Sunday, January 29, 2006
Some history of "Presidents at War"
Michael Barone at USNEWS.com presents a synopsis of what our presidents have dealt with during times of war.
He reports interesting historical data that makes it very clear that overseeing a war is by no means an easy task...
He reports interesting historical data that makes it very clear that overseeing a war is by no means an easy task...
Some of the circumstances Michael Barone describes are quite amazing:
"Typically, the field of battle was far from Washington, and until the telegraph allowed Abraham Lincoln to communicate in real time with his generals, presidents learned of the course of battle only weeks or months later."
"In 1801, Thomas Jefferson sent the Navy and the Marines to take on the Barbary pirates, who were enslaving American merchants and demanding tribute. His ships set sail for the Barbary Coast in June 1801 but didn't complete their mission until September 1805."
"Madison's ability to prosecute the War of 1812 was so limited he was unable to prevent the burning of the White House and the Capitol."
