The Generals: Ulysses S. Grant & Robert E. Lee [Hardcover]

Dwight G. Anderson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 4, 1994

A fascinating dual biography of the two greatest generals of the Civil War provides in-depth coverage of the Civil War years, as well as information on the childhood, education, military careers, and personal lives of Grant and Lee.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Yet another recounting of the Grant-Lee saga, this told as a dual biography and based on both secondary sources and primary research. Well written and evocative, this will serve as a pleasant diversion for general readers. But it is lacking in analysis and will offer nothing new to many readers familiar with the Civil War. A better recent general history is Herman Hattaway and Archer Jones's How the North Won (Univ. of Illinois Pr., 1983), which also covers the roles of these generals. The Andersons' book is comparable to Gene Smith's Lee and Grant (LJ 6/1/84). Libraries with good holdings on the Civil War need not add this. Joseph G. Dawson III, Texas A&M Univ., College Station
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 523 pages
• Publisher: Random House Value Publishing (June 4, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517118858
• ISBN-13: 978-0517118856
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.6 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,993,711 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Discovering the Depth of America's Past, February 2, 2001

By 

J. Lyda (Raleigh, North Carolina) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Generals: Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee (Hardcover)

I'm a bit of a history buff, but would never have read this book without the prompting of a friend whom I respect. I struggled to get throught the first 50 pages, but after that I was hooked. Not only do I understand Grant and Lee better, but I feel I understand the USA better. A great story and a window on our nation. Recommended for anyone with the patience and time to peel back the layers of our past.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hardly a historical travesty, December 24, 2003

By 

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

This review is from: The Generals: Ulysses S. Grant & Robert E. Lee (Hardcover)

Let's make reference to the review printed below, which slams this book and claims it is baseless nonsense. Actually this book is readable, generally accurate and can introduce Grant and Lee to the broad range of people who know nothing about either of them. Is this historical biography of the highest realm? Hardly, but it lays no claim to that mantle. Instead, it's an entertaining book which does not slam Julia Grant, USG's wife, in the slightest. In fact, the book extols her support of her husband and focuses a great deal of attention on Grant's famously happy marriage. The sections on Lee are inferior to the chapters on Grant, but adequate. The format is rather crippling, as the authors seesaw between the two titans. One wonders why they didn't concentrate their forces on one instead of two?

Finally, the website mentioned by the previous reviewer is mine. As for the "completely fictional" notion that Julia suspected USG of being enamored of other women while on the West Coast, the reviewer needs to consult some other works on Grant before making this absurd claim. Read Grant's letters from the period before attacking the Andersons for presenting facts. Did Grant cheat while separated from his wife? Never. Did she worry about it? You betcha, and that's what this book presents. Case closed.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book!!, December 26, 2000

By 

Christopher S Duncan (Bloomington, Illinois USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Generals: Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee (Hardcover)

This book takes you through the lives of Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee. Often, it acts like a timeline, paralleling the two lives at a particular date and recreating the events that were occurring to each at that time. Many of the personal letters from both Grant and Lee are used to tell the story of their lives. These letters are surrounded with superb insights of the day and brings with it the `feeling' of 1800's America. It is interesting to see how vastly different these two men were only to be thrust together at such a difficult time in our nations history. I strongly recommend The Generals to anyone interested in the Civil War or American History in general.