Alan Axelrod Quotes (1952-)

“The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina: Founded in 1842 in Charleston, The Citadel graduated 6 Confederate general officers, 49 field-grade officers (colonels and majors), and 120 company-grade officers (captains and lieutenants).”

“Virginia Military Institute (VMI): Established in 1839 in Lexington, Virginia, VMI had 1,902 alumni by the outbreak of the Civil War. Of this number, 1781 would fight for the Confederacy. One-third of the field officers commanding Virginia's Civil War regiments were graduates.”

“Norwich University, Northfield, Vermont: In the North, other than West Point, the only notable military institution of higher learning was Norwich University, which was established as a private military college in 1819. Among its graduates, 523 became officers in the Union army and 34 in the Confederate army.”

“On the eve of World War II, Japan was a thriving industrialized power of about seventy million people. The nation had become a major manufacturer of consumer goods, but, by the early 1930s, the military-dominated central government was increasingly replacing the market economy with features of a totalitarian command economy, including strong government control and planning of production. A growing sector of production was being devoted to war-related industries. Additionally, during 1934-36, the electric power and oil industries were nationalized, and in 1939 rice rationing was introduced. By the end of the decade, Japan was on a war footing driven by wartime economy.”

“Although the states were capable of delivering raw manpower to the military when required to do so, there was no substitute for well-trained officers. In addition to policing Indians, the peacetime army also served as a vehicle for creating a cadre of professional military leaders capable of fighting wars. The US Military Academy at West Point, New York, was established in 1802. Although the academy has had its detractors, including none other than frontiersman and Tennessee congressman Davy Crockett (who unsuccessfully introduced as "Resolution to Abolish the Military Academy at West Point" on February 25, 1830) and more recent luminaries, 523 USMA graduates served in the US-Mexican War, of whom 452 were promoted or decorated for gallantry. The majority of notable Civil War officers, Union and Confederate, were West Point graduates, with 294 serving as Union generals and 151 as Confederate generals.”

“For Patton, leadership was never simply about making plans and giving orders, it was about transforming oneself into a symbol.”

“George Washington was the right man at the right time – sometimes he was the first man, but sometimes he simply knew when to ride the crest of a wave or the leading edge of a trend.”

“Maj.Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman, [ United States Military Academy Class of] 1840 (Union): U.S. Grant's top lieutenant. He fought at Shiloh and in the Vicksburg, Chattanooga, Atlanta, and Carolina campaigns. His Savanna Campaign- the "March to the Sea"- brought total war to the people of the South. He served as commanding general of the US Army from 1869 to 1883.”