(September 29, 1831–March 4, 1906)

Army General, Commanding General of the Army

The little-known John McAllister Schofield was a capable Civil War general with a flair for administration. As commanding general, he sought the implementation of a general staff system and of reforms to improve both military professionalism and the lot of common soldiers.

Schofield was born in Gerry, New York, on September 29, 1831, the son of a Baptist minister. Raised in Illinois, he gained acceptance to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1853 and graduated four years later, ranking seventh out of a class of 54. As a second lieutenant with the First U.S. Artillery, Schofield served in Florida’s Third Seminole War in 1852–1853 before returning to West Point as a philosophy instructor. He rose to first lieutenant in 1855, but disillusioned by the lack of promotion at West Point, Schofield obtained a leave of absence in 1860. While teaching physics at Washington University in St. Louis, the Civil War broke out and he was commissioned a major with the First Missouri Volunteers. Schofield favorably impressed Gen. Nathaniel Lyon, the local Union commander, who appointed him his chief of staff. In this capacity, Schofield accompanied Lyon through a series of small victories over Southern sympathizers, but he advised against engaging numerically superior Confederate forces at Wilson’s Creek on August 10, 1861. He also balked at Gen. Franz Sigel’s suggestion to divide the Union Army and attempt a secret flank attack. The aggressive Lyon attacked the Confederates anyway and was killed, but Schofield subsequently won the Congressional Medal of Honor for his role in the battle. Three months later, he became brigadier general of the Missouri militia and enjoyed some success running guerrillas out of that badly divided state. In November 1862, Schofield was promoted again to command the Army of the Frontier, but his nomination as major general of volunteers was defeated in Congress by political enemies. Nonetheless, he was successfully nominated again in May 1863 and became head of the Department of the Missouri. Schofield, however, grew despondent over the back-stabbing nature of Missouri politics and requested a combat command. After some reflection, President Abraham Lincoln made him commander of the Army of the Ohio under Gen. William T. Sherman.

As commander of the XXIII Corps, Schofield joined James B. McPherson and George H. Thomas during Sherman’s famous march to Atlanta. He performed capably during the maneuvers against the Army of the Tennessee, which was commanded by Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, and distinguished himself in several battles. Prior to the fall of Atlanta in September 1864, Johnston was replaced by hard-charging John Bell Hood, a West Point classmate of Schofield’s. When Sherman commenced his march to the sea, Hood countered by advancing into Tennessee to threaten his lines of communication. Schofield was dispatched to slow him while Thomas, stationed at Nashville, began raising a new army from scratch. Hood advanced recklessly and failed to trap Schofield at Spring Hill, which he successfully evacuated after a stiff battle on November 29, 1864. The following day, Schofield bloodily repulsed Hood’s army during the Battle of Franklin, inflicted heavy casualties, and slipped away screened by the cavalry of James H. Wilson. Both men then reinforced Thomas at Nashville, with Hood in full pursuit. On December 15–16, the Confederates attacked Union positions frontally at Nashville, until a massive counterattack nearly annihilated Hood’s army. In light of his excellent service, Schofield was promoted to brigadier general of regulars in November 1863 and major general of volunteers in March 1865. Previously, he had marched his corps overland to Washington, D.C., embarked on the fleet of Adm. David D. Porter, and participated in the capture of Fort Fisher, North Carolina. Advancing inland, Schofield was reunited with Sherman at Goldsboro, and participated in the final actions against Johnston’s army. He ended the war commanding the Department of North Carolina.

After the war, Schofield was appointed a confidential agent of the State Department by President Andrew Johnson and dispatched to France. He was charged with negotiating with Emperor Napoleon III concerning the withdrawal of French forces from Mexico. After returning, Schofield was accorded a number of significant commands, beginning with the Department of the Potomac from August 1866 to June 1868. He then spent several months implementing Reconstruction policy in Virginia before being appointed acting secretary of war by Johnson and commanding Gen. Ulysses S. Grant. In March 1869, he advanced to major general of regulars and took charge of the Department of the Missouri until May 1870. Schofield then commanded the Division of the Pacific, and in 1872 he ventured to Hawaii to evaluate the strategic usefulness of those islands to the United States. Upon his recommendation, the government purchased Pearl Harbor as a naval facility. In September 1876, Schofield returned to West Point as commandant, remaining there until January 1881 when he succeeded to command of the Division of the Gulf. In 1878, he also headed a board that reconsidered the court-martial of Gen. Fitz John Porter and absolved him of misconduct at the Battle of Second Bull Run in 1862.

After successive stints with the Division of the Pacific and the Division of the Missouri, in August 1888 Schofield assumed his most influential role by succeeding Gen. Philip H. Sheridan as commanding general of the army. During his seven-year tenure, Schofield pressed for improvements in the life of common soldiers through better rations, more pay, and higher standards of living. Greater professionalism among the officer corps was also fostered by a system of examinations for promotion, creation of post libraries, and strong support for service schools. Furthermore, in contrast with his predecessors, Schofield disagreed with national policy toward Indians and urged that they be allowed to join the military as regular soldiers. He felt that in this capacity the Indians and their dependents could be cared for, while at the same time performing useful service to the country. Owing to the racism prevalent in military circles at the time, this farsighted policy was never adopted.

In terms of military administration, Schofield also sought to clarify the military chain of command by ending a long feud with the secretary of war. By subordinating the post of commanding general to the secretary’s office, and functioning as his senior military adviser, harmonious relations were finally achieved. Schofield’s final act was to advocate the adoption of a German-style general staff to better formulate grand strategic planning. This scheme was not adopted, and in February 1895 he left the army with the rank of lieutenant general. However, in 1902 Schofield appeared before a congressional committee to support the general-staff concept, contrary to the opinions of commanding Gen. Nelson A. Miles. Schofield died in St. Augustine, Florida, on March 4, 1906, and is generally regarded as the finest peacetime commanding general in army history. The Schofield Barracks at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, was named in his honor.

Bibliography

Barr, Ronald J., The Progressive Army: U.S. Army Command and Administration, 1870–1914, 1998; McDonough, James L., John M. Schofield: Union General in the Civil War and Reconstruction, 1972; McDonough, James L., and Thomas L. Connelly, Five Tragic Hours: The Battle of Franklin, 1983; Mixon, Robert W., “Pioneer Professional: General John M. Schofield and the Development of a Professional Officer Corps, 1888–1895,” unpublished master’s thesis, 1982; Schofield, John M., Forty-Six Years in the Army, 1897; Sefton, James E., ed., “Aristotle in Blue and Braid: General John M. Schofield’s Essays on Reconstruction,” Civil War History 17 (1971): 45–57; Sude, Barry R., “Federal Military Policy and Strategy in Missouri and Arkansas, 1861–1863: A Study in Command Level Conflict,” unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, 1987; Weigley, Russell E., “The Military Thought of John M. Schofield,” Military Affairs 23 (1959): 77–84; White, W. Bruce, “The American Indian as Soldier, 1890–1919,” Canadian Review of American Studies 7 (1976): 15–25.