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Bruce Catton

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What Made Grant Different from the Other Potomac Commanders?JK Reviews

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Grant Takes Command Kindle Edition

by Bruce Catton (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.7 1,345 ratings

Book 2 of 2: Grant Series

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The Pulitzer Prize–winning historian’s “lively and absorbing” biography of Ulysses S. Grant and his leadership during the Civil War (The New York Times Book Review).

This conclusion to Bruce Catton’s acclaimed history of General Grant begins in the summer of 1863. After Grant’s bold and decisive triumph over the Confederate Army at Vicksburg, President Lincoln promoted him to the head of the Army of the Potomac. The newly named general was virtually unknown to the Union’s military high command, but he proved himself in the brutal closing year and a half of the War Between the States. Grant’s strategic brilliance and unshakeable tenacity crushed the Confederacy in the battles of the Overland Campaign in Virginia and the Siege of Petersburg.

In the spring of 1865, Grant finally forced Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court House, thus ending the bloodiest conflict on American soil. Although tragedy struck only days later when Lincoln—whom Grant called “incontestably the greatest man I have ever known”—was assassinated, Grant’s military triumphs would ensure that the president’s principles of unity and freedom would endure.

In Grant Takes Command, Catton offers readers an in-depth portrait of an extraordinary warrior and unparalleled military strategist whose brilliant battlefield leadership saved an endangered Union.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Bruce Catton

“One of America’s foremost Civil War authorities.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Nothing in our time makes the Civil War as alive as the writings of Bruce Catton.” —The Baltimore Sun

“The Civil War found its place and its popular voice in Catton.” —American Heritage

“[Catton] has the rare gift of doing enormous research and then presenting it in what is almost a motion picture in color.” —The New York Times

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B015DJ7D4I
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Open Road Media (November 3, 2015)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 3, 2015
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 4437 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 574 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #71,416 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #5 in Biographies of the American Civil War
- #9 in Biographies of the Army
- #69 in American Civil War Biographies (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.7 1,345 ratings

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Bruce Catton

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Charles Bruce Catton (October 9, 1899 – August 28, 1978) was an American historian and journalist, best known for his books on the American Civil War. Known as a narrative historian, Catton specialized in popular history, featuring colorful characters and historical vignettes, in addition to the basic facts, dates, and analyses. Although his books were well researched and supported by footnotes, they were not generally presented in a rigorous academic style. He won a Pulitzer Prize in 1954 for A Stillness at Appomattox, his study of the final campaign of the war in Virginia.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by Library of Congress (File:Bruce Catton LC-USZ62-132904.jpg) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons.

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4.7 out of 5

1,345 global ratings

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Craig Graham

A different tale on the Union Army leadership

Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2023

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An excellent book, with excellent research. What screams out at the reader is the fact the Union Armies were commanded by Generals too afraid to fight, a missed victory was better than a possibility of a loss. A sort of paralysis of the mind. It makes me shudder when I think of all the wasted lives, lost because of the incompetent Generals who should have been relieved but were not due to political connections. Did this happen in future wars? I am afraid to admit it but very likely. Why was George Marshall not relieved when he failed to warn
troops at Pearl Harbor an attack was coming, he was in fact out of touch riding his horse at 7am Pearl Harbor time, must have his horse ride! Why was Douglas MacArthur not relieved when, 12 hours after Pearl Harbor, US forces on the Philippine Islands had not made ANY preparations for defense. Same reason, friends in high places. Sickening!

One person found this helpful

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Derek Atkins

A Well-Written Biography of One of the Greatest Generals of the American Civil War

Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2017

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This is the first time I have read anything written by Bruce Catton, and I found this book very well written. Catton has done his research, and provides his readers with a memorable portrait of General Ulysses S. Grant. While this biography gives a nearly blow-by-blow account of military actions from the time immediately following Grant's victory at Vicksburg to General Lee's surrender at Appomattox and beyond, Catton's writing style is anything but dry; he sprinkles his account with vivid details, at times painting poetic word-pictures of key battles and other important moments.

One thing that really struck me was how much divisiveness there was within the Army of the Potomac, and how all of this infighting often led to the failure of its commanders to take advantage of many opportunities to deal decisive blows against General Lee's army.

