Best Defense

Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

Last thing I didn’t know: The decline in the age of U.S. generals in War of 1812

Between 1812 and 1814, the age of American generals dropped from 55 to 34.

Baltimore's Fort McHenry Celebrates 200th Anniversary Of Star-Spangled Banner
Baltimore's Fort McHenry Celebrates 200th Anniversary Of Star-Spangled Banner
BALTIMORE, MD - SEPTEMBER 12: A U.S. flag with 15 stripes and 15 stars, like the one that was flown Fort McHenry during the War of 1812, frames the Battle Monument during the Star Spangled Spectacular September 12, 2014 in Baltimore, Maryland. Celebrating the 200th anniversary of the United States' national anthem, Baltimore's Inner Harbor will host tall ships, fireworks displays, concerts, historic tours and other events. The anthem's lyrics come from 'Defence of Fort M'Henry,' a poem written in 1814 by Francis Scott Key after he witnessed the bombardment of Fort McHenry by British ships during the War of 1812. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

From the new ish of the Journal of Military History: As the U.S. government got serious about fighting in the War of 1812, the average age of American generals dropped from 55 in 1812 to 34 in 1814.

From the new ish of the Journal of Military History: As the U.S. government got serious about fighting in the War of 1812, the average age of American generals dropped from 55 in 1812 to 34 in 1814.

I would bet similar trends apply in most wars. I remember years ago reading a study (by JFC Fuller?) on the ages of generals in war that argued that most successful generals are in their late 30s and 40s.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Thomas E. Ricks covered the U.S. military from 1991 to 2008 for the Wall Street Journal and then the Washington Post. He can be reached at ricksblogcomment@gmail.com. Twitter: @tomricks1

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