The Civil War is often called the first modern war. Sandwiched between the Napoleonic Wars and World War I, the Civil War spawned a host of firsts and is often looked upon as a precursor to the larger and more deadly 20th century conflicts. Confederate General James Longstreet made some of the most profound modern contributions to the art of war. Retired Lieutenant Colonel Harold M. Knudsen explains what he did and how he did it in The Confederacy’s Most Modern General: James Longstreet and the American Civil War.
Initially, commanders on both sides extensively utilized Napoleonic tactics that were obsolete because of the advent of the rifled musket and better artillery. Some professional army officers, like Union Generals U. S. Grant and William T. Sherman, worked to improve tactics, operations, and strategies. On the Confederate side, a careful comparison of Longstreet’s body of work in the field to modern military doctrine reveals several large-scale innovations. He understood early that the tactical defense was generally dominant over the offense, which was something few grasped in 1862. His thinking demonstrated a clear evolution beginning on the field at First Manassas in July 1861. It developed through the bloody fighting of 1862, and culminated in the brilliant defensive victory at Fredericksburg that December. The lethality with which his riflemen mowed down repeated Union assaults hinted at what was to come in World War I. Longstreet’s ability to launch and control powerful offensives was on display at Second Manassas in August 1862, and his offensive plan at Chickamauga in Georgia the following September was similar, if not the forerunner to, World War II tactical-level German armored tactics. Other areas show progressive applications with artillery, staff work, force projection, and operational-level thinking.
AUTHOR: LTC Knudsen is an Illinois native. His career spans twenty five years of active duty Army service, and includes seven resident career artillery, command and staff Army schools and colleges. He has many years of tactical experience in the integration of fire support into maneuver plans and fire control computation for cannon units. He spent nine years in Germany training tactics offensive armored warfare, as well as peace-keeping and counter-insurgency training. A combat veteran of Desert Storm, he performed extensive artillery fire planning and execution in support of the U.S. breakthrough of the Iraqi line and penetration into Iraq. He has also served in the Iraq Campaign. His years of staff work at the Corps, Army, and Pentagon levels give him a strong understanding of army operations from the lowest to highest levels.