I found Catton's historical judgment to be sound, and I very much appreciate learning more about General Grant and learning more about the American Civil War. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about Ulysses Grant, or the American Civil War.

22 people found this helpful

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David C. Miller

Great book, but needs an editor to shorten it. Way too detailed.

Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2017

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I would have given this 3 stars, but the writing and research is just incredible.

Here's my beef;

1.) The author goes into WAY TOO much detail. A lot of you, will probably scoff at this, but I have read enumerable war books,
It's as if he HAD to include every news article, every letter written, every dispatch sent. I am just finishing the chapter on the battle of the
Wilderness. He describes how a certain river or creek flowed, such the Po. ' It travels north for 3 miles then bends it way back for a short
distance before it starts to bend south." Really? Who cares, it ads nothing to the strategic outcome of a battle or THE battle. Which leads
me my next demerit...

2.) In my Kindle version there are too few maps and very difficult to read or understand troop movements. Trying to follow the battle of the Wilderness is near impossible. With a no maps to show troop
deployments ( thru the entire battle ) one is just left guessing. I feel its a major error of this book!

3.) I felt he could have included thoughts of Lee and some of his conclusions of the battles. I know this is a book about Grant, but without
describing his adversary, it becomes one-dimensional.

4.) Catton brings up a lot of interesting insight into other generals, Burnside, Sheridan etc, but with Sherman, he puts only ONE page of his march thru the south. I thought this should have been gone into much more, as it greatly affected Grants overall strategy.

It's a fine book and I will finish it, but it is irritating for those true war buffs.

* Oddly, Amazon shows the author's bio, listing him dying in 1978. Yet the book is published in 2015. Uh?

2 people found this helpful

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Kenneth

Inspiring Leadership in Action

Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2023

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An easy-reading book of General U. S. Grant’s Civil War for the last two years. The general becomes a real human with real worries that he handled with decisiveness and compassion. The U.S. was lucky to have him serving when he did.

Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2009

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This is an excellent second-half of Mr. Catton's military biography of Grant. In the first half, Grant Moves South, we experience Grant evolving as a General. In Grant Takes Command, we still experience Grant's evolution, but also his stubborn determination to win the war against many obstacles: Lee, the Washington bureaucracy, and the petty in-fighting between Union generals.

Grant, we see, was a great diplomat, and only a great diplomat could have balanced so many opposing forces and held the Union army together.

And so, Mr. Catton brings Grant, a humble and likeable man, to life, partly by reprinting many of his important letters and telegrams, including some to his loving wife. Page after page, we feel we are alongside Grant and know him as a military strategist - often underrated - and also as a husband and father.

But it's not just Grant who comes to life. So do most of the other major characters. Mr. Catton, therefore, never allows us to forget that war, for better or worse, is not just about strategy, but also about personalities and character.

All the battles in the eastern theatre are well described, though not in great depth. (If they had been the book would have probably lost its focus.)

Finally, I guess what makes this book so special is Grant himself, a man who didn't always know how he was going to get there, just that, one way or another, in spite of all the doubt surrounding him, he was going to win the war and preserve what he believed in: the Union.

To me, the only weakness of the book is a lack of maps and of photographs of the main characters.

9 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Rontimus Prime

Good read

Reviewed in Canada on December 6, 2021

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A longer book than I realized until I opened it but interesting nonetheless. Many unknown details discovered such as the fact that Grant was supposed to be at the theatre with the Lincolns the night the president was assassinated.
More maps would have been good for those readers not familiar with the areas where these events took place. All in all an interesting read

One person found this helpful

Charles R

Classic biography

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 30, 2022

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This classic work brings out Grant’s military genius and his command of strategy, tactics and logistics. A fascinating portrait.

Rich

Thorough look at Grant's Overland campaign

Reviewed in Canada on February 21, 2020

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Bruce Catton has a remarkable ability to research a topic. This book is very well written and detailed regarding Grant's appointment as Lt. General of the Union Army and his transition from the Western campaign to the East and his strategy to end the war.

Amazon Customer

Four Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 10, 2018

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well written

One person found this helpful

MJATILLETT

Four Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 8, 2014

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