This book recounts some of the most famous episodes and most compelling human dramas from the marquee match-up of the Civil War - not just the two most successful commanders produced by either side but the two largest and most fabled armies of the war.
By the spring of 1864, the Army of the Potomac and the Army of Northern Virginia had become battle-hardened, battle-weary foes locked in an ongoing stalemate. With the presidential election looming in the fall, President Abraham Lincoln needed to break the deadlock and so brought to the east the unassuming "dust-covered man" who had strung together victory after victory in the west: Ulysses S. Grant.
"Well," said soldiers in the Army of the Potomac with a grudging respect for their Southern adversary, "Grant has never met Bobby Lee yet." Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant would come to symbolize the armies they led as the spring campaign got underway, and the clash that began in the Virginia Wilderness on May 5, 1864, turned into a long, desperate death-match that inexorably led to Appomattox Court House eleven months later.
The war would come to an end, but at what cost along the way? Grant vs. Lee: Favorite Stories and Fresh Perspectives from the Historians at Emerging Civil War recounts some of the most famous episodes and most compelling human dramas from the marquee match-up of the Civil War - not just the two most successful commanders produced by either side but the two largest and most fabled armies of the war.
100 images, 10 maps
About the Authors
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 a dozen books on the Civil War.
Dan Welch works as a seasonal park ranger at Gettysburg National Military Park. Previously, Dan was the education programs coordinator for the Gettysburg Foundation, the non-profit partner of Gettysburg National Military Park. A contributor to Emerging Civil War, Dan currently serves as a primary and secondary educator with a public school district in northeast Ohio.
Industry Reviews
"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
