Mississippi Library Association

Civil War Leadership and Mexican War Experience

Dougherty, Kevin. Civil War Leadership and Mexican War Experience.
Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2007.
207 pp. $50.00 (hardback)

This book presents a biographical analysis of the effect that serving in the Mexican War, 1846-1848, had on the behavior, tactics, and decisions made by twenty-six men during their Civil War service. The author selected thirteen soldiers who served in the Union army and thirteen soldiers who served in the Confederate army and examined the influence of the Mexican War on their conduct in the Civil War. For those who are interested in military history, this book illuminates many puzzling actions taken during military engagements by both sides of the conflict. It reveals interesting incidents that occurred during the Mexican War and, then, were later repeated during the Civil War. For example, one of the twenty-six profiled in the book, Brigadier General Jefferson Davis, U.S. Army (not the Confederate president) witnessed an argument between a general and colonel during the Mexican War that almost led to bullets being exchanged between the two. Later during the Civil War, General Davis experienced a similar incident with his commanding officer in which he shot and killed his superior. The two incidents are remarkably similar. According to Dougherty, even “Davis’s biographers, Nathaniel Hughes and Gordon Whitney noted: “…The similarity of the incidents cannot be dismissed.” The book was fascinating to read, and it is recommended to anyone interested in military history or the Civil War. It would be an excellent addition to the history collections of academic libraries and public libraries. Historical societies that maintain libraries would also find it to be a valuable addition to their collection.

Sandra Freeman
Library Media Specialist
Earl Travillion Attendance Center

Entry Filed under: Book Reviews
Posted on: June 26th, 2008