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Bruce Catton

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Grant Moves South Kindle Edition

by Bruce Catton (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.7 707 ratings

Book 1 of 2: Grant Series

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A Pulitzer Prize–winning historian looks at the complex, controversial Union commander who ensured the Confederacy’s downfall in the Civil War.

In this New York Times bestseller, preeminent Civil War historian Bruce Catton narrows his focus on commander Ulysses S. Grant, whose bold tactics and relentless dedication to the Union ultimately ensured a Northern victory in the nation’s bloodiest conflict.

While a succession of Union generals—from McClellan to Burnside to Hooker to Meade—were losing battles and sacrificing troops due to ego, egregious errors, and incompetence, an unassuming Federal Army commander was excelling in the Western theater of operations. Though unskilled in military power politics and disregarded by his peers, Colonel Grant, commander of the Twenty-First Illinois Volunteer Infantry, was proving to be an unstoppable force. He won victory after victory at Belmont, Fort Henry, and Fort Donelson, while brilliantly avoiding near-catastrophe and ultimately triumphing at Shiloh. And Grant’s bold maneuvers at Vicksburg would cost the Confederacy its invaluable lifeline: the Mississippi River. But destiny and President Lincoln had even loftier plans for Grant, placing nothing less than the future of an entire nation in the capable hands of the North’s most valuable military leader.

Based in large part on military communiqués, personal eyewitness accounts, and Grant’s own writings, Catton’s extraordinary history offers readers an insightful look at arguably the most innovative Civil War battlefield strategist, unmatched by even the South’s legendary Robert E. Lee.

Editorial Reviews

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Praise for Bruce Catton

“One of America’s foremost Civil War authorities.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Nothing in our time makes the Civil War as alive as the writings of Bruce Catton.” —The Baltimore Sun

“The Civil War found its place and its popular voice in Catton.” —American Heritage

“[Catton] has the rare gift of doing enormous research and then presenting it in what is almost a motion picture in color.” —The New York Times

About the Author

Bruce Catton was senior editor at AMERICAN HERITAGE. One of our foremost Civil War historians, he was also the uathor of A STILLNESS AT APPOTOMATTOX and many other acclaimed works.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B015DJ7D5M
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Open Road Media (November 3, 2015)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 3, 2015
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 6473 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 582 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #180,724 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #9 in Biographies of the American Civil War
- #33 in Biographies of the Army
- #199 in American Civil War Biographies (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.7 707 ratings

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Bruce Catton

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Charles Bruce Catton (October 9, 1899 – August 28, 1978) was an American historian and journalist, best known for his books on the American Civil War. Known as a narrative historian, Catton specialized in popular history, featuring colorful characters and historical vignettes, in addition to the basic facts, dates, and analyses. Although his books were well researched and supported by footnotes, they were not generally presented in a rigorous academic style. He won a Pulitzer Prize in 1954 for A Stillness at Appomattox, his study of the final campaign of the war in Virginia.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by Library of Congress (File:Bruce Catton LC-USZ62-132904.jpg) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons.

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4.7 out of 5

707 global ratings

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Sky Soldier

Indelible Grant

Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2024

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Excellent reading of a role model for all. Couldn’t stop reading. Bruce Catton is a superb author and civil war historian.

Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2017

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Excellent history. Concise, deeply informed, and dispassionate. Superb Audible narration by Bronson Pinchot adds much to the narrative. Mr. Catton moves straight ahead with the story, carrying us all the way through to victory at Vicksburg. This is history at its best.

Be warned, my fellow Audible "readers" -- the second installment in the story, "Grant Takes Command," loses much because of the change in narrators. Kevin T. Collins is a poor substitute for Mr. Pinchot. Mr. Collins' reading lacks the dynamic range, subtle character shading, and smooth pacing Mr. Pinchot gives to "Grant Moves South." What a disappointment! I've stuck with "Command" through Chapter 4 and just can't get comfortable with the drastic change of style in the narration.

Nonetheless, I stick with it. Even a poor narrator -- and trust me, Mr. Collins does a great disservice to this story -- cannot turn me away from Mr. Catton's text.

Ulysses S. Grant as a historical figure stands as our most underrated and misunderstood president. He saved the Union during his eight years at the executive helm, guiding the United States through the ashes of the war -- Civil War, War Between The States, whatever shading you choose to give it. General Grant's quiet, steady, and resolute style of leadership did more than any other individual to restore tolerable relations between the defeated Confederate States and the Union. He held us together.

