On June 13, 1786, Winfield Scott was born in Dinwiddie County, Virginia. His military career spanned more than fifty years, from the War of 1812 to the Mexican‑American War to the opening months of the Civil War. Known as “Old Fuss and Feathers” for his strict discipline and immaculate uniforms, Scott professionalized the U.S. Army.
At age seventy‑five, he authored the Anaconda Plan—calling for a naval blockade and control of the Mississippi River. Mocked at first, the strategy ultimately became the blueprint that crushed the Confederacy.
