Captain Sam Grant [Hardcover]

Lloyd Lewis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1950

[8], 512 pages, frontispiece (portrait) , cloth.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; 1st Eigth Printing edition (May 1, 1950)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1299203019
• ISBN-13: 978-1299203013
• ASIN: B00005VIP8
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.9 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,056,152 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A truly great Grant biography, April 3, 2004

By 

Candace Scott (Lake Arrowhead, CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Captain Sam Grant (Hardcover)

It's a great pity in Grant scholarship that the author of this book, Lloyd Lewis, died prematurely and was not able to continue his trilogy of Grant. Though the able Bruce Catton continued the project, he was never the writer or researcher that was Lloyd Lewis. This book is a remarkably accurate and clear portrayal of Ulysses Grant as a young man. The book ends on the eve of the Civil War, when Grant was stuck in his father's leather shop, bored and aching for something meaningful to do with his life. At 39, the civil war found Grant (or Grant found the war, take your pick) and history was never the same.

Lewis was known for his punctilious and dilligent research and it is a pleasure to read a book devoid of errors and rich in interpretation. He illuminates Grant as he *really* was: a decent, engaging, modest and clear-headed young man, destined for greatness but not quite knowing what to do with his considerable talents. This is one of the most outstanding Grant biographies and a must-read for anyone interested in the life and times of our greatest general.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting look at the early years, March 16, 2007

By 

D. Mangold "Tri Geek" (Hartford CT) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Captain Sam Grant (Hardcover)

Understanding U.S. Grant is probably a worthwhile undertaking for those interested in the history of the United States. Certainly most Grant books are about his time as Commander in Chief of the Union armies during the Civil War and are worth reading. This book is merely a companion to those, it discusses the early years when he is growing up and attending West Point as well as the early service in the Mexican War. It's well researched and well written, and an engaging story. Grant's early experiences certainly shape his future actions in the Civil War, but this is more of an interesting biography rather than a book that attempts to build understanding of his later motives and actions. Overall, an interesting read and a worthwhile addition to your library if you enjoy history.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fine Book on Early Grant, June 20, 2011

By 

Timothy P. Stallcup (Phoenix, Arizona United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Captain Sam Grant (Hardcover)

I was moved to read this after finishing Grant's Memoirs, which are themselves well worth the effort. It is an excellent book on Grant's early years and the American "West" before the Civil War. Lewis does a remarkable job. Even his language and phrasing creates a sense of the time and place. He also identifies and explores many of Grant's characteristics that manifested themselves early in his life and stood him in good stead (more or less) thereafter--his early assumption of responsibility, his dogged determination not to retrace his steps but to continue on and somehow find his way to his goal, his humility, courage, and humor. The book also is an interesting and solid introduction to the War with Mexico, in which Grant served with distinction, but which he felt an evil war. It also does a good job with Grant's many "failures" after the Mexican War, his discouragement, his resoluteness, his ultimate sense of responsibility to serve the country that had educated and employed him. A really fine book.
By the way, I read the Bruce Catton sequels a number of years ago. They are not fresh enough in my mind to compare to this, but I would certainly encourage anyone who enjoys this book to follow up with Grant Moves South and Grant Takes Command. Catton was a marvelous writer in his own right and, even if he doesn't quite measure up to Lloyd Lewis, well, that is setting the bar pretty high.