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Grant vs. Lee: Favorite Stories and Fresh Perspectives from the Historians at Emerging Civil War Kindle Edition

by Chris Mackowski (Editor), Dan Welch (Editor), Christoper L. Kolakowski (Foreword) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 out of 5 stars 20 ratings
“Engaging, entertaining, educational, and eclectic, this collection of brief essays . . . provides hope for the future of accessible Civil War history.” —A. Wilson Greene, author of A Campaign of Giants: The Battle for Petersburg
 
With the election looming in the fall, President Abraham Lincoln needed to break the deadlock. To do so, he promoted Ulysses S. Grant—the man who’d strung together victory after victory in the Western Theater, including the capture of two entire Confederate armies. The unassuming “dust-covered man” was now in command of all the Union armies, and he came east to lead them.
 
The unlucky soldiers of George G. Meade’s Army of the Potomac had developed a grudging respect for their Southern adversary and assumed a wait-and-see attitude: “Grant,” they reasoned, “has never met Bobby Lee yet.” By the spring of 1864, Robert E. Lee, commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, had come to embody the Confederate cause. Grant knew as much and decided to take the field with the Potomac army. He ordered his subordinates to forgo efforts to capture Richmond in favor of annihilating Lee’s command. Grant’s directive to Meade was straightforward: “Where Lee goes, there you will go also.”
 
Lee and Grant would come to symbolize the armies they led when the spring 1864 campaign began in northern Virginia in the Wilderness on May 5. What followed was a desperate. bloody death match that ran through the long siege of Richmond and Petersburg before finally ending at Appomattox Court House eleven months later—but at what cost along the way? This book recounts some of the most famous episodes and compelling human dramas from the marquee matchup of the Civil War. These expanded and revised essays also commemorate a decade of Emerging Civil War, a “best of” collection on the Overland Campaign, the siege of Petersburg, and the Confederate surrender at Appomattox.
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  1. Part of series
    Emerging Civil War
  2. Print length
    323 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Savas Beatie
  5. Publication date
    April 15, 2022
  6. File size
    26.7 MB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Engaging, entertaining, educational, and eclectic, this collection of brief essays by a cadre of ‘emerging’ Civil War scholars provides hope for the future of accessible Civil War history. Highly recommended.”
A. Wilson Greene, author of "A Campaign of Giants: The Battle for Petersburg"

“Emerging Civil War has knocked it out of the ballpark again! This riveting collection of essays explores the year-long confrontation between the Civil War’s two premier generals—Grant and Lee—focusing not only on the performance of each commander and their subordinate generals, but on the experience of the soldiers and the toll on the home front. Packed with new information and interpretations, this book is a must for students of the Overland and Petersburg campaigns.”
Gordon C. Rhea, author of the 5-volume series on the Overland Campaign

“Informed and informative, thoughtful and thought-provoking, inherently interesting and often surprising… A masterpiece of Civil War scholarship.”
Midwest Book Review

“The actions and decisions of Grant and Lee turned the final eleven months of the Civil War into the most decisive period of the conflict. In Grant vs. Lee, the editors and authors at Emerging Civil War offer enthusiasts of all levels a fantastic collection of essays covering diverse aspects of the Overland, Petersburg, and Appomattox campaigns. This assembly provides new interpretations about traditional topics—such as the strategy and tactics of the battles and campaigns and the trials of the common soldiers—and also examines previously overlooked cultural aspects while challenging persistent myths that have clouded proper understanding. Grant vs. Lee is a welcome addition to the scholarship of this period of the war.”
Tim Talbott, Director of Education & Interpretation, Pamplin Historical Park and the National Museum of the Civil War Soldier

“I like to think of these pieces as Civil War snacks: easily accessible for the informed reader, great for discussion starters, and representative of diverse perspectives on the war. The authors are personable and witty and I think they do a great service to those who have an interest in the last year of the war and are not sure where to start.”
Keith Harris, Keith Harris History

“…the essays throw fresh light on these events, helping the reader – whether serious scholar or interested layman -- better understand how events unfolded and what life was like. Grant vs. Lee is an interesting and important contribution to Civil War scholarship.”
The NYMAS Review

“An important contribution to Civil War scholarship. An engrossing portrait of these important campaigns.”
David Marshall

About the Author

Chris Mackowski, Ph.D., is the editor-in-chief of Emerging Civil War. He is a writing professor in the Jandoli School of Communication at St. Bonaventure University and the historian-in-residence at Stevenson Ridge, a historic property on the Spotsylvania battlefield. He has authored or co-authored more than two dozen books on the Civil War.

