Campaigning With Grant

Rating:
Summary: The next-best-thing to Grant's "Memoirs"
Review: I read Grant's "Memoirs" on the recommendation of a cigar-chomping friend. It was a revelation. I began reading with ambivalence about Grant. By the time I was finished, he became a hero for me, for entirely unexpected reasons -- the clarity of his writing, for one; his modesty and straight-forward manner, for two others. I followed it with other volumes about Grant (including Bruce Catton's set) but it wasn't until another friend whom I discovered shared my feelings for Grant's genius recommended Horace Porter's "Campaigning with Grant" that I discovered an equally satisfying successor. Horace Porter's "Campaigning With Grant" is the next best thing to Grant's "Memoirs." Again, the clarity of writing, the descriptions of Grant's decision-making process, the anecdotes from the Wilderness Campaign on through the sieges of Richmond and Petersburg, and on to Appomatox come as a revelation -- at least, in part, when you realize this is one of those "source documents" all the great historians of the era have relied upon.

Apparently Porter assisted Grant in writing his "Memoirs" although there is not much (if any) dispute that Grant wrote them himself. While this may explain some of the similarity in style and substance, it probably says more about "like minds" than anything else. No matter. This is well worth the read and very rewarding.

Rating:
Summary: The next-best-thing to Grant's "Memoirs"
Review: I read Grant's "Memoirs" on the recommendation of a cigar-chomping friend. It was a revelation. I began reading with ambivalence about Grant. By the time I was finished, he became a hero for me, for entirely unexpected reasons -- the clarity of his writing, for one; his modesty and straight-forward manner, for two others. I followed it with other volumes about Grant (including Bruce Catton's set) but it wasn't until another friend whom I discovered shared my feelings for Grant's genius recommended Horace Porter's "Campaigning with Grant" that I discovered an equally satisfying successor. Horace Porter's "Campaigning With Grant" is the next best thing to Grant's "Memoirs." Again, the clarity of writing, the descriptions of Grant's decision-making process, the anecdotes from the Wilderness Campaign on through the sieges of Richmond and Petersburg, and on to Appomatox come as a revelation -- at least, in part, when you realize this is one of those "source documents" all the great historians of the era have relied upon.

Apparently Porter assisted Grant in writing his "Memoirs" although there is not much (if any) dispute that Grant wrote them himself. While this may explain some of the similarity in style and substance, it probably says more about "like minds" than anything else. No matter. This is well worth the read and very rewarding.

Rating:
Summary: Superb; And Not At All What I Expected
Review: I'm in the middle of this right now. It's a long book, over
500 pages, and yet there is nothing tiring or tedious about it.
Somehow it flows on in a way few other books have for me.
I credit Porter's writing.

When this book was first handed to me, I set it aside, having
little taste for the carnage I had read of before. But this
book is about *people*, not about death. Its as a study of
humanity that this book excells.

Yes, there is a heavy Union partisanship - Porter is human.
But he also writes about the near-insanity of waging this war
across the American map. He knows how deep he and everyone
around him has descended into the pit.

The greatness of the book is that Porter's humanity and his
keen study of the human natures around him grow greater in
these monsterous circumstances.

And there are hints here of a history that I've read very little
of. A terrible shadow of despair behind Lincoln and Grant, a
feeling that Grant is the Union's last chance. Porter paints a
group portrait of the Union leadership on the verge of tearing
itself apart. Teetering on the edge of a wave of duels. A war
of personalities in the Union which reflects the Civil War
itself. The very concept of human society put to the test on
all scales.

And what is Porter's opinion of Grant? Calm. Utterly fearless.
An executive genius. Utterly respectful of other human beings
*except* those who mistreat the people and animals entrusted
to them. A man who engenders iron loyalty. As Porter says at one
point, Grant was given the most appalling task in the history
of the nation, and he accomplished it. A man with a genius for
stabilizing personalities, for keeping them socialized, for
bringing out the very best in them. A man with absolute faith
in the human spirit, and the force of will to bring out the
best in people.

