Brooks Simpson’s pioneering work in the 1990’s and 2000’s is particularly noteworthy because it simultaneously criticized the excesses of McFeely’s work while still offering a critical portrayal of Grant. It has been well-documented on this blog that Grant has received increased scholarly attention over the past thirty years. When you write about Grant, apparently you must either be a “critic” or a “defender.” Does any room exist for scholars who simply want to portray Grant’s life fairly and accurately? Like many other historical figures from the American Civil War, isn’t Grant’s legacy deserving of both criticism and defense? Can scholars dismiss some of the crude, inaccurate stereotypes about Grant’s legacy while also providing critical analysis of his military and presidential record? It sometimes appears the answer to all of these questions is a resounding “no.” These comments wonderfully exposed a long-standing false dichotomy within the world of Grant studies. One particular commenter who spoke highly of McFeely styled himself “a Grant critic” while noting that so-called “Grant defenders” were still up in arms about the book almost forty years later. When McFeely died at the age of 89 this past December, it aroused a new round of debates not just about Grant himself, but also the scholars who write about him today.įor me, the most symbolic moment of this discussion occurred when I saw some comments on a friend’s Facebook post about McFeely’s death. McFeely’s thoroughly-researched book brought new insights into Grant’s life and influenced a generation of historians, but it also dabbled in excessive psychoanalysis and offered some questionable interpretations that have been scrutinized by more recent biographers. Grant, few arouse as much debate among scholars as William McFeely’s Pulitzer Prize-winning study from 1981. When it comes to biographies of Ulysses S. He’s authored an essay about Grant’s memoirs for the newest book and is here to share some additional perspective and thoughts…

Without Concealment, Without CompromiseĮCW welcomes Nick Sacco.Matchless Organization: Nonsurgeon Employees of the Surgeon General’s Office.

Matchless Organization: Medical Officers in the Regular Confederate Army.The Bonds of War: Imprisoned Members of the 96th Illinois.The Bonds of War: Mother of the Regiment.The Bonds of War: New Flag for 96th Illinois.The Bonds of War: Edward and Nancy Murray home.The Bonds of War: Edward Murray’s Pension Application.The Delicious If: MacKinlay Kantor’s If the South Had Won the Civil War and Alternative History.God and Generals: A Conversation with Jeff Shaara.Turning Points of the American Civil War.The Summer of ’63: Vicksburg and Tullahoma.This information appeared in the Monitor's special issue Grant vs Lee. Simpson (4%) American Ulysses by Ronald C. “It is my favorite because of McFeely’s complex and engaging portrait of the man.”Ĭaptain Sam Grant by Lloyd Lewis (4%) Grant by Jean Edward Smith (4%) Let Us Have Peace by Brooks D. “In my view, Catton understood Grant the general and Grant the man better than any other Grant biographer.”

Grant Moves South / Grant Takes Command by Bruce Catton (9%) “Chernow’s biography of Grant is the best-the fullest, best researched, and most readable-of the large number of Grant bios.” “This book is perfectly balanced in so many ways: It integrates Grant’s military career and his presidency, illuminates his personality as wellĪs his image and legacy, and it both reaches out to general readers and offers news insights for the scholarly experts.” Grant: American Hero, American Myth by Joan Waugh (18%) “Grant had a way of telling his story that left you believing he must be right in a lasting masterpiece of American literature.”Ģ. “One of the classic military autobiographies of all time.” The books are ranked in order of popularity and accompanied by selected explanations from our panelists.ġ. We recently asked a number of top Civil War historians to let us know their favorite books about Ulysses S.

Ulysses s grant book