Five stars plus! I loved reading this amazing book by Kevin
Dougherty. “The Campaigns for Vicksburg, 1862-63: Leadership Lessons” is too
good of a book to be relegated as just another history of Vicksburg. Bookstores
should not limit the book to assignment in the military history section. It
deserves a prominent place in the business section with the books on leadership
and management as well as the military history section. As I read the book I was
reminded of a book I read in the early 1990s, "Leadership Secrets of
Attila the Hun". The book is that good!
Kevin Dougherty does a great job of providing leadership
lessons from the key military and political leaders of the time. He helps us understand Vicksburg. He does this
by sharing the challenges, characteristics, and styles associated with
leadership during the Civil War. He follows with an overview of the entire
Vicksburg Campaign.
Next, he provides thirty case studies or leadership vignettes.
He starts with General Winfield Scott’s Anaconda Plan. He carries us systematically
through the campaign. We meet and learn about the key leaders and engagements. Each of the thirty vignettes begins with the short
summary. It follows with a succinct history of the event (e.g. Chickasaw Bayou:
William Sherman and Knowing When to Quit). Sharing the resulting leadership
lessons learned from the event follow. The chapters (vignettes) conclude with a
sidebar of “Takeaways” which provide a succinct summary of the lessons learned.
As you are enjoying reading the book, you learn valuable
lessons on the difference between management and leadership. You gain an
understanding of servant leadership. You see the value of clear
communication from leaders to their subordinates. You comprehend the worth
of personal presence of the leader in an organization.
The author ends the book with conclusions
about leadership during the Vicksburg campaign. The areas covered are strategy,
confidence, unity of effort, frame of reference, situational awareness, risk
taking, problem solving, personal bravery, and technical skill. The inclusion
of the Vicksburg Campaign Order of Battle as an appendix is appreciated and
helps with the understanding of the size of the leadership task faced by
General U.S. Grant.
“The Campaigns for Vicksburg, 1862-63: Leadership Lessons”
is a valuable addition to the study of leadership and Vicksburg. It would be an excellent study for business
leaders as well as the professional officer and soldier. I recommend its addition to the personal library of all students of military science. My hope is it would be
included in the reading lists of the officer basic or advanced courses. As in "Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun", the
lessons presented in "The Campaigns for Vicksburg, 1862-63: Leadership Lessons" are timeless.
Well done, Lt. Col. Kevin Dougherty, Ph.D. , US Army
(retired) Adjunct Professor, Tactical Officer at The Citadel. I enjoyed your book. Well done,
indeed!
