Customer Reviews

Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders

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Generals In Blue -- Ezra J. Warner's companion to Generals in Gray. Generals in Blue have the lives of all 583 men who wore stars in Lincoln's Army. Many were political appointees; less than half were West Pointers. Among the men in this book are: Grant, Sherman and Sheridan. Famous names like Winfield Scott and George A. Custer. Three men whose lives are shown became Presidents. This book is a must in the library of all Civil War buffs.

If you have even an ancillary interest in the American Civil War, this is essential to read and to own. I consult my copy on a weekly basis and I've owned it for twenty years. Warner writes well and succinctly about all of the Union Generals. Each biography is accompanied by a single photograph of the subject. The book is like a large biographical dictionary, easy to navigate and peruse at your leisure. If you are interested in in-depth material on any of these Generals, it's best to consult an individual biography of your chosen favorite. But if you have a casual interest or merely want an essential reference tool, this is a "must have."

Many historians have compiled lists of the most influential and indispensable civil war books of the 20th century. Invariably, Warner's book is included, along with the companion volume on Confederate Generals. It's not fancy, but it remains one of the preeminent biographical tools for any civil war historian.

Like Generals in Gray, I have often referred to Generals in Blue as an excellent reference over the years.

Warner presents a brief biography of each general usually including the following information:

1. Birthplace and birthdate.
2. Prewar career.
3. Battles served in, promotions, wounding and death (if applicable).
4. Postwar career.
5. Relationships with other generals and officers.
6. Death and place of burial.
7. Mention of the officer's competency (or lack thereof).

Whether you are a serious student of the Civil War or a novice, I highly recommend the book as an excellent reference!

and yet also surprisingly entertaining. I find it rather compelling actually. A few years ago this was my preferred reading on nights when I couldn't sleep...the individual bios were gripping and informative, but not too much to bite off. Warner's perspective is kinda old-school; I am a bit leery of his dismissal of the contributions of some of these officers to Reconstruction in the South. But mostly he is fair if a bit acerbic in his assessments. The pictures are entertaining in themselves, as well. The facial hair in that era! Comparing and contrasting the mustaches and beards of Ambrose Burnside, George McClellan, Ulysses Grant, and Egbert G. Brown might require a book in itself, but Warner does an invaluable job bringing so much material together.

Like it's companion, Generals in Gray, Ezra has done an excellent job in giving short biographies on all the Union generals, with a picture of each general included. An excellent reference guide for your Civil War library.

I agree with the other reviewers who say that Ezra Warner's Generals in Blue is an essential resource for Civil War buffs. Whether you're in need of the basic biography of familiar generals, or want some quick and convenient background on an unfamiliar name, Generals in Blue is the place to go. I use it so often that I don't even bother reshelving it anymore.

But the volume is more than just a reference book. It's also an existential document that evokes a lot of pathos from the reader. By far the greater number of generals discussed weren't regular army officers. Like their troops, they were volunteers--civilians suddenly wrested from the normal course of life and thrown into battle with, frequently, very little training and no experience. Many of them were wounded; some were killed; some were so incompetent that they got lots of foot soldiers killed; some were heroes; some rogues; a very few were pretty old, but many were little more than boys (Custer, for example, was generaled at the age of 25); some were shattered by their experiences in the war; some coarsened. Reading their biographies and contemplating their photographs go a long way towards putting faces to anonymous battle descriptions.

Too bad there aren't similar compilations of ordinary soldiers.

Its a good bok to look what a general and a brigadier officers life and military duty.So I recommended this book to all fans of the Civil War.