With Grant and Meade from the Wilderness to Appomattox

by Theodore Lyman

Theodore Lyman was a member of the staff of General George Meade, who commanded the Army of the Potomac during the Civil War from 1863-1865, including most famously at the Battle of Gettysburg. Beginning in 1864, Meade's army was accompanied by Ulysses S. Grant, who made most of the command decisions for the Army of the Potomac even though Meade continued to nominally be in command of it. With Grant and Meade from the Wilderness to Appomattox is an amazing collection of Lyman's letters, in which he discusses contemporary events during the last year of the war, including the Overland Campaign, the siege of Petersburg, and Lee's surrender to Grant at Appomattox.

Genres: Civil War

371 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 1994

Reviews

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

"We left Lee, and kept on through the sad remnants of an army that has its place in history. It would have looked a mighty host, if the ghosts of all its soldiers that now sleep between Gettysburg and Lynchburg could have stood there in the lines, beside the living."

Theodore Lyman was a Union soldier that wrote a series of letters that were compiled into this wonderful book. Lyman served on George Meade's staff. Even though the book is called With Grant and Meade from the Wilderness to Appomattox, his writing about war began in September 1863, nine months before The Battle of the Wilderness.

Then, Lyman covers The Overland Campaign, The Petersburg Campaign, and the Appomattox Campaign. One thing Lyman is passionate about is defending George Meade. He thought extremely highly of him and resented that people called Meade "timid." Lyman stated, "Meade's great virtue is, that he knows when to fight, and when not to fight." His descriptions of some of the battle were well done and added more to my knowledge. My favorite part is when he describes Meade meeting Robert E. Lee after the surrender. This book is definitely worth a read because there are a lot of anecdotes, and it is interesting getting a staff members perspective.

[Wawawai Yakawawa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading the letters of someone who was on Meade's staff for the last 20 months of the Civil War was at times interesting and other time laborious. Lyman's descriptions of Meade, Grant, Sherman, Sheridan, Lincoln, and Lee were informative and fascinating. I particularly found great interest in his accounts of the Battle of the Crater as well as the last two weeks of the war. I didn't find his hand drawn maps particularly useful. Many times I felt that the book would have been enhanced wth more context, better maps, or that I flat out needed another book beside me to supplement this compilation of letters.

[Edith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lyman, a Harvard-trained natural scientist, and a Boston Brahmin, had the intellectual capacity, acute powers of observation, and social confidence to examine Meade's army at Gettysburg with penetration and assurance. A natural writer and possessed of a keen wit, his observations of Army life, of one of the Civil War's most important battles, and of Meade himself (whom Lyman had known before the war) are not to be missed.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a reason why Lyman is so frequently quoted by historians - an excellent and insightful read.