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Tag Archives: 1860s
Clouds of Glory
General Lee has long fascinated me as a man who did not believe in secession, but was compelled by his sense of honor and Fate to become an icon of the war which followed. He is, of course, an idol … Continue reading
Posted in history, Reviews
Tagged 1840s, 1850s, 1860s, American Civil War, biography, history, Michael Korda, Robert E. Lee
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Sam Grant
Ulysses Grant opens with Josiah Bunting III’s rueful observation that Grant is almost always thought of “General Grant”, never president — despite being the only man between Lincoln and Wilson to serve two consecutive terms. Bunting attributes this to both … Continue reading
Posted in General, history, Reviews
Tagged 1840s, 1850s, 1860s, 1870s, American Civil War, biography, Hail to the Chief, history, Ulysses Grant, US-Mexican War
2 Comments
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson is one of those presidents who can’t get away with merely being forgotten; he is no Pierce or Fillmore, whom the general public knows nothing about. If Johnson is mentioned, his reputation is closer to that of his … Continue reading
Posted in history, Reviews
Tagged 1860s, Andrew Johnson, Annette Gordon-Reed, biography, Hail to the Chief, history, Reconstruction, Tennessee
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With Malice Toward None
As part of my US Presidents course of reading, and in combination with my obsessive 1840s – 1860s dive, I’ve read two biographies of Abraham Lincoln this year – one hailing him a saint, the other a brute. Both … Continue reading
Posted in Reviews
Tagged 1850s, 1860s, Abraham Lincoln, American Civil War, Hail to the Chief, Stephen B. Oates, the impending crisis
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Buy one, get one free: Jackson and Lincoln
I thought it would be amusing to do a history short round after realizing I’d read two books in which Jon Meacham focuses on Kentucky-born presidents who became icons and who dealt with secession crises. First up, Andy Jackson! Andrew … Continue reading
Posted in Reviews
Tagged 1820s, 1830s, 1840s, 1850s, 1860s, Abraham Lincoln, American Civil War, Andrew Jackson, biography, history, Jon Meacham, the impending crisis
3 Comments
Chorus of the Union
Before the last month or so, my awareness of Stephen Douglas was that he had sparred against Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln-Douglas debates. I did not realize until reading 1858 that these debates were not part of the 1860 presidential … Continue reading
Posted in history, Reviews
Tagged 1850s, 1860s, Abraham Lincoln, America Civil War, Edward McClelland, history, Illinois, Stephen Douglas, the impending crisis
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The Expatriation of Franklin Pierce
Continuing in the tragedy of Franklin Pierce, I chose to follow a short biography of him with this, a more focused look Pierce’s exit from the presidency, when he found himself wholly isolated. Four years ago, he had earned a … Continue reading
Posted in history, Reviews
Tagged 1850s, 1860s, American Civil War, biography, Franklin Pierce, Garry Boulard, Hail to the Chief, history, Jefferson Davis, the impending crisis
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The Battle Cry of Freedom
Battle Cry of Freedom is widely regarded as the finest single-volume history of the Civil War — and after finally reading it, I understand why. McPherson compresses an era of extraordinary complexity into a narrative that feels both sweeping and … Continue reading
Posted in General, history, Reviews
Tagged 1850s, 1860s, American Civil War, history, James McPherson, military
4 Comments
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