David J. Fitzpatrick

There is a conventional wisdom about Upton, floated by such grey eminences of American military history as Russell Weigley and Stephen Ambrose, that the man was anti-volunteer, anti-democratic, and, essentially, wanted to Prussianize the United States Army. On the basis of rediscovered correspondence and papers, Fitzpatrick believes that this was far from the case. This is not to say that Upton couldn't be his own worst enemy, and he did have a certain disdain for political expediency when show more it came to his beloved service. However, what his vision came down to was an efficient army, certainly based on volunteers, but where the state troops were held to a certain general standard, and all officers were indoctrinated into a certain level of professionalism. That said, the man was quite willing to unleash the Army in the case of general insurrection, a point that, by the late 1870s, inspired fear in Southern and Northern politicians alike (Upton equated organized labor action with the Paris Commune). Still, what was visionary thinking in the 1870s was almost conventional wisdom by the early 20th century, as Upton's notions did percolate their way through the military establishment.

Besides Upton's contributions to military science, he was interesting for his own person, and this book is worthy as a portrait of the man. show less