Grant Moves South: 1861 - 1863

Rating:
Summary: Classic Study of Grant the Commander
Review: "Grant Moves South" shows why Bruce Catton is revered among Civil War readers. This book is a case study of the 1861-63 Grant, using his battles, first person accounts, records and Grant's own words to form a picture of the warrior. In this, Catton does an excellent job.

His thesis is that Grant was a different cut of General than the north possessed. One who early on grasped both the objectives of the war - to crush Southern armies and not occupy places - as well possessed of the will to learn how to win the new kind of war the country was waging.

Grant's own iron-cored (Catton's description) sense of himself, as well as his willingness to both learn and take good risks set him apart from almost every other warrior in the North. He was a fierce warrior who from his first encounter with the Confederates understood that the battle had to be taken to the enemy - and that delay for planning, training and logistics benefited the enemy as much as his forces. This appreciation Grant brought with him to the conflict. It is evident from his earliest forays at Fts. Henry and Donelson as well as the inconclusive field of Belmont. Other facets of this warrior had to be learned. In this Grant displayed an openness to the revelations of his own short comings and a willingness to show the world that he was prepared to be a student of warfare. Thus, even difficulties like Shiloh taught Grant that southern demoralization was not a constant factor and that defense in the face of the enemy were necessary and did not sap the fighting spirit of his troops. His early failed approaches to Vicksburg led him to throw away military maxims about supply lines, the necessity of holding fixed points and both the opportunity and advantages of an army living off the land.

Grant was a learner, an opportunist and a serious warrior who understood what the main thing was. In an era when political infighting and external political considerations mattered more than they seemed to in 20th Century American warfare, Grant let his actions advance his career (with some timely and great help from Congressman Washburn - his first political patron).

Catton gives the reader the whole story. This is a study of the man and his development as a warrior. Civil War readers who have feasted on the likes of Sears and others who write so well of battles and campaigns at the regimental level may be somewhat surprised that Catton's study relies much less on military detail and more on campaign strategy and command function. In this, Catton's work is more of an epic and serves to give the reader a picture of why things happened rather than an exhaustive account of what happened.

An oldie but a goodie - Catton should be required reading for every Civil War enthusiast and his Grant military biographies are wonderful examples of a master at his craft.

Rating:
Summary: Classic Study of Grant the Commander
Review: "Grant Moves South" shows why Bruce Catton is revered among Civil War readers. This book is a case study of the 1861-63 Grant, using his battles, first person accounts, records and Grant's own words to form a picture of the warrior. In this, Catton does an excellent job.

His thesis is that Grant was a different cut of General than the north possessed. One who early on grasped both the objectives of the war - to crush Southern armies and not occupy places - as well possessed of the will to learn how to win the new kind of war the country was waging.

Grant's own iron-cored (Catton's description) sense of himself, as well as his willingness to both learn and take good risks set him apart from almost every other warrior in the North. He was a fierce warrior who from his first encounter with the Confederates understood that the battle had to be taken to the enemy - and that delay for planning, training and logistics benefited the enemy as much as his forces. This appreciation Grant brought with him to the conflict. It is evident from his earliest forays at Fts. Henry and Donelson as well as the inconclusive field of Belmont. Other facets of this warrior had to be learned. In this Grant displayed an openness to the revelations of his own short comings and a willingness to show the world that he was prepared to be a student of warfare. Thus, even difficulties like Shiloh taught Grant that southern demoralization was not a constant factor and that defense in the face of the enemy were necessary and did not sap the fighting spirit of his troops. His early failed approaches to Vicksburg led him to throw away military maxims about supply lines, the necessity of holding fixed points and both the opportunity and advantages of an army living off the land.

Grant was a learner, an opportunist and a serious warrior who understood what the main thing was. In an era when political infighting and external political considerations mattered more than they seemed to in 20th Century American warfare, Grant let his actions advance his career (with some timely and great help from Congressman Washburn - his first political patron).

Catton gives the reader the whole story. This is a study of the man and his development as a warrior. Civil War readers who have feasted on the likes of Sears and others who write so well of battles and campaigns at the regimental level may be somewhat surprised that Catton's study relies much less on military detail and more on campaign strategy and command function. In this, Catton's work is more of an epic and serves to give the reader a picture of why things happened rather than an exhaustive account of what happened.

An oldie but a goodie - Catton should be required reading for every Civil War enthusiast and his Grant military biographies are wonderful examples of a master at his craft.

