Lincoln and His Generals Book Report Essays

Lincoln and His Generals Book Report Essays Lincoln and His Generals Book Report Paper Lincoln and His Generals Book Report Paper Lincoln and His Generals Book Review Lincoln and His Generals is a book by Thomas Williams that focuses on the Civil War as being the first modern war and the way President Lincoln lead his divided nation during this dark historic time. Williams introduces the Union army as one that has no shape to it. This includes the lack of any plan of attack, as the thought of war had not been converted into any type of scheme. The armies lacked organization and communication, and existing generals were old and incompetent. The first task that Lincoln had was the immediate selection of Generals. Lincolns selection process was sometimes based on political and personal grounds, and he was in the position of selecting from a pool of generals that had no experience leading a large army. Williams tells us that even if the selection was for political reasons, Lincoln had the best interest of the nation in mind. It appears that control was an important factor in Lincolns selections, however, Williams continually argues that if Lincoln had had generals who were more competent he would not have interfered as much. In Lincoln, one sees a willing amateur, one who had the ability to bring out the best in some men, and also learn from them. Williams gives us insight into Lincolns thought process. Williams supports this with various examples and numerous interactions that Lincoln had with his Generals. One example of this is Lincolns selection of General Scott, the first General of the Union forces. When Lincoln interacted with Scott, he showed an admiration for Scotts age and knowledge. This allowed Scott to show his skills, this humility was shared by General McClellan. Lincoln later changes his approach towards McClellan, trying to boost his confidence and courage. Williams continually shows McClellan as an egotist, who eventually replaced Scott as General in chief. McClellan is depicted as unsure, indecisive, self-centered and fearful of declaring war. Lincoln continually defends McClellan but is not afraid of tactfully sending criticism his way. One could easily be lead to believe that Lincoln was more of an appeaser. Williams shows us that Lincoln never hesitated in making difficult decisions based on results. Lincolns people skills are clearly established in Williams’s writings. Lincoln seems keen at applying pressure as well as giving his generals a free hand when necessary. Williams shows that Lincolns patience does wear thin when there are no early victories and the lack of aggressiveness on the Union side. Williams shows a gradual transformation on Lincolns selection process. Initially each general was selected on characteristics such as battle experience and political backing. As the enemy holds out and there is inaction, Lincoln starts to doubt the ability of his generals and starts to seek generals who can win without excuses. Williams describes the pressure that is placed on Lincoln. The union government and the public were questioning the inactivity of McClellan and his troops. Lincoln was willing to absorb most of this pressure but eventually seeks answers to the same questions. Williams shows the desperate side of Lincoln. Lincoln starts to recklessly allow attack plans that he did not always agree with, just because he was desperate to see action from McClellan. Williams indicates that Lincoln is a misunderstood man through the eyes of his Generals. His chief general McClellan thought little of him and had doubts about Lincoln early on. Union Generals sometimes failed at getting information back to Lincoln. Often a simple suggestion was taken as a direct order. I feel that Williams fails to argue that there might have been a certain awe that people felt towards Lincoln since he was their president. This relationship of a superior officer versus a junior officer is ignored by Williams. There could have been a small amount of intimidation that Generals felt towards Lincoln, especially later on with his reputation for getting rid of officers and generals who did not perform. Lincoln is painted as an intellectual maverick, a great statesman, and yet human enough to make mistakes and feel deterred at times. Williams also shows us a pessimistic side of Lincoln; when McClellan was sick and resources were low, Lincoln confides in his Quartermaster General Meigs, about the futile future. Williams constantly points out Lincolns strategic planning abilities against the fact that Lincoln had never had any formal training in war. I believe Williams does this due to fact that Lincolns WestPoint educated generals had such large egos as compared to a simple yet assertive Lincoln. This allows the reader to truly appreciate the humbleness of Lincoln. Williams might have served the reader better if he had focused on a number of issues. Williams could have put less emphasis upon the detailed descriptions of battle plans and strategy. The book tends to bog down in this area, especially when other books have touched upon this topic in a deeper sense. Despite the use of maps and footnotes, it seemed easy to get lost in this area. There is no doubt that reference is required to the history of the war to tell Lincolns story, but the author does tend to give more detail than necessary. More information on the selection process would have provided a better story for the book. Williams has done this exceptionally, but additional information might have thrown more light on both the generals as well as Lincoln himself. Williams leaves questions as to his objectivity in his true assessment of certain Generals. Williams sometimes seems to be so fascinated with Lincoln that he occasionally takes his side when analyzing questionable war tactics taken by some of the Generals, especially McClellan. Also, he does not offer any speculations as to why McClellan withholds certain battle plans from Lincoln. This question, though a small one, seems like it would deserve some time spent on it. The portrait that Williams paints of Lincoln is that of a frustrated patriot. Time and time again he expects action. It’s here that Williams shows us the greatness of Lincoln; compassion and patience. There are a number of instances when he is really frustrated with his generals, yet he reprimands them gently. Williams brings out this characteristic of Lincoln skillfully. The private Lincoln is deeply affected by the slow movement of war, but in public he almost never criticizes a public figure. Williams gradually unfolds this private compassionate Lincoln. First as a brilliant strategist, then as the father of a broken nation. Williams says that this change is largely due to General Grant. As Grant emerges as the key Union player in the war theater, Lincoln is glad to take a lesser role. This ties in well with what Williams had originally suggested; Lincoln was willing to relinquish control to someone qualified. Williams portrays Lincoln in a very positive light, allowing the reader to realize the greatness of Lincoln, in his compassion, strategy, statesmanship and humbleness. Williams has provided numerous instances where he provides ample support to his arguments and facts. In spite of the unnecessary detail and wordiness that Williams sometimes uses, there is no doubt that this book is a remarkable insight into Lincolns character. Dawson, Joseph G. III. T. Harry Williams. Dictionary of American Biography. Vol. 17, 431-446 Williams, T. Harry. Lincoln and His Generals. New York: Dorset Press, 1952.