Dan Welch is a Park Ranger at Gettysburg National Military Park. Author of several books on the American Civil War, Dan is also the editor of the long-running Gettysburg Magazine, the Emerging Revolutionary War Series, and co-editor of several volumes in the Emerging Civil War’s 10th Anniversary Series. A historian at Emerging Civil War for over eight years, he has also published numerous essays, articles, and book reviews.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09SKLJLLW
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Savas Beatie (April 15, 2022)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 15, 2022
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 26.7 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 323 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 20 ratings

About the authors

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  1. Chris Mackowski

    Chris Mackowski

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    "It's in me and it gots to get out," legendary guitarist John Lee Hooker said of his music. Chris Mackowski says the same thing about his writing: "It's in me, and it gots to get out."

    Chris is a writing professor in the School of Communication at St. Bonaventure University in Allegany, NY, and historian-in-residence at Stevenson Ridge, a historic property on the Spotsylvania battlfield. He is also editor in chief of Emerging Civil War (www.emergingcivilwar.com). The author of more than a dozen books about the Civil War, Chris's writings have appeared in all the major Civil War magazines.

    Chris has worked as a historian with the National Park Service at Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park and still gives tours of the area's four major Civil War battlefields (Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Wilderness, and Spotsylvania). He serves on the board of directors of the Central Virginia Battlefields Trust, a preservation organization that focuses on saving endangered property associated with the four battlefields.

    Chris has an M.F.A. from Goddard College and a Ph.D. from Binghamton University.

    See more on the author's page
  2. Dan Welch

    Dan Welch

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    Dan Welch is currently a primary and secondary educator with a public school district in northeast Ohio. Previously, he was the Education Programs Coordinator for the Gettysburg Foundation, the non-profit partner of Gettysburg National Military Park. Dan continues to serve as a seasonal Park Ranger at Gettysburg National Military Park.

    He has received his BA in Instrumental Music Education from Youngstown State University and a MA in Military History with a Civil War Era concentration at American Military University. Dan has been a contributing member at Emerging Civil War for over seven years. He resides with his wife, Sarah, and three Labrador retrievers in Boardman, Ohio.

    See more on the author's page
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Tom O'Connor
    5.0 out of 5 stars Much more than title indicated
    Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    You would think the book would be primarily about Grant and and Lee. But, while there are several insights about the two General the book is devoted to stories by the Emerging Civil War Historians about the soldiers under Grant and Lee during the Overland Campaign, Petersburg and Appomattox. A collection of great insights. Easy read. Highly recommend.
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  • robin friedman
    5.0 out of 5 stars Grant v. Lee In The Emerging Civil War Series
    Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2022
    Public History is generally defined as the use of historical skills and methods outside the academic setting, The aim of public history is to make the study of history accessible and important to a broad audience.

    Founded in 2011, Emerging Civil War aims to practice public history by encouraging Americans of all persuasions and walks of life to learn about the Civil War. Among other activities, it maintains an active blogging platform and prepares books, including this recent work, "Grant vs Lee: Favorite Stories and Fresh Perspectives from the Historians at Emerging Civil War" (2022). Chris Makowski, the editor-in -chief at ECW, and longtime contributor, Dan Welch edited this volume which examines the long, decisive combat between Ulysses Grant, the commander of all the United States armies who travelled with the Army of the Potomac and General George Meade, and Robert E. Lee, the commander of the Army of Northern Virginia. The book begins in April 1864 and ends in April 1865 with Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House.

    The book consists of 45 short essays, many of them based upon blog posts, together with maps, photographs, and guides to the battlefields, all of which enhance the text. The essays are arranged chronologically and cover the Overland Campaign, the Siege of Petersburg and the fall of Petersburg and Richmond, and the final Appomattox Campaign.

    The generalship of Grant and Lee receives substantial attention in the volume but its scope is broader. Most of the essays involve small incidents and particular people in the brutal final year of the war rather than broad questions of strategy or tactics. The book has a personal feel as it teaches its readers about those who participated in the combat on the ground. So too, the book is not detailed, full military history but on the whole concentrates on particular people and places.

    The book ibegins with the Battle of the Wilderness in May, 1864 and covers some unusual moments in the Overland Campaign such as the action at Totopotomoy. The essays stress the continuous, deadly character of the fighting and Grant's determination to slide around the Confederate Army in the face of heavy losses. The longest essay in the book covers the Battle of Petersburg in June, 1864 which nearly ended the war before the armies settled in for a nine-month siege. Several essays discuss the Crater, the attack of Fort Stedman and the fall of Petersburg, with the final group of essays discussing Appomattox and Lee's surrender to Grant.