From what I understand, Ron Chernow will do much to rehabilitate President Grant's standing in his new book, "Grant," which Audible plans to release on October 10. The tired old narrative of President Grant's supposed corruption, drunkenness, and incompetence was an early example of ideologically-driven pseudo-history -- a false narrative wrought by old-money malcontents that stuck.

History, like the literary canon, changes with the generations. Here in the Ozark Highlands, a stone's throw from the Trail of Tears, we are pleased to see a renewed historical viewpoint onto the life of Ulysses S. Grant -- looking back with good sense and sufficient distance onto of the USA's greatest field generals and most underappreciated presidents.

Ebenezer Baldwin Bowles
Phi Alpha Theta (2004)

6 people found this helpful

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Michael Lapelosa

Grant Advocate

Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2016

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This is an excellent book written by an eminent Civil War historian and masterful storyteller. The narrative is focused on the period of U. S. Grant's military career from his assuming his initial command of volunteer infantry to the fall of Vicksburg. Along the way the reader sees Grant's career evolution from a barely known unskilled soldier to an ultra pragmatic leader of men and an aggressive victorious military commander. Grant's trials and tribulations are brought to light. Disregarded by his peers, hampered by his lack of political subtly, constrained by his commanding officer, he nevertheless won victory after victory; Belmont, Fort Henry, and Fort Donelson, Shiloh, and Vicksburg. These battles are described in crisp prose and just the right amount of detail.

The author relies on military communiques, eyewitness accounts, Grant’s writings, and Mr. Catton's inspired prose to provide the reader with insight, context and perspective.

However, that although the author makes a valiant attempt at presenting a balanced portrait of General Grant, this is definitely a very partisan book. Mr. Catton is VERY clearly a supporter of Grant and that's OK, as long as the reader realizes this fact. In addition, although the book does contain key maps, I thought that they were too detailed and complicated. As a result, they did not help me follow the action, particularly in regard to the Vicksburg campaign. These shortcomings prevented me from assigning a higher rating to this otherwise monumental work, but has not deterred me from eagerly looking forward to reading the next volume.

10 people found this helpful

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C. Gibson Dunn

readable and engaging

Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2023

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Typical Catton: thoroughly human and emotionally compelling while offering sufficient detail to create the historical scenes and drama well. 4 stars!

Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2023

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How wonderful to reread Bruce Catton. Balanced, even-handed, written with deep understanding not only of strategy and tactics but also of human beings - their failings and weaknesses as well as their triumphs and strengths. Totally different from the strained, contrived, agenda-driven pamphlets that pass for books of history currently.

2 people found this helpful

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AntiochAndy

One Man's Opinion

Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2005

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Was Ulysses S. Grant a drunk? Did he win the Civil War simply by burying Robert E. Lee under a wave of superior manpower and resources? Bruce Catton addresses these questions, and many others, in GRANT MOVES SOUTH and its companion volume, GRANT TAKES COMMAND. Taken together, the two books chronicle Grant's Civil War experience.

I've read a lot of history, but I confess to being relatively ignorant about the American Civil War except in a very general sense. I've always been interested, I just never got very far into it. These two books are my first real foray into the subject. Both are very well researched and documented, while at the same time being very readable. Catton demonstrates a thorough knowledge of the facts as well as a genuine insight into Grant's character. The result, for me, was an experience that was at once informative and enjoyable.

What does Catton have to say about Grant's alleged drunkeness? Clearly, Catton is an admirer of Grant, but it's an admiration born of respect for the man as revealed in his personal records and actions, as well as in the record left by people who knew him. To get his take on this and other criticisms of Grant, read these books.

Conventional wisdom has it that GRANT MOVES SOUTH and GRANT TAKES COMMAND are definitive works on the subject of U. S. Grant's Civil War career. I certainly won't argue with that perception. If you have a deep interest in Grant or in the Civil War in general, they are "must haves". Beyond that, though, if you have just a casual interest, this is still great reading material. I highly recommend it.

One person found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

George Bowser

Highly readable, thoroughly researched

Reviewed in Canada on April 1, 2023

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Catton’s ability to bring the people and pivotal moments of history to life, is without equal. The narrative is compelling, the insights witty and wise.