3 huge reasons your team would benefit from a 6 hour work day

3 huge reasons your team would benefit from a 6 hour work day We all know the old saying about â€Å"all work and no play†¦,† and although it’s a well-worn clichà © at this point, it’s hard to deny that there is an important truth contained within. Spending too much time of our time working is rarely a recipe for a happy and well-balanced life. In fact, many experts and business leaders across industries now believe that there’s a tipping point at which spending too much time working can actually have a negative countereffect on efficiency. Imagine putting in those extra hours every week at your job only to realize that it’s actually hurting your productivity, not to mention the unfortunate effects it’s having on your general health and well-being.Healthline published an article on common effects of working too much, and it included a bunch of serious potential outcomes that shouldn’t be ignored: added alcohol use to in order to relax post-work; stalled productivity; compromised sleep and d aytime fatigue; depression; added stress; increased risk of heart disease, stroke, and cancer; extra back and neck pain; and negative effects on personal relationships.Clearly, the seriousness of this issue has led businesses to start paying attention- in fact, many are starting to look harder at decreasing the length of workdays in an effort to offset the potential adverse side effects of overworking. Another factor that’s helping to drive the case for shorter workdays is technological innovation- simply put, the tools we now have at our disposal to help us get our jobs done allows us to do more and to be more productive, in less time than ever before.Currently, there’s no unanimous consensus regarding how long the â€Å"perfect sweet spot† is for the modern workday, but there is a growing number of businesses that are experimenting with the 6-hour workday, and the initial results are encouraging. Harvard Business Review recently made a case for the six-hour we ekday, which includes a wealth of intriguing ideas about how today’s companies- and employees- can potentially benefit from moving to this workday model. Let’s take a closer look at some of the ways your team can benefit from moving to shorter workdays.Enhanced prioritizationSimply put, when we have fewer hours dedicated to getting things done, we work harder to prioritize tasks and responsibilities. This has a clear net benefit- prioritization empowers us to get organized, recognize and laser focus on the most important and essential tasks, and plan appropriately, all which help projects of all scopes and sizes get started on the right foot and progress effectively. When we move through our workdays scatterbrained and disjointed, we’re more prone to get distracted, disorganized, and derailed. Here’s the bottom line: shorter workdays and improved focus and prioritization are win-win scenarios for employers and employees alike.Honesty and focusWho among us isn’t familiar with unrealistic expectations at work? In fact, the mantra of many of today’s companies is â€Å"do more with less,† which often translates to fewer overworked employees being saddled with more responsibilities than they can feasibly handle at any given time, with fewer resources at their disposal in order to get things done.What does this often mean? Many of us expanding our already-long workdays in a futile effort to stay afloat at our jobs and avoid drowning in an unfinished ocean of daily tasks, which often leads to burnout, high rates of job turnover, and unfinished or poorly executed projects. Who does that benefit?Shorter workdays typically force employers and employees to be more realistic with what they can accomplish and be more mindful about what resources are needed in order to stay on track.Happier employeesWho knew that happier employees typically mean more productive and reliable workers? Lots of today’s most progressive and innovative companies, actually- including those who are turning to shorter workdays in an effort to empower their workers to have a healthier and happier work-life balance. Companies are increasingly abandoning the outdated and simply ill-conceived notion that they need to wring every last drop of time and energy from their employees, and are learning to accept the idea that less raw hours spent at work doesn’t mean less work getting done. Quite the opposite, it often translates to happier and more energized workers who are eager to roll up their sleeves and be productive. What business doesn’t want that?  If you’re a business owner or key decision maker at your company and are considering the idea of moving to a shorter workday but are looking for convincing reasons to do so, hopefully, the ideas presented here will get you to embrace the notion that this strategy is a great idea for your team.