Potus Geeks Book Review: Crucible of Command by William C. Davis
Esteemed Civil War historian William C. Davis undertakes an ambitious task as he looks at the parallel lives of that war's foremost military leaders in his 2015 work Crucible of Command: Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee - The War They Fought, The Peace They Forged. From cradle to grave, Davis examines the lives of Grant and Lee, alternating between each of his two subjects, examining their childhood, their military education at West Point, their early military careers (including their service during the Mexican-American War), their lives during the lull between the Mexican War and the Civil War, their career advancement and military successes and failures during the Civil War, their historic meeting at Appomattox Court House that ended the war, and their post war careers and lives.
The scholarship in this book is outstanding. Davis promises in his preface that this work will not simply be a regurgitation of what others have written about Grant and Lee; wherever possible, the author undertakes to seek out source material, even refusing to place much reliance on Grant's acclaimed memoirs because of the lapse of time between their composition and the events they discuss. He neither fawns over his subjects nor makes shallow judgements about them, and he notes both their strengths and weaknesses in his analysis, but he does provide his own assessment of each man's character and ability. In particular, he hones in on the most controversial aspects of their character: in Grant's case his excessive drinking, and in Lee's case, reports of his mistreatment of his slaves, and he makes a convincing case as to why be believes that both of these were likely exaggerated by each general's enemies, though both subjects are not completely lacking in substance. He also notes each man's similarities, their differences, and how each evolved professionally and personally as a result of their their wartime experience.
The book covers a lot of ground in 493 pages, although the details of many of the major battles such as Antietam, Shiloh, Gettysburg, Vicksburg, Cold Harbor or Petersburg are abbreviated. The book is very thorough on the details of what kind of person each man was, including his relationship with his parents and spouse, his manner of dealing with subordinates and delegating, his exercise of discretion in meting out wartime discipline, his relationship with his president, and the character strengths and weaknesses of each. The detail in the book includes learning what an extraordinary horseman Grant was, Lee's religious convictions, Grant's awkward relationship with his father, and Lee's semi-obsession with wanting his wife to be fat, to name a few topics. Both men eschewed pretension, both conveyed optimism, both were conscious and mindful of the plight of the soldiers in their armies and both seemed to have the ability to rebound quickly after military setbacks.
Davis writes very well and does a superb job of allowing the reader to know each of these men intimately. Occasionally he seems to offer an excess of superfluous detail on some subjects, but for the most part the information that Davis dishes up is very interesting. The section on the relationship between Lee and Grant after the war is especially fascinating.
This is an excellent book for anyone with an interest in American history or for those who love biography and who want to know more than just superficial details about their subjects. William Davis has done an outstanding job of chronicling the lives of these two historic giants. To write a book this well about just one of these subjects would be quite an accomplishment. For Davis to cover both lives so ably is all the more astonishing and speaks volumes about his tremendous talent as an author and historian.
The scholarship in this book is outstanding. Davis promises in his preface that this work will not simply be a regurgitation of what others have written about Grant and Lee; wherever possible, the author undertakes to seek out source material, even refusing to place much reliance on Grant's acclaimed memoirs because of the lapse of time between their composition and the events they discuss. He neither fawns over his subjects nor makes shallow judgements about them, and he notes both their strengths and weaknesses in his analysis, but he does provide his own assessment of each man's character and ability. In particular, he hones in on the most controversial aspects of their character: in Grant's case his excessive drinking, and in Lee's case, reports of his mistreatment of his slaves, and he makes a convincing case as to why be believes that both of these were likely exaggerated by each general's enemies, though both subjects are not completely lacking in substance. He also notes each man's similarities, their differences, and how each evolved professionally and personally as a result of their their wartime experience.
The book covers a lot of ground in 493 pages, although the details of many of the major battles such as Antietam, Shiloh, Gettysburg, Vicksburg, Cold Harbor or Petersburg are abbreviated. The book is very thorough on the details of what kind of person each man was, including his relationship with his parents and spouse, his manner of dealing with subordinates and delegating, his exercise of discretion in meting out wartime discipline, his relationship with his president, and the character strengths and weaknesses of each. The detail in the book includes learning what an extraordinary horseman Grant was, Lee's religious convictions, Grant's awkward relationship with his father, and Lee's semi-obsession with wanting his wife to be fat, to name a few topics. Both men eschewed pretension, both conveyed optimism, both were conscious and mindful of the plight of the soldiers in their armies and both seemed to have the ability to rebound quickly after military setbacks.
Davis writes very well and does a superb job of allowing the reader to know each of these men intimately. Occasionally he seems to offer an excess of superfluous detail on some subjects, but for the most part the information that Davis dishes up is very interesting. The section on the relationship between Lee and Grant after the war is especially fascinating.
This is an excellent book for anyone with an interest in American history or for those who love biography and who want to know more than just superficial details about their subjects. William Davis has done an outstanding job of chronicling the lives of these two historic giants. To write a book this well about just one of these subjects would be quite an accomplishment. For Davis to cover both lives so ably is all the more astonishing and speaks volumes about his tremendous talent as an author and historian.