"Halleck originates nothing, anticipates nothing, to assist others; takes no responsibility, plans nothing, suggests nothing, is good for nothing." Lincoln\'s secretary of the navy Gideon Welles\'s harsh words embody the stereotype into which Union General-in-Chief Henry Wager Halleck has been cast by most historians since Appomattox.
In Halleck: Lincoln\'s Chief of Staff , originally published in 1962, Stephen Ambrose challenges the standard interpretation of this controversial figure.. "Halleck originates nothing, anticipates nothing, to assist others; takes no responsibility, plans nothing, suggests nothing, is good for nothing." Lincoln\'s secretary of the navy Gideon Welles\'s harsh words embody the stereotype into which Union General-in-Chief Henry Wager Halleck has been cast by most historians since Appomattox
