This is not a new phenomenon.

Senior commanders of large, organised forces have always maintained some form of vantage point over their forces rather than join the fighting because they need to command. I disagree with some scholars of strategic studies that there is some magic number where a force grows to large, but at a certain point a force becomes too large to control from the front.

Before modern technology control from the rear was essential, as without modern optics, radio, etc. it was the only way that they could effectively command a large force, having to know where all the component forces are and their state and being able to dispatch runner or use flags for signalling between them.

Fighting like this also required a stable command centre where maps and calculations could be made, not possible in the fray of battle.

It's only in the modern era, pretty much since WW2, with the widespread use of radio that commanders could maintain situational awareness from anywhere.