caption serviceyears branch commands death_place death_date birth_place allegiance image_size placeofburial_label battles birth_date placeofburial nickname rank image article_title name
general henry halleck 1839 ; 72 & ndash ; 54 ; 1861 & ndash usa union army military theater department of the missouri division of the pacific united states army western louisville , kentucky 9 january 1872 oneida county , new york united states of america 1837 union 265px place of burial mexican-american war 16 january 1815 green-wood cemetery , brooklyn , new york old brains 35px major general henry halleck by scholten , c1865.jpg henry halleck
 henry wager halleck
henry halleck

henry wager halleck -lrb- january 16 , 1815 -- january 9 , 1872 -rrb- was a united states army officer , scholar , and lawyer .
a noted expert in military studies , he was known by a nickname that became derogatory , `` old brains . ''
he was an important participant in the admission of california as a state and became a successful lawyer and land developer .
early in the american civil war , he was a senior union army commander in the western theater and then served for almost two years as general-in-chief of all u.s. armies .
halleck became chief of staff to lt. gen. ulysses s. grant , when he assumed the position of general-in-chief .
halleck was a cautious general who believed strongly in thorough preparations for battle and in the value of defensive fortifications over quick , aggressive action .
he was a master of administration , logistics , and the politics necessary at the top of the military hierarchy , but exerted little effective control over field operations from his post in washington , d.c. president abraham lincoln once described him as `` little more than a first rate clerk . ''
