Member Review "Grant Takes Command" by Bruce Catton

[James N.]

Grant Takes Command
By Bruce Catton
Little, Brown And Company, Inc., Boston, 1968
556 pp., Incl. Notes, Bibliography, and Index
Library of Congress No. 69-12632; No ISBN

Grant Takes Command is the third and final volume in the set pictured above, begun by Lloyd Lewis with Captain Sam Grant https://civilwartalk.com/threads/captain-sam-grant-by-lloyd-lewis.159173/ and completed following Lewis' untimely death by that Dean of Civil War historians Bruce Catton in this and his earlier Grant Moves South https://civilwartalk.com/threads/grant-moves-south-by-bruce-catton.160304/. This volume takes up exactly where the previous one ended, just as that one did in relation to the first, making a complete study of Grant's life and career from his birth in a small Ohio River town up to his triumph at Appomattox and the aftermath of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. The specific period considered herein is from Grant's sudden summoning to Chattanooga, Tennessee in October, 1863, up until the Grand Review of the combined Union Armies in Washington, D. C. in May, 1865. Readers wishing full and complete descriptions of Grant's military campaigns and battles might well be disappointed, however, because all three books have consistently presented the viewpoint as Grant himself tended to view events as they unfolded. As a young subaltern in Mexico commanding at most a company or battalion, Captain Sam Grant was involved directly in fighting and maneuvers, but as his rank and responsibilities increased throughout the Civil War, his intimate view of battles and the fighting necessarily receded from the front lines.

This is almost as much a book about political maneuvering in Washington, D. C., as it is a biography or study of military campaigns and the author makes a great effort to connect these disparate elements. Far better than many of his contemporaries like George McClellan and others, Grant understood the relationship of political realities to purely military ones and was able to tailor his campaigns and actions accordingly without causing unnecessary disruptions to the political processes. Northern political generals such as Benjamin Prentiss, John A. McClernand, Nathaniel Banks, Franz Sigel, and Benjamin Butler appear more often and are relatively more important than any of Grant's Confederate opponents. Even - and perhaps especially - notable thorns in his flesh like Banks and Butler proved to be associates with whom he was able to get along and even enjoy friendly relations. Although dubbed by Catton a Political Innocent, Grant had proven able to understand and tolerate the need for these men, at least until it was politically expedient to do without - and away - with them, as he did Butler following the 1864 Presidential election.

One person Grant had previously very much to take into account recedes perceptibly in this volume, however: Henry W. Halleck ceased to be his superior, becoming more like Grant's Chief Clerk, a position for which he was much better suited. Although they had never met before March, 1864, Grant soon formed an unshakeable alliance with President Lincoln that stood throughout the remainder of the conflict. Their close association in late March and early April, 1865 at Grant's headquarters at City Point outside Petersburg, Virginia is well-described and might be considered unfortunate in light of how soon and tragically it would all end. Another of Grant's wartime close friends and mentors was Illinois Congressman Elihu Washburne who was present at headquarters during some of Grant's greatest triumphs, including the Vicksburg surrender, the Battle of the Wilderness, and the fall of Richmond and Petersburg. I do wish, however, that there had been more details concerning Grant's relationships with both his "real" as well as his "military" families or staff. Although many of Grant's letters to his wife are referenced and quoted, Julia herself remains pretty invisible, as do their children.

Where the battles and campaigns are concerned, Catton brings his usual competent descriptive abilities, aided by several maps by Samuel H. Bryant that serve to better illustrate the maneuvers. The first of these considered here is Chattanooga and the lifting of the siege. Grant's plans for combined maneuvers in Spring, 1864 are fully explained and described, including the Wilderness-Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, and Petersburg battles, though not in the detail dedicated battlefield trampers would like; better to look for that in specific battle and campaign studies. (Almost surprisingly, one event that receives more-than-usual attention is the debacle of the Battle of the Petersburg Crater.) The Confederate narrative is understandably almost totally lacking, since the predominant viewpoint is as stated that of the Federal commander. Grant's relationships with his own subordinates is present, especially between him and Sherman, Meade, and Sheridan; his fondness for the diminutive cavalryman is explained by their sharing of a decidedly impatient, aggressive style and offensive spirit. With Meade, Grant seems to have enjoyed mutual respect and a thoroughly professional demeanor. Perhaps unfortunately there is relatively little of Sherman until Grant was forced by events to travel to North Carolina to provide correction and support for the former's negotiations with Joe Johnston in the wake of Lincoln's assassination.

The personality of Ulysses S. Grant appears throughout: a quiet and peace-loving man neither ovewhelmed by war, strife, and bloodletting, nor overtly martial or warlike; but who nevertheless remained firm, confident, and determined to prevail. Naturally the old accusation about his supposed "drinking problem" periodically rears its ugly head, but is generally demolished by the author with abundant evidence to the contrary; it seemed every time his horse slipped, sending him sprawling and sometimes more or less seriously injured as at New Orleans in 1863 while visiting Banks, whispered rumors reappeared they went unsupported by any lessining of his behavior or abilities to lead. My only wish was that either Catton or some other equally competent hand had taken up the years of Reconstruction and Grant's Presidency to complete the full story of this remarkable man!

James N.

 

[Rusk County Avengers]

Sometimes I wonder if anyone wrote a bio of Grant that is better known than those of Bruce Catton. I guess his work is one of the few from back in the day to hold up after decades have passed and still be highly regarded.

 

[Cavalry Charger]

Although many of Grant's letters to his wife are referenced and quoted, Julia herself remains pretty invisible, as do their children.

This reminds me of his memoirs also. Apart from expressing very frankly his experiences of 'falling in love' leading to his eventual marriage to Julia, she and the children are not much mentioned at all. Probably my only disappointment with his memoirs. It seems that he liked to keep that very personal aspect of his life personal, which makes his admittance to the experience all the more remarkable to me. It was quite an honest assessment.

 

[jackt62]

I've read all of Bruce Catton's CW books and found them to be highly entertaining and that provide a general overview and introduction of the subject matter at hand. Catton became well known back in the 1950's and 1960's when the CW Centennial was getting underway and his books gave the general public a popular resource for learning about the war, particularly in the Eastern theater.

 

[Lubliner]

I could not help but notice the absence of Charles Dana, who I had thought became close to Grant despite the first meeting where Grant believed him to be a 'political spy' from Washington??
Lubliner.

 

[James N.]

I could not help but notice the absence of Charles Dana, who I had thought became close to Grant despite the first meeting where Grant believed him to be a 'political spy' from Washington??
Lubliner.

As I remember - I've crowded an amazing amount of Grant reading into this year! - Dana received a good bit of attention in Grant Moves South when he showed up during the Vicksburg Campaign, accompanying 12-year-old Fred Grant in his misadventure at Port Gibson.