"The School for Command Preparation, Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, KS provides three sequential courses for battalion and brigade command selectees. All command designees attend the PreCommand Course (PCC). PCC provides common understanding of current doctrine, and up-to-date information on Army-wide policy, programs and special items of interest. In conjunction with PCC, spouses are invited to attend the Command Team Seminar (CTS). With commanders, they gain awareness of issues that impact families, the unit, and the community. The remaining two courses, the Tactical Commanders' Development Course (TCDC), and the Battle Commanders' Development Course (BCDC) emphasize warfighting skills and the art of battle command for tactical leaders. The Fort Leavenworth Research Unit developed a survey instrument to obtain commanders' assessment of courses following assignment to their commands. Commanders who had attended these courses in the previous 2 years were solicited for feedback. They gauged the usefulness of topics presented, and indicated their level of agreement with statements regarding the courses. They were asked what issues they felt were not addressed during the course and what they would share with incoming commanders. Responses (N=254) were compiled and analyzed. All courses received positive evaluations. Many commanders desired discussions with experienced commanders to cover OPTEMPO, resource constraints, and personnel management issues. Feedback provided useful suggestions and current trends."--DTIC.

Taking a novel approach to the military history of the post–Civil War West, distinguished historian Robert M. Utley examines the careers of seven military leaders who served as major generals for the Union in the Civil War, then as brigadier generals in command of the U.S. Army’s western departments. By examining both periods in their careers, Utley makes a unique contribution in delineating these commanders’ strengths and weaknesses. While some of the book’s subjects—notably Generals George Crook and Nelson A. Miles—are well known, most are no longer widely remembered. Yet their actions were critical in the expansion of federal control in the West. The commanders effected the final subjugation of American Indian tribal groups, exercising direct oversight of troops in the field as they fought the wars that would bring Indians under military and government control. After introducing readers to postwar army doctrine, organization, and administration, Utley takes each general in turn, describing his background, personality, eccentricities, and command style and presenting the rudiments of the campaigns he prosecuted. Crook embodied the ideal field general, personally leading his troops in their operations, though with varying success. Christopher C. Augur and John Pope, in contrast, preferred to command from their desks in department headquarters, an approach that led both of them to victory on the battlefield. And Miles, while perhaps the frontier army’s most detestable officer, was also its most successful in the field. Rounding out the book with an objective comparison of all eight generals’ performance records, Utley offers keen insights into their influence on the U.S. military as an institution and on the development of the American West.