Alexander Macomb (general) - Commanding General of The U.S. Army

Commanding General of The U.S. Army

When Major General Jacob Brown, the U.S. Army’s commanding general, died in February 1828, Macomb was the senior Brigadier-General on the Army List and President John Quincy Adams promoted him to substantive Major-General as was Macomb's right. The Army's 2nd and 3rd ranking Brigadier-Generals bitterly contested this; Winfield Scott and Edmund P. Gaines — denounced each other publicly and for months had been contesting for the position. Their quarrels scandalized the Army and drove Adams to nominate Alexander Macomb, the Chief of Engineers, who by then had reverted rank to colonel, as the Army’s top general.

His last active service in a theater of battle was in the Seminole War in 1835.

Macomb’s tenure as Commanding General was marked by "continuing uncertainty about the responsibilities and authority of his position. To secure his seniority over the other two-star brevet major generals, Macomb added a provision in the 1834 Regulations that 'the insignia of the major general commanding in chief should be three stars.'" In the same document he sought to define his relationship to the Secretary of War and establish his primacy over the bureau chiefs, including his successor as Chief of Engineers. This was easier said than done. Most issues were not fully resolved until early the next century."

He advocated doubling Army strength, increasing enlisted pay, providing relief for some widows and orphans, and a regularizing the officer retirement and replacement system. In 1840 the Army Corps of Engineers adopted the castle uniform insignia and first described the Corps of Engineers’ distinctive Essayons (Motto: "Let us try") button.

In 1809 and 1841, he was the author of a seminal book (republished in the 21st century) on conduct of courts martial and martial law. He also wrote a play on Pontiac's siege of Detroit which features his grandfather, Robert Navarre. See Published Works and Further Reading, infra.

Macomb was the first of five Commanding Generals (Chiefs of Staff after the 1903 reorganization) who held Engineer commissions early in their careers. All transferred to other branches before rising to the top. The others were George B. McClellan, Henry W. Halleck, Douglas MacArthur, and Maxwell D. Taylor.

A curious feature of Macomb's career is that, like Dwight Eisenhower, he became a military hero without ever actually coming under enemy fire in his life.