AHC/WI: The Commander-In-Chief In Battle

The challenge is to create a scenario where a sitting President leads American troops into a serious battle, preferably an extended campaign (so not the Whiskey Rebellion).

I can come up with two possibilities, and I am not excluding others. One is where a foreign power (probably Britain) attacks the US during the Washington Administration, and Washington takes personal command. Another would be if Lincoln had had a military background, and elected to personally command the Army of the Potomac (or, alternately, if a suitably anti-slavery general had been elected President in 1860).

My question is how might the Presidency be viewed differently. I think there might be a "Presidential Uniform", with a special rank insignia, which the President might wear in times of war or crisis. No doubt Bush would have trotted it out after 9/11. If Washington himself had commanded in the field, there might be a stronger tradition of electing Presidents with military experience. I could see John Knox making a serious bid on this basis.
 
The challenge is to create a scenario where a sitting President leads American troops into a serious battle, preferably an extended campaign (so not the Whiskey Rebellion).

If Washington himself had commanded in the field, there might be a stronger tradition of electing Presidents with military experience. I could see John Knox making a serious bid on this basis.

Exactly, you could have the Presidency, (the candidate having to have atleast some military history) become soley military based and having the vice president being soley in politics.
A precedents, set by George Washington, when he became President, similar to the two terms.

What if he also set the precedent, that anyone wishing to be president had to have served a high rank in the military and had experienced combat.

I did an example of this, on September 22nd, 2015:

https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showpost.php?p=11357175&postcount=5562

I can come up with two possibilities, and I am not excluding others. One is where a foreign power (probably Britain) attacks the US during the Washington Administration, and Washington takes personal command.
Another would be if Lincoln had had a military background, and elected to personally command the Army of the Potomac (or, alternately, if a suitably anti-slavery general had been elected President in 1860).
Washington is really the only option, unless you really want Andrew Jackson, to do it, although this may antagonise the politicians who already call him King Andrew I.
Lincoln is to late and anyone after this, ie Theodore Roosevelt or Lyndon B. Johnson is just ASB unless you have an earlier P.o.D.

My question is how might the Presidency be viewed differently. I think there might be a "Presidential Uniform", with a special rank insignia, which the President might wear in times of war or crisis.
Sadly with this idea you need to be careful that the uniform does not come across to dictatorial or monarchist like, which has happened in the past
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No doubt Bush would have trotted it out after 9/11.
Sadly I doubt, George W. Bush, would be able to compete against Captain John Sidney McCain III

The thing is after 1880, the wars are more abroad, would the US president go abroad to fight?
Would John F. Kennedy go to Cuba or South Asia?
Would Harry Truman, be on the front line when a nuke is dropped?
 
The challenge is to create a scenario where a sitting President leads American troops into a serious battle, preferably an extended campaign (so not the Whiskey Rebellion).

I can come up with two possibilities, and I am not excluding others. One is where a foreign power (probably Britain) attacks the US during the Washington Administration, and Washington takes personal command. Another would be if Lincoln had had a military background, and elected to personally command the Army of the Potomac (or, alternately, if a suitably anti-slavery general had been elected President in 1860).

My question is how might the Presidency be viewed differently. I think there might be a "Presidential Uniform", with a special rank insignia, which the President might wear in times of war or crisis. No doubt Bush would have trotted it out after 9/11. If Washington himself had commanded in the field, there might be a stronger tradition of electing Presidents with military experience. I could see John Knox making a serious bid on this basis.

Lincoln personally leads the Union troops into battle, he had read many military history books after all . In 1864 he run around at the front lines-his generals were scared as hell.
Or WW1 breaks out in 1906 over Tangier crisis, Rossevelt pulls a rough rider revival and personally leads his troops against the Prussians.
 
The only OTL President after Washington who might be crazy enough to do this would be Teddy Roosevelt. Assuming some strange circumstances occur when he is President and young, there just might be a chance of him doing something.
 
The separation of the Presidency and military was ingrained very early. For comparison, Jefferson Davis was an experienced general, had a capital near the front lines during a war, and clearly considered himself a military genius, but never tried to take direct command of a Confederate army. The CSA is not the USA, but they both came out of the same political tradition.
 
FDR vs the coup attempt in the thirties.

Truman vs Macarthur in a coup attempt.

JFK and Special Forces vs everyone trying to kill him.
 
It would have to be a very extreme, near-ASB, situation, like Bill Pullman's character in Independence Day.

Or President Ross Perot leading a response to Mogaidishu.
 

Asami

Banned
FDR vs the coup attempt in the thirties.

Truman vs Macarthur in a coup attempt.

JFK and Special Forces vs everyone trying to kill him.

That JFK one would make for an interesting civil war. FBI and CIA vs. the Military and JFK + the people of the United States (who still rather liked Kennedy...)
 

jahenders

Banned
It may not take an alien invasion, but it might take something on par with that.

Presidents today are taught/reinforced by Secret Service, Mil Aide, etc that their main job in an emergency is to protect the presidency and continuity. Leading troops in battle isn't generally conducive to that.

So, the most likely situations would be early in the US and in a situation where the US is under attack -- perhaps War of 1812

It would have to be a very extreme, near-ASB, situation, like Bill Pullman's character in Independence Day.

Or President Ross Perot leading a response to Mogaidishu.
 
It may not take an alien invasion, but it might take something on par with that.

Presidents today are taught/reinforced by Secret Service, Mil Aide, etc that their main job in an emergency is to protect the presidency and continuity. Leading troops in battle isn't generally conducive to that.

So, the most likely situations would be early in the US and in a situation where the US is under attack -- perhaps War of 1812

That's what I was thinking. I imagine that in the counterfactual present, Presidents would no longer take the field. They might appear in the theater - I could see President McCain (who, I agree, would have crushed Bush in this timeline) commanding the initial invasion of Afghanistan.
 
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