Donna Davis's Reviews > Grant and Sherman: The Friendship That Won the Civil War
Grant and Sherman: The Friendship That Won the Civil War
by
by
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Donna Davis's review
bookshelves: american-civil-war, memoirs-biographies-autobio, pol-sc, blogged, reviewed
Aug 06, 2013
bookshelves: american-civil-war, memoirs-biographies-autobio, pol-sc, blogged, reviewed
Grant and Sherman are my favorite generals of all time, and Flood is a highly respected author. This book was on my must-read list, and so I searched it out on an annual pilgrimage to Powell’s City of Books, and I came home happy. It turned out to be even better than I anticipated.
The beginning is congenial but also fairly basic, and I was saddened—needlessly, as it turned out—believing that I was about to be exposed to a whole big book of American Civil War 101, which I didn’t need. But Flood was just warming up, preparing a readership that might not have the broad outline at its fingertips. Soon the narrative evolved into something much more complex and enjoyable. I found a great many anecdotes that I hadn’t seen in biographies of either of the individual men, or in overall historical works about this conflict. There are quotations from their correspondence, which had to be meaty and specific given the lack of reliable technology at the time. All told, Flood makes the story personal without being prurient, and at the same time gives the reader little-seen information about the deadliest conflict ever experienced by Americans. His thesis—that the relationship enjoyed by these two outstanding generals won the Civil War—is well supported. The end notes show meticulous documentation. Best of all, since this is not a new release, those interested in reading this excellent work can get it for the price of a latte.
Highly recommended.
The beginning is congenial but also fairly basic, and I was saddened—needlessly, as it turned out—believing that I was about to be exposed to a whole big book of American Civil War 101, which I didn’t need. But Flood was just warming up, preparing a readership that might not have the broad outline at its fingertips. Soon the narrative evolved into something much more complex and enjoyable. I found a great many anecdotes that I hadn’t seen in biographies of either of the individual men, or in overall historical works about this conflict. There are quotations from their correspondence, which had to be meaty and specific given the lack of reliable technology at the time. All told, Flood makes the story personal without being prurient, and at the same time gives the reader little-seen information about the deadliest conflict ever experienced by Americans. His thesis—that the relationship enjoyed by these two outstanding generals won the Civil War—is well supported. The end notes show meticulous documentation. Best of all, since this is not a new release, those interested in reading this excellent work can get it for the price of a latte.
Highly recommended.
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Reading Progress
August 6, 2013
– Shelved as:
to-read
August 6, 2013
– Shelved
March 9, 2014
– Shelved as:
american-civil-war
December 10, 2014
–
Started Reading
December 12, 2014
– Shelved as:
to-read
January 27, 2016
– Shelved as:
memoirs-biographies-autobio
January 27, 2016
– Shelved as:
pol-sc
February 8, 2016
–
12.5%
"Grant writes home to his dad:"You ask whether I should not like to go into the regular Army. I should not." Still expects it to be over in 9 months, as opposed to Sherman, who predicted such a war would be long and ugly."
page
60
February 10, 2016
–
16.25%
"Bracelin includes the occasional quote I did not have. More info regarding the whole Sherman-is-crazy period."
page
78
February 19, 2016
–
20.83%
"At Corinth, just prior to Battle of Shiloh. Sherman has been held back by rains and flooding which caused river to rise 15 inches in a single day. Think of being on foot, with a heavy load to carry and on muddy roads and through fields and forests, in these conditions. No wonder so many died of dysentery."
page
100
February 28, 2016
–
27.08%
""The boats coming down the river are occasionally fired upon. I have just sent a party to destroy the town of Randolph." --Sherman also expelled 10 families from Memphis every time shots came from a home there. And to Grant, "The party has returned, and Randolph is gone." Love the guy. Can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs, right?"
page
130
March 2, 2016
–
29.17%
"Quotes Julia's diary recounting visiting her husband in camp, and hearing thousands of soldiers' voices around campfires singing John Brown ("Glory, hallelujah"). Seems like if the govt can't stamp something out, it co-opts it; hence the Battle Hymn with same tune and chorus."
page
140
March 9, 2016
–
41.46%
"Lincoln says Rosecrans is stunned and confused, like a duck hit in the head by a rock...still cannot read about Sherman losing Willy without deep sorrow. He is so eloquent, and my heart breaks again and again when I see it."
page
199
March 20, 2016
–
48.96%
"Grant is given the top general spot only prev occupied by G Washington. He looks forward to having more $. Crowds throng him in DC."
page
235
March 28, 2016
–
55.83%
"Sherman tears up the South and destroys the will of its citizens to cont the struggle, while Grant holds Lee in place. Lincoln says that Grant is holding the bear's leg while Sherman skins it."
page
268
April 2, 2016
–
60.42%
"S Carolina. The offer of equal rank to Grant, and how S deals with it."
page
290
April 12, 2016
–
67.08%
"Lincoln so relieved by Lee's capitulation he would have permitted pre-war Virginia leg to meet if his cabinet hadn't talked him out of it. Wanted integrated schools with voting rights for Black Civil War veterans. Would that he had gotten his wishes!"
page
322
April 16, 2016
–
70.83%
"The president is dead, and Sherman oversteps his own authority in accepting Johnston's surrender and others'. The overreaction against him is appalling."
page
340
April 19, 2016
–
73.96%
"This is the bathroom book, and I am enjoying the leisurely pace at which I'm reading it. The tone is personal without being prurient or gossipy, and very well researched."
page
355
April 28, 2016
–
79.17%
"Grand review; the flag has been at half mast since Lincoln died, but now it's standing tall."
page
380
May 1, 2016
–
Finished Reading
February 23, 2018
– Shelved as:
blogged
February 23, 2018
– Shelved as:
reviewed