22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
So you think Grant was a butcher..., July 7, 2000
This review is from: Grant and Lee: A Study in Personality and Generalship (Paperback)
If you do, this is the book for you. Fuller adequately and methodically shatters the myth that Grant wantonly sacrificed his troops in battle. He refutes this notion with painstaking tables and charts which proves (surprise) that Robert E. Lee lost many more men per 1,000 than Grant. Fuller further shows that Lee's stature as a great general should be on tenuous hooks and that greater appreciation should be given to Grant's brilliance.
Is the book unbiased? No, Fuller clearly prefers Grant, which is to his everlasting credit. Had more historians seriously compared Grant and Lee, USG's reputation wouldn't have been so seriously compromised today. Fuller lays the facts out on the table and shows that Grant beat Lee for a reason: he was the premiere American soldier.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A reasoned analysis of Civil War generalship, November 12, 2000
This review is from: Grant and Lee: A Study in Personality and Generalship (Paperback)
Fuller methodically compares the generalship of Grant and Lee, arguing Grant's superiority. His unique and thoroughly documented approach makes the case that Grant, contrary to popular belief, efficiently employed his army in a manner that sustained comparatively fewer casualties than those of his opponent. Though not entirely unbiased, Fuller's analysis of generalship in the Civil War has many lessons for both students of history and leaders of today.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fresh, Stimulating, and Thought Provoking Comparison of Two Remarkable Generals., April 8, 2007
This review is from: Grant and Lee: A Study in Personality and Generalship (Paperback)
Grant and Lee, A Study in Personality and Generalship, published in 1932, compares quite favorably in its detailed research and readability with works by modern writers and historians like Shelby Foote, James M. McPherson, Gary W. Gallagher, and Stephen W. Sears. This work by Major General J. F. C. Fuller is notable for directly challenging the conventional wisdom that Grant was little more than a "butcher" and that his eventual success was almost entirely due to the North's larger population and more abundant resources. In Fuller's view Grant was not only the greatest general of the Civil War, but ranks among the greatest strategists of any age. Fuller generated even more controversy with his contention that Robert E. Lee in several respects had major failings as a military leader.
Controversial or not, Major General J. F. C. Fuller was no ordinary soldier writing about the Civil War. Fuller was a highly respected British military strategist and noted author. In the 1920s he collaborated with B. H. Liddell Hart in developing new ideas for the mechanization of armies. Ironically, their recommendations were more readily adopted in Germany than in Britain, France, or the U.S.
Grant and Lee, A Study in Personality and Generalship, is a relatively short book, around 300 pages. Fuller writes with clarity and precision. He makes careful use of firsthand accounts; he paid particular attention to opinions of staff officers, as men in these roles were likely to have gained greater insight into the personalities of Grant and Lee. He also utilized the opinions of foreign witnesses of the war, like Colonel Fremantle, as a check on insiders' observations. His sources were identified through extensive end notes as he realized that his findings would be controversial. He includes statistics on battle losses to illustrate that the persistent belief that Grant's losses were abnormally high is simply a myth, and that Lee's percentage losses were actually higher.
There are many exceptionally good books on the Civil War, but there are few that are as readable as Fuller's Grant and Lee, and offer such a fresh viewpoint (albeit, now nearly 75 years old, but one that remains stimulating and thought provoking). Grant and Lee, A Study in Personality and Generalship, is available in a reprint edition (1982) by Indiana University Press. Five stars.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
