Grant & Sherman: The Harbingers of Total War

*Includes pictures of Grant, Sherman, and important people, places, and events in their lives. *Includes an analysis of their careers before, during, and after the Civil War. *Includes an analysis of their military legacies. *Includes a bibliography on each man for further reading. Despite the fact that the Civil War began over 150 years ago, it remains one of the most widely discussed topics in America today, with Americans arguing over its causes, reenacting its famous battles, and debating which general was better than others. Americans continue to be fascinated by the Civil War icons who made the difference between victory and defeat in the war's great battles, and historians still debate the causes of the Union victory in the war. While there is still much debate, all agree that the Union's two greatest generals were Ulysses S. Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman. In the 19th century, one of the surest ways to rise to prominence in American society was to be a war hero, like Andrew Jackson and William Henry Harrison. But few would have predicted such a destiny for Hiram Ulysses Grant (1822-1885), who had been a career soldier with little experience in combat and a failed businessman when the Civil War broke out in 1861. 4 years later, the man would be known by a different name, and held in a far different light. Grant went about a steady rise up the ranks through a series of successes in the West. His victory at Fort Donelson, in which his terms to the doomed Confederate garrison earned him the nickname "Unconditional Surrender" Grant, could be considered the first major Union victory of the war, and Grant's fame and rank only grew after that at battlefields like Shiloh and Vicksburg. Along the way, Grant nearly fell prey to military politics and the belief that he was at fault for the near defeat at Shiloh, but President Lincoln famously defended him, remarking, "I can't spare this man. He fights." Lincoln's steadfastness ensured that Grant's victories out West continued to pile up, and after Vicksburg and Chattanooga, Grant had effectively ensured Union control of the states of Kentucky and Tennessee, as well as the entire Mississippi River. At the beginning of 1864, Lincoln put him in charge of all federal armies, and he led the Army of the Potomac against Robert E. Lee in the Overland campaign, the siege of Petersburg, and famously, the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox. William Tecumseh Sherman (February 8, 1820 - February 14, 1891) holds a unique position in American history. Synonymous with barbarity in the South, Sherman is lauded as a war hero in the North, and modern historians consider him the harbinger of total war. As a General in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861-65), Sherman was recognized for his outstanding command of military strategy but criticized for the harshness of the "scorched earth" policies that he implemented in conducting total war against the Confederate States, especially in 1864 and 1865. Military historian B. H. Liddell Hart famously declared that Sherman was "the first modern general." Grant & Sherman tells the remarkable story of the two generals who designed and executed the strategy for defeating the Confederacy, and the manner in which they revolutionized warfare along the way. Along with an original introduction and bibliography for each general, and pictures of important people, places, and events in their lives, you will learn about the careers and legacies of Grant & Sherman like you never have before.