Stephen F. Austin State University

An award-winning author and associate professor of history at Stephen F. Austin State University has written a new book regarding the troubled leadership during the Civil War of the Union’s Army of the Potomac.

“Commanding the Army of the Potomac,” by Dr. Stephen Taaffe, examines the command cadre in terms of who was appointed to these leadership positions, why they were appointed and why so many of them ultimately failed to fulfill their responsibilities.

"I analyzed the Army of the Potomac's generals in an effort to find out why this Union army performed so poorly even though it almost always outnumbered and outgunned the opposing Confederate forces," Taaffe said. "I discovered that infighting, backbiting and competition among these generals played an important role in the Army of the Potomac's dismal record."

This is Taaffe’s third book. His previous book, “The Philadelphia Campaign, 1777-1778,” received a 2003 Distinguished Writing Award from the Army Historical Foundation in Arlington, Va.

Taaffe joined the SFA faculty in 2000. He holds a doctorate in history and master’s degrees in political science and international affairs from Ohio University in Athens, where he studied American military history, American foreign relations and Latin American history. His bachelor’s degrees are from Grove City College in Pennsylvania.