Orlando M. Poe: Civil War General and Great Lakes Engineer
In 1986, the biographer Stephen Oates wrote an essay entitled, “Biography as High Adventure” as a chapter in a book he edited of the same title. In it he enumerated what he believed are some the characteristics of that genre. Among them are, “having an eye for detail,” with “insight into character” along with “a professional mastery of the era in which his subject lived and died.” A masterful example of that art narrative form includes each of these aspects. Paul Taylor’s biography, Orlando M. Poe: Civil War General and Great Lakes Engineer, is a notable life study that incorporates each of Oates’ elements. Taylor displays a skillful use of archival and primary documents of the period in which Poe lived, along with a vast knowledge of related secondary materials. In addition to being well-researched, Orlando M. Poe is written in a readable and fast-paced style. Taylor’s study is the first biographical account of Poe’s career and, due to its clear narrative and insightful analysis of the man and his times, this will remain the seminal biography of Poe. Although the Military Academy at West Point was regarded as the best engineering school in 19th century America, there are few biographies of graduating engineering officers that examine the career of one of these officers to the depth and detail of Taylor’s Orlando M. Poe. Born in 1832 in rural Ohio, Poe strove to be well educated so he could enter the military as an officer. Orlando M. Poe’s four years at USMA, 1852-1856, was a time of great political turmoil and controversy. Taylor successfully explores Poe’s life against the backdrop of the period’s military, political and social context. Poe’s personal correspondences, which, contrary to his wishes, were not destroyed by his wife, reflect the impact of the two major influences on his life — the principles of the American Whig Party and his Episcopalian faith. Following his graduation, Poe served as an engineering and topographical officer around the Great Lakes. When the Civil War broke out he was placed in command of the 2nd Michigan Infantry, which served in the Peninsula Campaign of 1862. Eventually he was elevated to brigade command and in that position he engaged at Second Manassas and at Fredericksburg. He was selected to the post of chief engineer under Sherman, with whom he formed a close friendship. In this capacity he served with great distinction at Knoxville, during the Atlanta Campaign and during Sherman’s March to the Sea and through the Carolinas. Poe returned to the Great Lakes region following the war to oversee the construction and repair of the numerous lighthouses that operated around the lakes. He was selected in 1873 to rejoin Sherman’s staff as engineer aide-de-camp, remaining in that post for Sherman’s tenure as commander of the U.S. Army. Following Sherman’s retirement Poe returned to the Great Lakes, where he was placed in charge of construction of the Sault Ste. Marie Locks. In 1895, at the age of 63, Poe died of an infection. Taylor chronicles Poe’s entire life in great detail with insightful observations. He examines the complexities of the 19th century American officer when a military career evolved into a true profession. Taylor recounts the weighty internal stress Poe faced as an ambitious army officer who continually sought elevation to the rank of general while attempting to balance this with the public constraint expected during the Victorian era. Poe, as demonstrated by Taylor, was a neophyte when it came to playing politics as he sought command elevation. It was not until very late in the war when, with the help of Sherman, that he achieved the rank of brigadier general by brevet. Not only is Taylor’s biography a masterful character study, but his ability to analyze the military, political and social nuances of the period make this biographical study so superior. Paul Taylor, an insurance professional, has written four previous Civil War studies, including a battle survey of Ox Hill (Chantilly). Numerous photographs accompany the Orlando M. Poe text, many published here for the first time. The outstanding narrative is also complemented by a series of 16 detailed maps by cartographer Blake Magner. Although, at $65, Orlando M. Poe is rather pricey, this is an excellent biography and is an important contribution not only to Civil War historiography, but also as an examination of the development of the American military as a profession during the 19th century. Reviewer: Michael Russert Michael Russert, a member of the North Shore Round Table of Long Island and the Company of Military Historians, has a MALS plus 60 hours in American Studies. He is Coordinator of The New York State Veteran Oral History Program.
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Illustrated, maps, endnotes, bibliog