Early in 1863 General Grant was under a cloud; blamed for heavy Union losses at Shiloh; called an undependable drunkard by his detractors. As Grant moved toward Vicksburg; the Lincoln administration needed to know more about what was happening in the remote western theater. Secretary of War Edwin Stanton dispatched a respected newspaperman; Charles A. Dana; ostensibly to straighten out payroll matters but actually to observe Grant and the situation in the army and report back daily. Dana became “the government’s eyes at the front.†Recollections of the Civil War; drawing largely on his reports and originally published in 1898; is a classic to rank with Grant’s Personal Memoirs. Dana’s candid assessment of Grant; other officers; and campaign operations carried weight with Lincoln and Stanton and undoubtedly influenced the course of the war. In these pages; Dana is with Grant and General Sherman throughout the siege of Vicksburg; riding into the city “at the side of the conqueror.†Later he is with Grant at Spottsylvania; Cold Harbor; and Petersburg. He is with General Rosecrans at Chickamauga; he watches General Sheridan’s troops scale Missionary Ridge at Chattanooga; he walks through the ruins of Richmond; he attends Lincoln on his deathbed. Finally; he sees Jefferson Davis in chains at Fortress Monroe.
#3202823 in Books University of Nebraska Press 2012-12-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x 1.20 x 6.10l; 1.35 #File Name: 0803239866328 pages
Review
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. Excellent and thoughtfulBy Jaap JacobsExcellent and thoughtful scholarly book which does a good job of presenting an evenhanded and insightful view of difficult and sometimes contentious issues.0 of 12 people found the following review helpful. incomplete and dishonestBy moundThe authors representation of the walam olum is incomplete and dishonest; including misrepresenting scholarly opinions from Joe Napora. not recommended.
