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WEST POINT BLUE AND GRAY
Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, Stonewall Jackson, Jeb Stuart, William Sherman, George McClellan, George Armstrong Custer--these and many other great generals who fought on both sides of the Civil War had one thing in common: they were all graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. This is the fascinating story of friendships formed during cadet life that somehow endured through the bitter conflict that divided the nation. Through failure and triumph, West Point Blue and Gray reveals the skill, daring, and character displayed by the West Point graduates as they waged war against each other. The book continues beyond the last shot fired, and reveals their efforts in rebuilding the country.
176 pages, Paperback
First published March 25, 2006
22 people want to read
About the author
Thomas Fleming
127 books149 followersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Thomas James Fleming was an historian and historical novelist, with a special interest in the American Revolution. He was born in 1927 in Jersey City, New Jersey, the son of a World War I hero who was a leader in Jersey City politics for three decades. Before her marriage, his mother, Katherine Dolan Fleming, was a teacher in the Jersey City Public School System.
After graduating from St. Peter's Preparatory School in Jersey City, Fleming spent a year in the United States Navy. He received a Bachelor's degree, with honors, from Fordham University in 1950. After brief stints as a newspaperman and magazine editor, he became a full-time writer in 1960. His first history book, Now We Are Enemies, an account of the Battle of Bunker Hill, was published that same year. It was a best-seller, reviewed in more than 75 newspapers and featured as a main selection of the Literary Guild.
Fleming published books about various events and figures of the Revolutionary era. He also wrote about other periods of American history and wrote over a dozen well-received novels set against various historical backgrounds. He said, "I never wanted to be an Irish American writer, my whole idea was to get across that bridge and be an American writer".
Fleming died at his home in New York City on July 23, 2017, at the age of 90.
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Thomas James Fleming was an historian and historical novelist, with a special interest in the American Revolution. He was born in 1927 in Jersey City, New Jersey, the son of a World War I hero who was a leader in Jersey City politics for three decades. Before her marriage, his mother, Katherine Dolan Fleming, was a teacher in the Jersey City Public School System.
After graduating from St. Peter's Preparatory School in Jersey City, Fleming spent a year in the United States Navy. He received a Bachelor's degree, with honors, from Fordham University in 1950. After brief stints as a newspaperman and magazine editor, he became a full-time writer in 1960. His first history book, Now We Are Enemies, an account of the Battle of Bunker Hill, was published that same year. It was a best-seller, reviewed in more than 75 newspapers and featured as a main selection of the Literary Guild.
Fleming published books about various events and figures of the Revolutionary era. He also wrote about other periods of American history and wrote over a dozen well-received novels set against various historical backgrounds. He said, "I never wanted to be an Irish American writer, my whole idea was to get across that bridge and be an American writer".
Fleming died at his home in New York City on July 23, 2017, at the age of 90.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 12, 2010
West Point: Blue and Gray is an enjoyable, faced-paced read. More hagiography than biography, it highlights the personalities and deeds of some of the Civil War's greatest and most famous soldiers. Lee's grace and genius, Grant's sternness and single-mindedness, Stuart's flamboyance, Custer's daring, all these and more are illustrated in this little book. The one thing all these men have in common is that they attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
Fleming's style is anecdotal, and he flits from one story to the next. He doesn't capture the horrors of the war, but that isn't his goal. He is writing about heroes and legends and he is telling a story that is not about the war but that is ultimately about the reconciliation. Fleming's argument is that the bonds grown at West Point were ultimately stronger than the battles the men fought over four years in the Civil War. This book may simplify the truth, but it does justice to the myth of the Civil war.
Fleming's style is anecdotal, and he flits from one story to the next. He doesn't capture the horrors of the war, but that isn't his goal. He is writing about heroes and legends and he is telling a story that is not about the war but that is ultimately about the reconciliation. Fleming's argument is that the bonds grown at West Point were ultimately stronger than the battles the men fought over four years in the Civil War. This book may simplify the truth, but it does justice to the myth of the Civil war.
March 2, 2010
very solid.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews