in May 1808, shortly before his 22nd birthday, when he was appointed a Captain in the U.S. Light Artillery. Early in his career, Scott openly criticized the Commanding General of the Army, James Wilkinson, earning him a court martial for insubordination in 1810 and a suspension of his commission for one year. From 1811 to 1812, he served on the staff of Wade Hampton II (father of Confederate General Wade Hampton III) in New Orleans. When the War of 1812 began, Scott was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in the Second Artillery Regiment and transferred to the Niagara region. His first action was at the Battle of Queenston Heights, where he commanded the American landing party. Because of friction with the New York Militia, the attack went badly for the Americans who were forced to surrender. Held by the British until 1813, Scott was exchanged and paroled; he returned to duty and was promoted to Colonel. He led the attack that captured Fort George, suffering a wound in the process. He was promoted to Brigadier General, at age twenty-seven, in March of 1814. At this time Scott earned his nickname “Old Fuss and Feathers” for his insistence on military discipline and appearance, which, even though it rankled his mostly volunteer soldiers, helped turn them into a crack fighting force. Scott commanded a Brigade at the Battles of Chippawa and Lundy’s Lane; at the latter, he suffered a serious wound that took him out of the rest of the war. For his actions at Lundy’s Lane, he received a brevet promotion to Major General. Following the War of 1812, Scott helped standardize the drill regulations for the army. He was passed over for command in 1828 prompting his resignation, which was denied by the army. In the 1830s, he was in command during the Indian Wars in the west. In 1838, he oversaw the infamous Cherokee Removal, better known as the Trail of Tears. On July 5, 1841, Scott assumed office as Commanding General of the United States Army, its most senior position, and was promoted to Major General. In this role, he led American forces in Mexico during the Mexican-American War, earning him even more national recognition and prestige. Twenty years after his appointment as Commanding General, at the outbreak of the Civil War, Scott still retained his command even though he was 74 and in poor health. Feeling the pressure from the government and other members of the military, Scott resigned in November of 1861. When he retired from the Army in November 1861, Scott had been a general longer than his successor, George McClellan, had been alive. He lived to see the Union win the war, dying at West Point on May 29, 1866 at age 79. His military career spanned fifty-three years, forty-seven of which were as a general, and three major wars.

<p>Winfield Scott (June 13, 1786 – May 29, 1866) was an American military commander and political candidate. He served as a general in the United States Army from 1814 to 1861, taking part in the War of 1812, the Mexican–American War, the early stages of the American Civil War, and various conflicts with Native Americans. Scott was the Whig Party's presidential nominee in the 1852 presidential election, but was defeated by Democrat Franklin Pierce. He was known as Old Fuss and Feathers for his insistence on proper military etiquette, and as the Grand Old Man of the Army for his many years of service.</p>

<p>Scott was born near Petersburg, Virginia, in 1786. After training as a lawyer and brief militia service, he joined the army in 1808 as a captain of the light artillery. In the War of 1812, Scott served on the Canadian front, taking part in the Battle of Queenston Heights and the Battle of Fort George, and was promoted to the rank of brigadier general in early 1814. He served with distinction in the Battle of Chippawa, but was badly wounded in the subsequent Battle of Lundy's Lane. After the conclusion of the war, Scott was assigned to command army forces in a district containing much of the Northeastern United States, and he and his family made their home near New York City. During the 1830s, Scott negotiated an end to the Black Hawk War, took part in the Second Seminole War and the Creek War of 1836, and presided over the removal of the Cherokee. Scott also helped to avert war with Britain, defusing tensions arising from the Patriot War and the Aroostook War.</p>

<p>In 1841, Scott became the Commanding General of the United States Army, beating out his rival, Edmund P. Gaines, for the position. After the outbreak of the Mexican–American War in 1846, Scott initially served as an administrator, but in 1847 he led a campaign against the Mexican capital of Mexico City. After capturing the port city of Veracruz, he defeated Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna's armies at the Battle of Cerro Gordo, the Battle of Contreras, and the Battle of Churubusco and captured Mexico City. He maintained order in the Mexican capital and indirectly helped envoy Nicholas Trist negotiate the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which brought an end to the war.</p>

<p>Scott was a candidate for the Whig presidential nomination in 1840, 1844, and 1848, and he finally won the Whig presidential nomination at the 1852 Whig National Convention. The Whigs were badly divided over the Compromise of 1850, and Pierce won a decisive victory over his former commander. Nonetheless, Scott remained popular among the public, and in 1855 he received a brevet promotion to the rank of lieutenant general, becoming the first U.S. Army officer to hold that rank since George Washington. Despite being a Virginia native, Scott stayed loyal to the Union and served as an important adviser to President Abraham Lincoln during the opening stages of the Civil War. He developed a strategy known as the Anaconda Plan, but retired in late 1861 after Lincoln increasingly relied on General George B. McClellan for military advice and leadership. Scott's military talent was highly regarded by contemporaries, and historians generally consider him to be one of the most accomplished generals in U.S. history.</p>

Winfield Scott was a hero of the Mexican War (1846–1848), the last Whig Party candidate for U.S. president, and commanding general of the United States Army at the start of the American Civil War (1861–1865). Known as "Old Fuss and Feathers" for his equal love of discipline and pomp, Scott by 1861 had served in the military for more than fifty years and under fourteen U.S. presidents. He had been severely wounded in battle, avoided several wars with his diplomatic skills, and commanded the army that conquered Mexico City in 1847, all of which made him the most admired and famous soldier in America. Less well known is the fact that Scott was convicted by court-martial for conduct unbecoming an officer, was investigated by a court of inquiry, once was accused of treason, and several times offered his resignation from the army. When the Civil War began, the Dinwiddie County native remained loyal to the Union, and while age had so reduced his once-towering frame that he could no longer even mount a horse, his ego and intellect were still intact. Scott's Anaconda Plan for winning the war proved to be prescient but politically out of step, and he eventually lost control of the army to George B. McClellan. He soon retired, published a two-volume memoir in 1864, and died in 1866.