Touched with Fire: Five Presidents and the Civil War Battles That Made Them [Hardcover]

James M. Perry (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2, 2003

They were the "greatest generation " of the nineteenth century -the Civil War heroes whose exploits took them all the way to the White House. "In our youth our hearts were touched with fire. " So said Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. , the future Supreme Court justice, about his fellow veterans of the Civil War. The 1860s were a time much like the 1940s, when a generation of idealistic young Americans answered their country 's call, and many made the supreme sacrifice to preserve freedom and liberty for all. And among the two million "boys in blue " were five soldiers whose wartime heroics would take them into national politics -a ride that would lead, in time, to the White House. In Touched with Fire , James M. Perry reintroduces us to these five men -Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. "Ruddy" Hayes, James A. "Jamie " Garfield, Benjamin "Little Ben " Harrison, and William "Mack " McKinley -who rose to the pinnacle of American life but are now largely forgotten. Drawing on diaries, letters, and other first-hand accounts, Perry recreates the battles that brought them fame and extols the courage that made them extraordinary leaders, especially under fire. The Civil War was their finest hour, and their stories form a vivid reminder of what a truly great generation can accomplish.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This solid, informative group biography examines the five American Presidents who did military service during in the Civil War. The one professional soldier of the lot was Grant, whose wartime career is covered tersely at the book's beginning and end. The other four men-Rutherford B. Hayes, James Garfield, Benjamin Harrison and William McKinley-are scrutinized to a degree not matched by standard Civil War or political histories. All were volunteers; the first three commanded regiments or brigades; McKinley rose from sergeant to brevet major. Garfield was probably the ablest of the lot, exercising an independent command in Kentucky and later serving as chief of staff to Rosecrans at Chickamauga while energetically intriguing against his chief. Hayes was less conspicuous but distinguished himself in the 1864 Shenandoah Campaign; Harrison at least upheld his family name (he was the grandson of William Henry Harrison); and McKinley served as a commissary officer without lining his pockets. If the five were indeed "touched by fire," none of them burned very brightly as President, which is all the more reason for examining the time when they put on blue uniforms. Perry, whose classic The Bohemian Brigade covers Civil War correspondents, knows his territory and his people, and has a readable journalistic style.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

All chief executives during the Gilded Age volunteered for the Union in the Civil War (excluding Grover Cleveland, who paid for a substitute). Perry here recounts their war records with an eye to the subsequent electoral advertising of their bravery and patriotism. "Waving the bloody shirt," as this has been fixed in political rhetoric, the Republicans pummeled the Democrats election after election, reminding the veteran vote of Grant's capture of Fort Donelson; Rutherford Hayes' wounding at South Mountain; James Garfield's stand at the Battle of Chickamauga; and Benjamin Harrison's fighting in the battles of Atlanta. William McKinley? The supply officer's record was a bit spare, but he brought up rations under fire at Antietam, which if it did not tip that battle, yet affected the 1896 election. Though able to declaim on these battles, Civil War fans may be unacquainted with the future presidents' exact parts in them (Grant excepted, naturally). Perry, a wry storyteller, delivers the regimental-level detail that buffs crave while dusting events with the skepticism that presidential electoral campaigning invites. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 335 pages
• Publisher: PublicAffairs; 1ST edition (September 2, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1586481142
• ISBN-13: 978-1586481148
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,060,572 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An extraordinary account, a must read, November 24, 2003

By 

Seth J. Frantzman (Jerusalem, Israel) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Touched with Fire: Five Presidents and the Civil War Battles That Made Them (Hardcover)

This is simply a wonderful book about a hitherto uncovered subject, namely the so called ?gray bearded? president and the battles that helped make them heroes. Most have forgotten that Garfield, Hayes, Harrison and Mckinley were civil war leaders and most were generals for the North who were brave and dashing in their youth. Garfield, Hayes and Harrison have been swept into the ?dustbin of history? of late but this book revives them and tells the tale of their lives during the great cataclysm, the civil war. When it comes to Grant not much is new here, and one would be better to pick up an individual biography of Ulysses. The rest of the book is superb and one of a kind.

