Grant

Great Generals

by John Mosier, Wesley K. Clark (Foreword)

In this stunning biography—winner of a Pulitzer Prize—William McFeely brings us a thoroughly compelling story of a tangled life. Having once said “a military life had no charms to me,” U.S. Grant entered West Point “to get through the course, secure a detail for a few years as assistant professor of mathematics at the Academy, and afterwards obtain a permanent position as professor at some respectable college. But the course his life took was quite different. Little did he ever dream that he would serve with distinction in the Mexican War, lead the Union to victory in the Civil War, struggle through eight years as President of the United States, and wage bitter personal battles against alcoholism, insolvency, and cancer.

Genres: History, Biography, Civil War, Military History, Nonfiction, American History, Military Fiction

Audio Cassette

First published June 1, 2006

Reviews

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enlightening, if small, volume on the generalship and leadership of U.S. Grant. Places him in the context of his by comparison with most of the Civil War generals, and additionally places him in the pantheon of generals going back to Napoleon and forward to Marshall and Eisenhower. Nicely done without much of the huge tedium of the march of each day's campaign.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting look at one of America's greatest generals. The book is a little dry but very well researched. This book provides a perspective of the Civil War and Grant as a person that one is suprized they didn't learn more about in school, etc. The author is in love with Ulysses Grant and makes the case that he was the greatest generals of modern times.

[Amarjeet Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A small but comprehensive biography of Grant and what made him such an effective general. Mosier's most conspicuous achievement is that his narrative foregoes military jargon to present Grant as an ordinary man. This makes 'Grant' a compelling and inspirational read. Mosier's prose is exceptional and simple.

The only downside though, for some readers, might be that Mosier is no Ron Chernow and 'Grant' is not overly detailed like other biographies. But for me, Mosier's greatest achievement is that he retains the man who Grant was and disallows him from becoming lost in historical detail.

[Darryl Updegrove · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like the author had an age da to prove Grant was one of the greatest generals of all times, and by making that his thesis, it colored his perspective and affected where he focused his attention. Grant's leadership of the army of the Potomac seemed to have been short-changed. If he mentioned the battle of the wilderness, I must have slept through it. But, still a good read (I did audiobook), but I think there are better biographies out there.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perhaps, history is seen too often only by what we remember it to be. In that regard, we know the pantheon of our own civil war very well:
- Lee, the saintly knight and gentle warrior;
- Jackson, the lemon-sucking, Calvinist genius;
- McClellan, the immobile (funny a saddle should be named for him);
- Sherman, the vandal (Don'™t ever try to sing "œMarching through Georgia" anywhere along the roads from Atlanta to Savannah.);
- a host of other dandies and cavaliers;
and then there is Grant. Grant - the drunkard, the civilian failure who couldn'™t manage a small store, the dogged butcher who used his superior supplies and numbers to grind down his foe, the President of a highly questionable administration.

The puzzle is that earlier generations, particularly those of the Civil War era revered him. He was even considered for a third term in 1876. How do we match those facts with the history we think we know today? I assumed it was the glory with which the crowd cloaks a victorious general and then I read this book. I finally met General Grant for the first time in this biography. I saw a better, more modern general with a capacity for tactical and strategic vision that was lacking among so many of his colleagues. The victory by the Union, or should I say, by the United States, appeared in this book as more than just a testament to the strength of overwhelming numbers and supplies. In Grant, the U.S. Army found leadership.

Is there a tougher leadership and managerial challenge than leading an army? How do you encourage soldiers to hazard their lives for the greater need of the society? How do you use that leadership and authority over others in ways that treat each soldier'™s life as a resource not to be abused or squandered? I have no hesitation in recommending this book. The lessons to be taken from this biography have application to our own leadership challenges in our offices and in the field.

[Andrew Palmacci · Rating 5 out of 5]

This well wrote biography of Ulysses S. Grant stands out from others of its kind. There are enough biography's of this man to fill a small library. John Moiser goes into great detail on Grant's life, on and off the battlefield. Each person in the biography is introduced with minimal facts left out. By doing this John Moiser makes it feel as the reader met the person he was writing about. The setting of this Book is through out North America. The conflicts in the biography are all of the wars Grant was a part of. Grant says "if we had a large regular army, as it was then constituted, it might have gne to the south"(81) Grant is responding to a question asking if a larger army would've helped the north out more. I liked the book because it was a learning expirence within itself.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ulysses S. Grant is generally recognized as one of the worlds best generals, but as only a marginally successful U.S. President. He was actually a really good President, but his success as a general overshadowed that. This book follows him from his youth and shows how the seeds of greatness grew and how Grant was the right man at the right time. I listened to the audiobook and the reader read very slowly, so I had a hard time until I remembered that my iPod has a faster playback function for audiobooks.

[Ted Way · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty disappointed... thought this book was going to give insights into the mind of one of the greatest generals, but all we learn are: (1) Grant was a great general because he could draw and map out terrain and (2) he set the foundation for the modern American Army. Gen. Wesley Clark is the series editor, so there are many parallels drawn to past and recent conflicts.

[Arieltsmith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am loving Macmillan's Great Generals Series. Highly recommend the Grant Bio as the author convincingly and pithily argues taht Grant was not only a military genius, but he also even surpassed Napoleon & Wellington in his talents.

[Cynthia Bower · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a person not much interested in war, I found this book very interesting. The author is able to compare the tactics and strategies of Grant in the Civil War to those of European Wars previous to this and also the Great Wars to follow.

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very inspirational, what a great leader of men. Well written.

[Bruce Slough · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked it. Gave me a much better understanding of the leader he really was.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good entry in a strong series. Told without undue emotion or bias. Clearly written and well-argued

[Karlton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good, short military biography of Grant