John D. Morris (2) (1932–)

While this study of Jacob Brown has its virtues, the fact that it's so focused on the life of its subject makes it mostly attractive to a serious student of the War of 1812 or the Early Republic. That said, Morris doesn't slight the military or personal details of Brown's life, and offers extra value by spending a good portion of his book examining Brown's role in the reorganization of the Army after the war; finding Brown to have been overshadowed unjustly by John C. Calhoun's activities as show more Secretary of War.

If I have to mark down this book, it's because that more could have been done to put Jacob Brown into context. Brown reminds one of the men of affairs who made themselves into competant field officers during the Revolutionary War (Washington, Nathaniel Greene, Anthony Wayne, etc.) and is thus something of the last of his type. This is seeing as American field command through the Civil War would either devolve on men in the model of frontier leaders such as Andrew Jackson or on the rising professional class of officers issuing from West Point; at least it was this sort of officer who would receive the public acclaim. show less