One last note: somehow I grew up with the idea that Lincoln
was this slow-moving man, and a stodgy speaker. Porter describes
the exact opposite, a Lincoln still angular, almost freakish,
but swift-handed in greeting his friends. And a Lincoln who's
verbal fluency is as swift as his anecdotes are wise.

This is a marvelous window into our past.

Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece!
Review: If you had to read one book about U.S. Grant as a man this is it. Horace Porter knew Grant quite well and thought he book was written in 1896, it still retains a vibrancy and modernity to it. Porter wrote the book in an almost conversational style which is entertaining and interesting. Do you want to know how much Grant weighed or how tall he was? What kinds of foods he liked? How about a description of him necking with his wife in full view of Lincoln and his staff officers? Look no further than between the covers of this remarkable book. I guarantee you won't be able to put it down!

Rating:
Summary: Partisan writing shrouds the truth
Review: Porter writes as if the North was never wrong, its commanders never fooled or mistaken, its armies never disspirited, and that the Union campaigns always succeeded. We all should know better. According to Porter, every time the Confederates didn't hold a field they were "repulsed handsomely." Every time the Union didn't hold the field, they were merely "compelled to retire." You will see these gross aberrations throughout this stale and shoddy work. His characterizations add nothing fresh about the famous personages surrounding him, and certainly his military perspective offers less in quality of insight than the diary of any Union private. There are many great books on the Civil War by the figures who fought it: this one can wait until you've exhausted everything else.

Rating:
Summary: The Place to Start in a Study on Grant
Review: The personal anecdotes are truly amazing. This was written by one of Grant's closest aides during the Eastern Theatre campaign. This book shows and disputes the old arguments of Grant as a Butcher. An Important read for those who want to find the real Grant!

Rating:
Summary: Engrossing.
Review: These are the personal reminiscences of Horace Porter, Aide-de-Camp to General Grant. He joined Grant April 4, 1864 and served with him for 9 years, 1864-1872. So by definition expect Federal bias and a father like depiction of Grant. That said, this is a very good Civil War learning tool, insightful as only the reflections of someone who was privy to the highest councils of Union command could be.

From his promotion to General-in-Chief until the end of the war, Grant had to make many tough decisions. Porter reports a number of these in this book. But he also reports on Grant, General of the Armies. My comments to come are not intended to in any way denigrate Robert E. Lee. Let's face it, Lee's performance was awesome. However, Grant's performance was much better, if for no other reason than Grant's authority was greater than Lee's. Until the very last days of the war, Jeff Davis acted as his own General-in-Chief. For all but 3 weeks, Lee only commanded the Army of Northern Virginia. Grant, however, commanded all Federal armies. Thus, as biased as Porter's work necessarily is, Porter does give us the first and best look at a true modern general. Grant's political awareness, his understanding of logistics, close coordination with the navy, handling multiple armies, ability to improvise, understand and forge new methods of warfare such as Sherman's march, "mark him as the exceptional general of the nineteenth century".

Porter book gives us a unique view of how Grant's abilities evolved. Equally important we get in-depth reviews of a variety of Union participants everyone from Lincoln, to Hancock, Dana, Meade, Sherman and Sheridan just to mention a few. These personal reflections are quite worthwhile.

This is one interesting book, written by a well positioned observer. It is a book that adds greatly to understanding the Union participants of the Civil War.

Rating:
Summary: More Contemporary The One May Think!
Review: This book is a true classic. And it has a great advantage which many books of the 19th century do not have. It is readable. In fact it is a very good read indeed. Many of the 1860's to 1890's books about (or by) Civil War figures read more like 300 page obituaries than real memoirs or good history. "Campaigning With Grant" does not. It is a work of relatively unstilted language written by a literate man about a man he came to know quite well. As such it is a charming combination of history and personal memoir. Much of what we know of Grant the human being during the war comes from this book. Scott Brundage