At the outbreak of armed
conflict, the field commander of the U.S. Army was physically unable to mount a
horse.
Subordinate only to the
president, who was also commander in chief, at age 75. Lt. General Winfield
Scott had directed the U.S. Army since 1841. Behind his back, subordinates
called him “old Fuss and Feathers.” Members of the tiny professional army knew
that their leader was afflicted with gout and was too heavy to sit in a saddle.
Because no general
directed his fighting men on foot, it was obvious that Scott couldn’t go into
combat. As much as any other factor, Scott’s inability to ride contributed to
George B. McClellan’s October 1861 success in his campaign to supplant “Old
Fuss and Feathers” as the Union’s top brass.
