
Hunter Liggett
A Soldier's General
Michael E. Shay(Author)
Texas A & M University Press
Will be published approx. on 28. February 2019
Book
Hardback
224 pages
978-1-62349-745-3 (ISBN)
Description
Lt. Gen. Hunter Liggett's forty-year career spanned the period from the Indian Wars in the territories of Montana and Dakota to the trenches of World War I. For someone who experienced many individual triumphs and battlefield victories-including the final push of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive-he often is overshadowed by figures such as John J. Pershing or George C. Marshall. His quiet demeanor sometimes did not serve him well, but it also masked steely determination. Liggett's tenacity won Pershing's attention and admiration, and he went on to direct and win what was at the time the largest single battle in American history. In Hunter Liggett, author Michael E. Shay shows that while Pershing may have assembled the pieces of the American Expeditionary Forces, it was Liggett who made it work.
This first biography of Liggett follows the full life of a doggedly hard-working soldier whose leadership style contrasted and sometimes conflicted with the military culture of his time. Where Pershing employed a ""fear and censure"" approach to command, Liggett allowed his subordinates to grow into their jobs, all the while coaching them on the best course of action. Where Pershing was feared, Liggett enjoyed the respect-if not affection-of his men. Liggett was a modest man and a devoted student of military history at a time when many officers of his generation relied upon a combination of connections, political influence, and seniority to advance their careers.
Hunter Liggett not only offers readers a much-needed biography of an almost forgotten general but also adds a new and nuanced perspective on the importance of military leadership in the era of the First World War.
This first biography of Liggett follows the full life of a doggedly hard-working soldier whose leadership style contrasted and sometimes conflicted with the military culture of his time. Where Pershing employed a ""fear and censure"" approach to command, Liggett allowed his subordinates to grow into their jobs, all the while coaching them on the best course of action. Where Pershing was feared, Liggett enjoyed the respect-if not affection-of his men. Liggett was a modest man and a devoted student of military history at a time when many officers of his generation relied upon a combination of connections, political influence, and seniority to advance their careers.
Hunter Liggett not only offers readers a much-needed biography of an almost forgotten general but also adds a new and nuanced perspective on the importance of military leadership in the era of the First World War.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
College Station
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
20 black & white photographs, 4 maps
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
505 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-62349-745-3 (9781623497453)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Michael E. Shay is the author or editor of six books, including The Yankee Division in the First World War: In the Highest Tradition and Henry Ware Lawton: Union Infantryman, Frontier Soldier, Charismatic Warrior. He served as a superior court judge in the state of Connecticut and is now a judge trial referee. He resides in Wilton, Connecticut.