General Ulysses S. Grant: The Soldier and the Man [Paperback]

Edward Longacre (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 12, 2007

In this new biography of General Ulysses S. Grant, acclaimed Civil War historian, Edward G. Longacre, examines Grant’s early life and his military career for insights into his great battlefield successes as well as his personal misfortunes. Longacre concentrates on Grant’s boyhood and early married life; his moral, ethical, and religious views; his troubled military career; his strained relationships with wartime superiors; and, especially, his weakness for alcohol, which exerted a major influence on both his military and civilian careers. Longacre, to a degree that no other historian has done before, investigates Grant’s alcoholism in light of his devout religious affiliations, and the role these sometimes conflicting forces had on his military career and conduct. Longacre’s conclusions present a new and surprising perspective on the ever-fascinating life of General Grant.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Edward G. Longacre is the author of numerous biographies of Civil War generals. He is a recipient of the prestigious Fletcher Pratt Award for Civil War writing. He lives in Newport News, Virginia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press; annotated edition edition (June 12, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306815419
• ISBN-13: 978-0306815416
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #143,762 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #12 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( G ) > Grant, Ulysses S.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good starting point for studies of Grant, July 18, 2007

By 

Richard A. Meyer - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: General Ulysses S. Grant: The Soldier and the Man (Paperback)

A very good overview of Grant's early life thru to the end of the Civil War. Well balanced, points out both the strengths and weaknesses of the man. Dispells the myth of indifference attributed to Grant concerning casualties. Edward Longacre show's Grant's mistakes and how he learned from them. While other generals caved to political pressure, Grant worked to end the war inspite of criticizism and bad press. A soldier worthy of the stars he wore. At the same time it shows Grant's weakness for liquior that could have destroyed him and led to a longer war with a different outcome and continued losses. Not an indepth study, but deep enough to encourage the reader to find more information about the subject. A great starting point for the student of the Civil War interested in Grant.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ends Too Soon, November 26, 2009

By 

Richard C. Lowry - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: General Ulysses S. Grant: The Soldier and the Man (Paperback)

Having recently finished reading "Team of Rivals," my appetite was whetted for a follow up to the post Lincoln reconstruction era. I started with Johnson and was looking forward to continuing with a greater knowledge of our 18th president.

For an early history of Grant through the end of the Civil War, the "Soldier and the Man" provides a wonderful biography of Grant and most certainly explores his strengths and weaknesses. Actually, the weaknesses are so substantial, one wonders how this man could have been successful transitioning from a very unpolitical general to the highest political office in the United States.

Unfortunately for me, I will have to read another book on Grant to find out, as the books ends rather abruptly with the treaty at Appomattox. I will highly recommend the book if that's as far as you want to go in Grant's life. Had I been more careful in my selection, I would have opted for a "cradle to grave" rendition.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars so-so as a bio, August 22, 2011

By 

Shannon Gaw (Roswell, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: General Ulysses S. Grant: The Soldier and the Man (Paperback)

My only exposure to "General Ulysses S. Grant: The Soldier and the Man" was through the Audible version. I did not particularly like the narrator's voice and style, and while that is certainly not the fault of the author, it cannot help but bias a review. Yet I am generally pro- Grant and a CW buff, and thus I found it good enough to listen to the entire presentation.

Longacre provides a sufficient if brief survey of Grant's early life and career prior to the war. I thought the account of Grant's Civil War record was solid through Vicksburg, but felt his retelling of Grant as commander of the entire army was generally retread of war reporting rather than the tight subject focus one would expect in a biography. The short treatment of 1865 and the abrupt ending of the tale at Appomattox felt like the auther had to rush a conclusion in order to meet a deadline.

Longacre appeared too quick to draw his conclusions from limited supporting material, for example, as to whether Grant deserved the butcher moniker. Too often he noted a solitary incident in Grant's behavior and said it "dispels the myth" of this or that. The author is decidedly pro-Grant and while he did not eschew Grant's rumored alcoholism, charges of indifference to carnage and preferential treatment of friends like Sherman, he certainly addressed in a supporting fashion. I think I would have preferred a more critical and objective treatment. I attribute this less to the author's hero worship than to an insufficient quantity of research into his subject.

While I frequently buy print or Kindle versions of Audible books I really like, this is not one of them. I will try the other bios from Smith and Waugh. I do think it is premature to draw any conclusions on Grant's life without looking at his two-term presidential history, or any post-Army career whatsoever, and unfortunately, "General Ulysses S. Grant: The Soldier and the Man" ended way too soon.

My bottom-line recommendation: if all you have bandwidth for is an audiobook, the Audible version from Longacre will suffice. If you have the time to read a Grant bio, look elsewhere, especially Grant's own memoirs.