The author does a wonderful job in the brief biographical sketches of these future presidents and the book does an excellent job painting the picture of battle during the civil war, and the effect that singular heroism can have on events. A wonderful study. Any civil war buff will enjoy this account as will anyone with an interest in post civil war politics and American history. This book makes an excellent gift and a fabulous read. Not to be missed!!!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A war, 5 Presidents, and a little politicking, February 26, 2004

By 

Eric Hobart (La Center, WA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Touched with Fire: Five Presidents and the Civil War Battles That Made Them (Hardcover)

In his latest book, Touched With Fire: Five Presidents and the Civil War Battles that made them, James M. Perry has given us a glimpse into the wartime efforts and heroics of five men who later occupied the Oval Office of the White House.

Presidents Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Harrison, and McKinley were all soldiers in the Civil War, and all had exposure to enemy fire at some point during the war (Hayes was wounded four separate times during the course of the war, though none of his injuries was life-threatening).

In my opinion, Perry has given us a good reading of Civil War history, including an introduction to some battles that are not often heard of (such as Garfield's involvement at The Big Sandy Valley battle in Kentucky). However, Perry gives short shrift to U.S. Grant, who was the only professional military officer to become President, and to McKinley, who was but an 18 year old Private when he enlisted at the outbreak of the war.

Perry's writing is lively, and gives the reader a nice vision of what was going on not only on the battlefield, but also in the minds of these five men. He closes the book by giving us a brief glance into the political careers (however short, bland or corrupt their administrations may have been) of these men as well.

I enjoyed reading the recounts of the battles and the actions taken by these men immensely, and I would highly recommend the book to anyone that is looking for a good understanding of the military years of Garfield, Hayes, or Harrison. With the shortcomings given to Grant and McKinley, I think that a more exhaustive biography would better provide an adequate picture of their wartime activities.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the gilded era presidents, February 20, 2004

By 

Rolland W. Amos (Severn, MD United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Touched with Fire: Five Presidents and the Civil War Battles That Made Them (Hardcover)

This is a delightful little book (309 pages) that deals basically with five Union Army officers - all from Ohio - who saw a lot of combat action in the Civil War in which they all proved under fire that they were capable leaders, loyal, brave, and courageous. These five were Ulysses S. (?Unconditional Surrender?) Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, William McKinley, Benjamin Harrison and James A. Garfield. All were extremely lucky to survive their wartime experiences - given the number and intensity of the battles in which they participated (in one month of May, for example, Harrison participated in more battles than his famous grandfather, William Henry (?Tippecanoe?) Harrison and Andrew Jackson ever did - combined!) - but they did survive and each eventually became president of the United States in that post-Civil War era known as the ?Gilded Age? (1865-1901).
The Gilded Age was that time - to cite Mark Twain - when everyone in the country was trying to get rich - ?legal if possible, but not necessarily?. It was an era when the country was confronted with great changes and important issues - like reconstruction (physical and psychological) of the restored, war-torn union, expanding industrialization, growing foreign trade - ergo, tariff issues, hard (gold) vs. soft (paper and silver) money policy, economic depressions, feisty Indians in the west who always seemed to be occupying lands coveted by new white settlers, race issues arising from ?emancipation?, U.S. expansionism - domestic and foreign, etc.. The Gilded Age began with the assassination of one president (Lincoln) and ended with the assassination of another (McKinley) and these five Ohioans, all Lincoln Republicans, led the nation through most of those years. In fact, only two Democrats (Johnson and Cleveland) held the office of president during this period.
In any event, this abbreviated tome provides very interesting reading about this era and about these personalities, each of whom has himself been the subject of one or more books, and four of whom (Harrison excluded) even wrote books of their own. The author provides a good picture of where each came from (ancestors), of their immediate families, of their pre-war achievements, of their successes and failures and their peak and lowest moments while serving in the army, and also brief summaries of their rise to the presidency , their performance in that capacity, and their post-presidency lives.
James M. Perry, the author, has to be sure bitten off a pretty big chunk of U.S. history in this little book, but he?s done a great job, I think, nevertheless. The book contains a wealth of information on 19th Century American life, on U.S. Civil War generals, issues, strategies, battles and personalities, the Gilded Age and a few U.S. presidents. I recommend it.