What’s it about?: The first volume in Bruce Catton‘s biography of Ulysses S. Grant, Commanding General of the Union Army and later President of the United States, detailing part of his life from 1861 to 1863. From when he first takes a position of command during the American Civil War, to his victory at Vicksburg in the summer of 1963.
My opinion: As is the case with all of Catton’s works, Grant Moves South is incredibly well researched and straightforward in its narrative structure. And then, of course, there’s the subject matter of Grant and the American Civil War. For anyone interested in this period, the text is compelling and very well written.
Part of this book’s appeal is the emphasis on character, of the people who made this era what it was. But on top of that, Catton has an extraordinary skill for capturing pivotal moments in history and presenting them as real highlights of the overall narrative. This could be due to the fact that Catton is a more of a journalist and not exactly a historian proper in the academic sense. This works for the text, as I normally wouldn’t have figured that Vicksburg would be as exciting and compelling as it was. But Catton managed to draw me in and get me hooked, and he did so with a style of writing that is simultaneously gripping and dispassionate. Grant’s triumphs, his mistakes, the people he met and worked with along the way, it’s all there. Just a cursory glance and you can tell that Catton put years of research into this.
People often ask how often men think about the Roman Empire. Honestly, I think you should start asking how often we think about the American Civil War, because it will become a whole other rabbit hole for us, if it isn’t already. There are many great books on the subject, and on Ulysses S. Grant as a leader, Catton’s series in particular. Highly recommended for beginners and history buffs alike.
Lawrence Deveney 