Rating:
Summary: The Making of a General
Review: Although Bruce Catton was an accomplished historian in his own right, one cannot help but notice the influence of the great Sherman biographer Lloyd Lewis. Anyone who has read Lewis' _Sherman: Fighting Profit_ will recognize similarities; the heavy reliance on primary sources and the uncanny ability to allow the reader to draw his or her own conclusions without explicitly stating the writer's intentions. Catton imitates Lewis' sinuous narrative style that captivates and draws the reader deeper into the manuscript. Unfortunately, however, Lewis only lived to publish the first of a multi-volume biography Ulysses S. Grant titled Captain Sam Grant . Lewis' widow commissioned Catton to finish the project utilizing much of the notes Lewis had gathered in the course of his research. The results are the two subsequent biographies authored by Catton: Grant Moves South and Grant Takes Command Catton begins his duel biography in June 1861 when Grant, appointed Colonel, takes command of the 21st Illinois Volunteer Infantry. Catton portrays Grant as a man of few words, yet possessing an ability to quickly earn the respect of his men. Grant stresses discipline and training particularly of his company grade officers. About half of the book is devoted to Grants participation at the battles of Belmont, Fort Henry, Fort Donelson and the near disaster at Shiloh. The remainder of the text focuses on the Vicksburg Campaign. Catton prefers a loosely structured chronological approach and provides his readers with a commanding view from headquarters. Catton relies upon letters, cables, and other communiques between officers, which tends to keep the focus on Grant and other high level players. Besides handwritten orders and other official documentation, Catton allows Grant to speak for himself through the only vestige we have: his memoirs. In contrast, Catton listens to what other observers have to say about Grant in their memoirs, particularly William T. Sherman and the unpublished memoir of Grant's wife, Julia Dent Grant. Juxtaposing this top-down approach is Catton's ability to portray the human frailties of Grant's personality. Grant's drinking is a recurring theme in which Catton bestows an admirable defense. Catton devotes considerable space to the Grant's uneasy relationship with General Henry Wager Halleck. To Halleck's charge that Grant disobeyed orders and failed to communicate his intentions at Fort Donelson, Catton counters by stating the Union communication system, as a whole was substandard. He suggests Confederate sympathizers manned telegraph offices squelching vital communiques.   Catton credits Halleck for saving Grant's command during the controversial political maneuvering of General John A. McClernand. Overall, Catton concludes that Grant certainly had his hands full during his early campaigns. On the one hand, Grant had the Vicksburg Campaign to plan and orchestrate; On the other hand, Grant was the target of dubious machinations from jealous staff officers and politicians in Washington bent of relinquishing his command. What is more, Grant was faced with economic issues and the problem of what to do with displaced contraband slaves that were pouring into his army camps on a daily basis. Referring to the former slaves as "Darkeys." Grant immediately put the Negro refugees to work maintaining roads, bridges and other military necessities that required manual labor.Catton again comes to the defense of Grant in his handling of these sensitive civil-military relations. In a controversial order, Grant categorized northern businessmen attempting to exploit profits from the sale of cotton as "Jews." Though these complex themes surrounding Ulysses S. Grant, are significant, they tend to diminish the genius for war Grant displayed during the Vicksburg Campaign. Taking into account that this is a biography of Grant and not a comprehensive treatment of the campaign that sealed his place in history, Catton could have evened out the balance rather than treating the campaign as a mere backdrop. Catton's eloquent literary style and his excellent syntheses of primary sources, make this a must have for any Grant afficionado.

Rating:
Summary: A fine history of Grant and the western theatre, 1861-1863
Review: Catton has a fine narrative style which is a pleasure to read, and the book includes insights into Grant's personality and the growth in his generalship, as well as detailing political and military history of the Western Theatre 1861-1863. The war in the west has been overshadowed in history by the war along the Atlantic coast (even by Catton, with his Army of the Potomoc trilogy), but it is arguably more important than what was going on in Virginia in this period. The book shows Grant feeling his way to an understanding of what it would take to win the war, and it becomes clear why Lincoln, by the end of the book, chooses him for head of the Union armies. For example, at the battle of Shiloh (1862), the Union forces were surprised and almost beaten the first day, but Grant retained his optimism and rallied the troops to fight hard and hold off the Rebels until reinforcements arrived that night. The next day they took back all the ground they had lost, although they didn't take the opportunity to destroy the Army of the Tennessee. Any other Union general in that situation would have (and did, in similiar battles in Virginia) retreated the first evening and lost the battle. One comment: If you want a hardback copy of this book, it can be easily obtained in on-line used bookstores. I just bought a good copy for 7.95 + taxes and shipping.

Rating:
Summary: Remarkably Good.
Review: Grant Moves South is part one of a two part Civil War study of Ulysses S. Grant. It covers the period 1861-1863, the period in which Grant emerges as the key commander in the Federal western army. Grant was something of an enigma. In a period of armchair Federal generals, when ego, as opposed to performance, ran rampant in the Federal High Command, quiet Sam Grant unassumingly went about capturing not one but two Confederate armies in the field. During the entire length of the Civil War no other commander on either side captured even one.

The study of Grant in these years is really the study of Federal victory in the Western Theater of operations. Belmont, Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Corinth and Vicksburg are all key Union victories. With the exception of Corinth, they were all battles in which Grant was in command. It was Grant who was primarily responsible for opening the Mississippi and cutting the Confederacy in two. Emerging from the Civil War as the finest general produced by either side, during this phase of the war, while not the best, he certainly is the equal of Stone wall Jackson or Robert E. Lee.

His audacious Vicksburg campaign was a signal event. Cutting free from reinforcements and resupply he moves rapidly, deep into enemy territory fighting not one but four major battles to invest Vicksburg from its land side. He then conducts siege operations while keeping Joe Johnston continually at bay. Vicksburg is generally acknowledged as one of the finest campaigns conducted by either side during the war.

Bruce Catton's book is extremely well done and like all of Catton's works, very ably written.

Rating:
Summary: Very good
Review: In this book Catton describes Grant's movements in the West. From Belmont to Vicksburg. It is outstanding, because it also desribes the soldiers story, without being a novel.