The Blackstone of Military Law

Colonel William Winthrop singularly was the most influential person in developing the military law of the United States. A half century ago, the Supreme Court tendered to Winthrop the title, 'The Blackstone of Military Law,' meaning simply that his influence outshone all others. He has been cited over twenty times by the highest court and well over a thousand times by other federal courts, state courts, and legal texts. In this, he surpasses most other legal scholars, save Joseph Story, John Marshall, or Felix Frankfurter.