The General and the Journalists: Ulysses S. Grant, Horace Greeley, and Charles Dana [Paperback]

Harry J. Maihafer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 21, 2001

The true story of how soldier/president Ulysses S. Grant's wartime successes and peacetime failures were directly influenced by Horace Greeley and Charles Dana, two of the greatest figures in American journalism. An original look at three of American history's most controversial and powerful figures.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A Must for those interested in a different approach to viewing this era . . ." -- The Civil War News

"This compact history is a fresh as today's headlines." -- US Naval INstitue Proceedings

About the Author

HARRY J. MAIHAFER holds an MA in journalism from the University of Missouri. His books include Oblivion: The Mystery of West Point Cadet Richard Cox and Brave Decisions: Profiles in Courage and Character from American Military History. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

Product Details

• Paperback: 284 pages
• Publisher: Brassey's Inc (March 21, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1574883399
• ISBN-13: 978-1574883398
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,346,376 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Stretched too thin, July 7, 2003

By 

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

This review is from: The General and the Journalists: Ulysses S. Grant, Horace Greeley, and Charles Dana (Hardcover)

The inherent problem with this book is that it's stretched too thin and tries to cover to many personalities. Charles Dana and Greeley are ancillary players in the civil war drama; there's enough material on Grant and journalists to warrant a study of him alone. In addition, Charles Dana deliberately muddied the historical waters by having others ghostwrite his memoirs and constantly changing this stories or giving conflicting testimony about various events.

Maihofer writes well and certainly displays a prejudice in General Grant's favor. There are few factual errors and the pace is lively. However, the book would have been improved had he restricted the narrative to U.S. Grant and eliminated Dana and Greeley. Ultimately this makes for a somewhat disjointed book and one is sorely temped to skip over the chapters with the two minor supporting players.