Portrays the interactions of Lincoln and Davis as commanders-in-chief, with their key generals and the resulting impact on the course of the war.
Prior to the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln had no experience in military service, but he had the advantages of a government structure and the remnants of an army in place. Jefferson Davis was a graduate of West Point, a veteran of the Mexican War, and a Secretary of War under the Pierce Administration, but he had to start from scratch to construct both a government and an army. This two-volume set uses biographical sketches of key generals on each side to examine the actions of Lincoln and Davis as commanders-in-chief. Each volume contains more than 20 stand-alone biographical chapters that, if taken together, tell the story of the Civil War.
Designed to stand on alone and be read individually in any order, biographies range from high profile generals such as Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee to lesser-known figures such as John A. McClernand and Leonidas Polk. With a focus on character, ability to command, personality, family background, and how these factors would influence military decisions, each general comes to life. The outcome of particular battles, campaigns, or entire theaters would often depend heavily on the performance of key individuals, their competence, their personal connections, and their ability to play politics. These are the men that Lincoln and Davis would come to depend upon to create strategies and to carry them out. These are the men who fought, won, and lost the Civil War.
Introduction
1 The Making of a President
2 Abraham Lincoln: Commander-in-Chief
3 Winfield Scott: Old Fuss and Feathers
4 Irvin McDowell: Hard Luck General
5 Benjamin F. Butler: The Beast
6 George B. McClellan: The General with the Slows
7 Don Carlos Buell: The McClellan of the West
8 William S. Rosecrans: Old Rosy
9 John Pope: The Miscreant
10 John A. McClernand: The Congressman General
11 Henry Wagner Halleck: Old Brains
12 Ambrose E. Burnside: Reluctant Commander
13 Ulysses S. Grant: Unconditional Surrender Grant
14 Daniel E. Sickles: A Man of Controversy
15 William Tecumseh Sherman: Advocate of Total War
16 John Sedgwick: Uncle John
17 Joseph Hooker: Fighting Joe
18 George H. Thomas: The Rock of Chickamauga
19 Philip Sheridan: Worth His Weight in Gold
20 John F. Reynolds: Man of Honor
21 George Gordon Meade: The Cautious General
22 Hugh Judson Kilpatrick: Kill-Cavalry
23 Winfield Scott Hancock: Hancock the Superb
24 Epilogue: The Death of a President
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Volume II
Introduction
1 The Making of a Rebel
2 Jefferson Davis: Confederate Chief
3 Martyr of the Lost Cause
4 P. G. T. Beauregard: Napoleon in Gray
5 Joseph E. Johnston: Retreatin Johnston
6 Robert E. Lee: Man of Honor
7 Thomas J. Jackson: Stonewall
8 Albert Sidney Johnston: Texan, Soldier, Gentleman
9 Braxton Bragg: Quick-Tempered Martinet
10 Patrick Cleburne: Stonewall of the West
11 Nathan Bedford Forrest: That Devil Forrest
12 James Longstreet: Scapegoat General
13 J. E. B. Stuart: Bold Warrior
14 John Bell Hood: The Fighting Texan
15 John C. Breckinridge: Statesman and Soldier of the Confederacy
16 Leonidas Polk: The Fighting Bishop
17 John Hunt Morgan: Thunderbolt of the Confederacy
18 Ambrose Powell Hill: Always Ready for a Fight
19 Richard Taylor: Soldier Prince of the Confederacy
20 Richard S. Ewell: Old Bald Head
21 Jubal A. Early: Old Jube
22 John Brown Gordon: A Soldiers Soldier
23 Daniel Harvey Hill: Maverick General
24 William J. Hardee: Old Reliable
25 Epilogue: Davis as Commander-in-Chief
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Reviews
[J]ones's prose is crisp and engaging, and each chapter stands on its own or can be read as part of the whole. Recommended. General readers.—Choice
Any high school where American history courses actively research the Civil War should consider this....Recommended.—Library Media Connection
[T]hese very readable cameos will be enjoyed by general readers.—Booklist
Endorsements
I highly recommend Jones's new book to a broad general audience. No subject has broader appeal than the American Civil War and students throughout the world find captivating the complex stories of how Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis mobilized their armies and fought four grueling years of internecine combat. Readers will consider Jones's volumes to be well conceptualized, gracefully written, and well-argued. Essential for public libraries.—John David Smith,^LGraduate Alumni Distinguished Professor^LDepartment of History^LNorth Carolina State University
A constellation of delights. Here assembled are the major military minds and actors of the Civil War, warts, glories and all.... Read independently or sequentially the chapter/biographies constitute either a practical reference or an enlightening trek through the nation's severest test. Jones's generals are genuine human beings. He gives us their childhoods and development, their romances and pre-war careers, and--for those who survived--their varied and revealing post-war lives. In between he lays out the greatest trials of their lives, their strategies, failings and conduct in battle, and the effects of all of these both on the citizens for whom they fought and the politicians they served. ^IGenerals in Blue and Gray^R is a very good collection of the stories of the most important men who determined the course and outcome of the Civil War.—Brooke C. Stoddard,^L^IMilitary Heritage^R magazine
