System Mechanic - Clean, repair, protect, and speed up your PC!Winfield Scott
1786 - 1866
Winfield Scott, one of America's most popular generals prior to the Civil War, died May 29, 1866. He was 79.
Scott was born June 13, 1786 near Petersburg, Virginia. Although not a graduate of West Point, he rose to the rank of general by his exploits on the battlefield. A war hero during the War of 1812 and the Blackhawk War, he was commander of American forces during the Mexican War.
Scott was nominated by the Whigs to run for president in 1852, but was defeated by Franklin Pierce.
When the Civil War began, Scott held the post as commander in chief of all Union forces. He wanted fellow Virginian Robert E. Lee to be his chief field commander, but Lee joined the Confederacy because of his loyalty to his home state.
Scott by this time was an infirm old man who at 300 pounds could not sit on a horse. He was ridiculed by other Union commanders, especially for his so-called Anaconda Plan that called for a naval blockade of Confederate troop movements.
The disastrous defeat of the North at 1st Bull Run, when southern forces came close to capturing Washington, D.C. early in the war, became reason for ousting Scott as commander in chief.
Scott decided to retire from military service in 1861, and write his memoirs. He lived to see the North win the Civil War. He died in New York on May 29, 1866, and is buried at West Point.
