Military history of another sort

 There’s an old story about the time that Gen. Zachary Taylor met Commodore David Conner at the Rio Grande.

Taylor was about to take his army into Mexico. Conner had several responsibilities, one of which was securing the army’s supply line.

The two officers were going to meet to make sure they had a good understanding.

Taylor disliked uniforms and hated ribbons and decorations. But he knew that Conner was a by-the-book officer. So Taylor put on his dress uniform.

Conner, meanwhile, knew that the general famously disliked military fuss and showed up in civilian suit.

This incident did not determine the outcome of the war. It’s just a story about two officers showing some respect for each other and for the other branches of the military.

I like the story for two reasons. I grew up as a lowly seaman at a headquarters where there were more flag officers than seaman. I became an early student of what leadership means in the military. I also know that a lack of respect between members of the high command can be disastrous and tragic. Gen. MacArthur had many talents, but his arrogance — his lack of respect for others — resulted in decisions that cost countless Allied lives.

• Source: The story is in The Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant, but I saw it recently in Ryan Holiday, Discipline is Destiny; New York: Portfolio-Penguin, 2022, p. 68.