    Of the many outstanding, well-written essays in this book, I most enjoyed the contribution by Caroline Davis, "A Poet's Perspective: Herman Melville on the Fall of Richmond" which creatively examines Melville's poem "The Fall of Richmond" from his collection "Battle-Pieces". Melville wrote that most of the poems in his collection "originated in an impulse imparted by the fall of Richmond." I was glad to find Davis's discussion of Melville's work in this volume of public history. It encourages the reader to think about the relationship between history and literature as well as to get to know Melville's poetry.

    The collection, as a whole, is engaging and moving. It has a cumulative effect as the reader gets involved in the long series of battles and in the outcome. It teaches, in the words of Chris Heisey who took photographs for the book, "the importance of not forgetting the day-to-day horror that the blue and gray who fought for Grant and Lee endured these many years ago." Even more importantly, it encourages reflection on the nature of the conflict and on the stakes involved for American democracy and all its people. History such as that presented in this book encourages thought on the ideals of our country and of the great cost and effort in working to realize these ideals. It suggests too that the process is ongoing.

    This book will encourage readers to think about the final year of the Civil War and its significance. It fulfills both the broad goals of public history and the more specific goals of the ECW. The publisher of the book, Savas Beatie, kindly sent me a review copy.

    Robin Friedman
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  • Keith Harris
    5.0 out of 5 stars The War in the East.
    Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2022
    In popular culture, it would be tough to argue that the 1864 Overland Campaign, the Siege of Petersburg, and the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox in 1865 get the same attention as the big set-piece battles in the East, between 1861 and 1863, winding their way toward Gettysburg. Case in point - remember the sesquicentennial? There was a ton of national whoop-dee-do about the 150-year anniversary of the war until about 2013, whens peoples’ interest just sort of died out.

    I find this odd. 1864 especially was a momentous year for both the Confederate and Union causes: the demise of the institution slavery, the election of 1864, the ebb and flow of civilian morale - so much hung in the balance, and the future was hardly certain, despite what some might say about the so-called “turning point” of the war having passed with the Union victory at Gettysburg...

    And…it was no small turn of events that the two arguably greatest commanders that each side could muster would face off against one another for the first time in the summer of 1864: Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant. When these two went toe to toe the war (I think, anyway) went next level - an escalation in bloodletting that far eclipsed what had come before.

    Since I have been spending a lot of time lately thinking about the last year of the war in the East - and especially about how I might discuss this period in the classroom, I am quite pleased about the latest volume from the folks who contribute to the Emerging Civil War series. This collection of essays from Savas Beatie, celebrating the series’s 10th anniversary and skillfully edited by Chris Mackowski and Dan Welch, absolutely belongs in anyone’s Civil War library. And I’ll tell you why:

    There are tons of concise entries here, on a wide variety of topics, all covering the events from May 1864 to April 1865. I love that most of the entries are between 2-4 pages. I like to think of these pieces as Civil War snacks: easily accessible for the informed reader, great for discussion starters, and representative of diverse perspectives on the war. The various articles offer points that challenge conventional thinking about command and soldier morale, and they offer an excellent window into a fascinating period of the war that, at least in the public arena, people often overlook.

    The authors are personable and witty (most of the entries are reprinted blog posts from the Emerging Civil War site), and I think they do a great service to those who have an interest in the last year of the war and are not sure where to start. The essays will point you in a number of directions for further secondary reading (especially Gordon Rhea’s volumes on the Overland Campaign) and give you a great sampling of first-hand accounts.

    I really really really don’t want to give the whole thing away….but here are a few samplings of topics that will most certainly get the wheels turning:

    The big-picture significance of the Eastern Theater…I know there are plenty out there who look West (and most recently, the far West) when they think about cause, consequence, and ultimate Union victory.
    Soldier accounts, what we might think of as the “dark turn” in Civil War history, and the tragic fate of Emory Upton.
    How to pronounce Totopotomoy (it’s not what you with think…).
    Myths and perspectives on the fight at Cold Harbor (even Grant said he regretted giving the attack order in his memoirs).
    Turning points and why we should think about them seriously.
    Politics and the election of 1864.
    Chipping away at Lee’s “marble man” image.
    Like I said, there is something here to capture anyone’s attention. The one thing I wish the volume had included was a take on civilian morale, especially in the North during the Overland Campaign….as the bodies stacked up and the war dragged on and on and on with no clear end in sight. But hey, maybe that’s a great opener for the next volume. I am quite sure that any of the contributors could offer a compelling piece on the subject!

    So for me, I found this collection absolutely riveting - it really fueled my interest for the 1864-65 campaigns in the East, and I highly recommend you grab a copy for yourself.

    With compliments,

    Keith
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