“Old Rosy” General William Starke Rosecrans, USA

WILLIAM STARKE ROSECRANS was born on September 6, 1819, at Delaware City, Ohio. He was the great-grandson of Steven Hopkins, a signer of the United States Constitution after the Revolutionary War. Rosecrans was a devout Catholic and would not lead his armies into battle on Sunday. He was strict on his officers and pushed them to the highest standards of military character.

William Rosecrans was raised in an environment that proved to be a nurturing source of strength in which he learned self­ confidence and developed a religious sense of right and wrong. His parents were posi­tive influences in his life, and as a young officer Rosecrans would write of his father: “He has been active and enterprising. He has grown old, popular, and respected in the humble circle of his acquaintances.”

Rosecrans’ mother gave him his sense of justice and obligation to speak the truth no matter what the cost. When he was five, William accidentally killed his neighbor’s gander while trying to coax it out of his mother’s garden. His mother found out and directed William to im­mediately carry the gander back to the neighbor’s house and provide an apology and explanation. Although the neighbor proved forgiving and kind, Rosecrans would recall the terror of his confession well into old age. The lessons of respect and consideration for others sunk in. He would be remembered years later as a “thoughtful, kindhearted, sensitive boy.”

Rosecrans graduated from West Point in 1842. After resigning from the army in 1854, he became an engineer and architect. As a director of mining in West Virginia, he invented odorless oil, a round lamp wick, a short, practical lamp chimney, and a new economical way to manufacture soap. While he was working in one of his laboratories, a lamp exploded and burned him badly. Eighteen months after he recovered from his burns, War Between the States was declared.

Rosecrans’ first duty in the Civil War was drillmaster of the “Marion Rifles.” Then he became an engineer for a time, designing the plans for Camp Dennison, Ohio. Eventually, he became commander of the 23rd Ohio Voluntary Infantry. Soon Rosecrans was promoted to brigadier general of the regular army. His successes earned Rosecrans a promotion to commanding General of the Army of the Potomac and finally general-in-chief of the Union armies. The men of his armies loved their general and affectionately called him “Old Rosy.”

Rosecrans is known for his problems at Chickamauga. When he issued a command to General Wood to close in and support his left, this created a huge hole in the Union line and allowed Confederate General James Longstreet to rally his men to victory. Because of his defeat, General Rosecrans was relieved of his duty as commander of the Army of the Cumberland.

At war’s end, Rosecrans became the minister to Mexico and served as a congressman for California and registrar of the Treasury. He died on March 11, 1898, and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Rosecrans’ fatal flaw was in never being able to see his own responsibility for his troubles. He tended to have a simplistic view of the world, in which he cast himself largely in the role of a martyr. A summary of his leadership was given by author Bell Irvin Wiley:

To the end, Rosecrans never understood how to deal with those of su­perior rank. He had a childlike faith that justice would win out and he need only speak his mind, just as his mother had taught him years earlier in the sleepy hamlet of Homer, Ohio. Rosecrans’ relationship with his own men was different. His removal was lamented in the song, “Give Us Back Our Old Commander:”

Old Rosy is our man,
Old Rosy is our man.
He’ll show his deeds where’er he leads. Old Rosy is our man.

Ephesians 4:32 says, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” The best leaders do not flaunt their authority. They lead by example and show a genuine concern for their followers. True leaders do not foster the attitude, “Do as I say.” They demonstrate with the attitude, “Do as I do.” People know when their leaders care. A loving leader nurtures an atmosphere of kindness, compassion, and forgiveness.

I watched a modern version of Robin Hood recently starring Russell Crowe. The self-appointed king in the movie would not give up his kingdom for a democracy because he believed that God had given him authority. In the end, he denied his subjects of democratic rule and became the oppressor.

Christ is our supreme example of leadership. He led others out of love and compassion. The theocratic rule of the self-righteous Pharisees had so oppressed people that they flocked to follow Jesus. Are you a supervisor or leader? Someone said that there is a difference between a boss and a true leader. Examine the life of Jesus and ask yourself if you are the kind of leader who others would enjoy following voluntarily.