<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyable, But Flawed
Review: "Captain Sam Grant" must rank with William McFeely's "Grant" and Brooks Simpson's "Triumph Over Adversity" as the most overrated USG biographies ever written. This look at Grant's pre-Civil War years simply is not as accurate and reliable as some previous reviewers would have us believe. Lewis frequently makes assertions without providing adequate evidence for these statements, and he occasionally cites dubious or discredited sources. The book, in many places, reads more like an speculative historical novel than a serious academic study. Also, in my opinion, Lewis spends way too much time on the Mexican war.That said, it is not without virtues. It is engaging and, in its folksy way, well written. Lewis' portrait of Grant's quietly complicated character generally rings true. The book is an enjoyable read, as long as the reader does not expect too much.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable, But Flawed
Review: As a student of Spanish American History, I wonder why this book was not assigned reading when I was in college. The first part deals with family and youth of a precocious lad whose father saw in the Military Academy the Chance for a free education for his son. Grant was a most capable horseman whose ability was appreciated. His first military assignments in the northwest were less than appealing to a man in love, and far from home. His reputation as a drinker began at this time. He was a virtual failure at whatever he attempted to do except crossing the Isthmus of Panama. And he proved his mettle during the Mexican American War along with other familiar West Point cadets who would subsequently become famous leaders on both sides of the Civil War and, later, wars of Indian reduction in the west. In Volume One, the boy becomes a man and soldier. But its greatest greatest contribution is its telling of the Mexican American War and the attitute of those who fought it.
Rating: 
Summary: The finest description of the Mexican/American war ever.
Review: As a student of Spanish American History, I wonder why this book was not assigned reading when I was in college. The first part deals with family and youth of a precocious lad whose father saw in the Military Academy the Chance for a free education for his son. Grant was a most capable horseman whose ability was appreciated. His first military assignments in the northwest were less than appealing to a man in love, and far from home. His reputation as a drinker began at this time. He was a virtual failure at whatever he attempted to do except crossing the Isthmus of Panama. And he proved his mettle during the Mexican American War along with other familiar West Point cadets who would subsequently become famous leaders on both sides of the Civil War and, later, wars of Indian reduction in the west. In Volume One, the boy becomes a man and soldier. But its greatest greatest contribution is its telling of the Mexican American War and the attitute of those who fought it.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic resource!
Review: It's a great pity in Grant scholarship that the author of this book, Lloyd Lewis, died prematurely and was not able to continue his trilogy of Grant. Though the able Bruce Catton continued the project, he was never the writer or researcher that was Lloyd Lewis. This book is a remarkably accurate and clear portrayal of Ulysses Grant as a young man. The book ends on the eve of the Civil War, when Grant was stuck in his father's leather shop, bored and aching for something meaningful to do with his life. At 39, the civil war found Grant (or Grant found the war, take your pick) and history was never the same. Lewis was known for his punctilious and dilligent research and it is a pleasure to read a book devoid of errors and rich in interpretation. He illuminates Grant as he *really* was: a decent, engaging, modest and clear-headed young man, destined for greatness but not quite knowing what to do with his considerable talents. This is one of the most outstanding Grant biographies and a must-read for anyone interested in the life and times of our greatest general.
<< 1 >>
| 
