Armchair-generals Quote by Christopher Hitchens

“In my first interview with Mr. Lincoln alone he stated to me that he had never professed to be a military man or to…

— Ulysses S. Grant

I do not think you can fault Abraham Lincoln for picking generals that did not work out, because, as he said to John Hay…

— William Lee Miller

“In that war, the United States had created military forces so enormous as to defy description, yet now, when the nation’s greatest leader in…

— Garrett M. Graff

“History has shown very clearly that for democracy to continue, the people, and not the generals or even the executive authority, must have control…

— T. R. Fehrenbach

“Mr Lincoln suggested that the Lord sent us this terrible war as punishment for the offense of slavery and that the war may be…

— Jennifer Chiaverini

“General Douglas MacArthur said, “In war there is no substitute for victory.”

— Warren W. Wiersbe

“No commander was ever privileged to lead a finer force; no commander ever derived greater inspiration from the performance of his troops.”

— John J. Pershing

“For those of you who were critical that nobody paid enough attention to the generals at the beginning of the war, has it occurred…

— Bob Woodward

“Abraham Lincoln would maintain that he had never been in favor “of making voters or jurors of negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold…

— Doris Kearns Goodwin

“McClellan knew that Jackson’s force was relatively small, so he only sent 16,000 men under the command of Major General Nathaniel P. Banks. A…

— Charles River Editors

“Mr. Lincoln gained influence over men by making them feel that it was a pleasure to serve him. He preferred yielding his own wish…

— Ulysses S. Grant

Military metaphors are rarely exact, but sending Republicans against Democrats when the issue hangs in the balance is nearly always as futile as sending…

— Wesley Pruden