The Generals Civil War

From the brilliant to the downright incompetent, this book takes a look at the men who commanded the armies of both North and South.

In December 1885, under the watchful eye of Mark Twain, the publishing firm of Charles L. Webster and Company released the first volume of the Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant. With a second volume published in March 1886, Grant's memoirs became a popular sensation. Seeking to capitalize on Grant's success and interest in earlier reminiscences by Joseph E. Johnston, William T. Sherman, and Richard Taylor, other Civil War generals such as George B. McClellan and Philip H. Sheridan soon followed suit. Some hewed more closely to Grant's model than others, and their points of similarity and divergence left readers increasingly fascinated with the history and meaning of the nation's great conflict. The writings also dovetailed with a rising desire to see the full sweep of American history chronicled, as its citizens looked to the start of a new century. Professional historians engaged with the memoirs as an important foundation for this work. In this insightful book, Stephen Cushman considers Civil War generals' memoirs as both historical and literary works, revealing how they remain vital to understanding the interaction of memory, imagination, and the writing of American history. Cushman shows how market forces shaped the production of the memoirs and, therefore, memories of the war itself; how audiences have engaged with the works to create ideas of history that fit with time and circumstance; and what these texts tell us about current conflicts over the history and meanings of the Civil War.

Contains seven case studies evaluating Confederate and Union generals who might be considered "capable failures": officers of high pre-war reputation, some with distinguished records in the Civil War. Explores the various reasons these men suffered defeat such as flaws of character, errors of judgment, lack of preparation, or circumstances beyond their control. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

With April 12, 2011, set to mark the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War at Fort Sumter, the time is ripe for a new assessment of the conflict's most influential and controversial military leaders. Generals South, Generals North highlights twenty-four such commanders—twelve each from the Confederacy and the Union. Best-selling author and military historian Alan Axelrod presents a biography of each, narrates the major engagements in which each fought (emphasizing tactical leadership and outcome produced), and explores each man's ever-controversial reputation. His consequent rankings are based on both historical and modern-day sources. Each profile is accompanied by callout quotations, photographs of the general, additional illustrations such as battle depictions, and a map depicting either a major engagement or the general's movements throughout the war. The result is an ideal quick reference for Civil War buffs and a beautiful addition to the library of general readers that is sure to start as many arguments as it settles.

"A compilation of quotations on 400 Civil War generals by fellow generals, subordinates, and famous figures. Includes an essay on leadership and the military during the Civil War, brief profiles on the featured individuals, and 100 archival images"--

Ulysses S. Grant leads this list of ten generals who helped win the Civil War for the North. Others are: Ambrose Burnside, Henry Halleck, Winfield Scott Hancock, Joseph Hooker, George McClellan, George Meade, Philip Sheridan, William Sherman and George Thomas. Their childhoods, education, and military training are given along with their roles in the Civil War.

This book has been nominated for the prestigious Pulitzer Prize in American history. This book is the authors protest against the removal of confederate statues and monuments. The author wants you to join his fight to preserve the history of the confederacy, and he plans to donate a significant portion of the proceeds from this book to legitimate organizations diligently working to maintain America's history. By purchasing this book, you'll demonstrate your support for keeping the history of the Confederate States of America alive. In the forward of the book, the author eviscerates the woefully ignorant individuals and the despicable pandering politicians demanding the removal of confederate monuments; which in effect, is akin to stealing knowledge from future generations of African American's. Their actions equate to racism. Many people have commented they would have purchased the book simple for the forward and dedication. The book contains over 400 photographic portraits of the courageous generals of the Confederacy. The Civil War was a tragic and bloody rebellion in American history claiming the lives of nearly 700,000 soldiers fighting for the Union and The Confederate States of America. Most historians agree the Confederate soldiers were considered Americans during the war, and are deemed Americans today. Many of the Confederate Generals in this book fought for America in the Mexican War before resigning their commissions to serve heroically in the Confederate States of America military. In the eyes of millions of Southerners and Northerners, these men were true patriots of the South. No one can deny they are an integral part of America history and they must be remembered. After the civil war, the surviving Confederate Generals quickly reconciled with the Union and supported it. Many of these Generals later served in the United States Senate, the United States Congress and as Governors of states. Never forget, as surely as Union Generals viewed themselves as patriots, the Generals of the South considered themselves patriots. All served, all sacrificed. All carried visible and internal wounds for life, and all bled in some fashion. Those are the perils of war and all who served, deserve respect and their place in history. It's been said a picture is worth a thousand words. Each image in this book speaks countess words. "I have fought against the people of the North because I believed they were seeking to wrest from the South its dearest rights. But I have never cherished toward them bitter or vindictive feelings, and I have never seen the day when I did not pray for them." Robert E. Lee

master historian gives readers a fresh new picture of the Civil War as it really was. Buell examines three pairs of commanders from the North and South, who met each other in battle. Following each pair through the entire war, the author reveals the human dimensions of the drama and brings the battles to life. 38 b&w photos.