Books in Leaders of the Civil War Era series

Since his military school days, Robert E. Lee excelled as a soldier. He was the first cadet to receive the rank of sergeant while at West Point, where he graduated at the head of his class in artillery and tactics, and ranked second in his class overall. Lee continued his distinguished military career, and was asked by Abraham Lincoln to take control of the entire Union army against the Confederates. Instead, he fought for his native Virginia out of loyalty during the Civil War. After surrendering to Ulysses S. Grant of the North in Appomattox Court House, Virginia, Lee supported reconciliation between North and South. He became known as the great Southern hero of the war, and his popularity grew in the North as well after his death in 1870. Today, Lee is remembered for his character and his devotion to duty, and he remains an iconic figure of American military leadership.

Ulysses S. Grant is a puzzling figure in American history. The 18th president of the United States had rampant corruption associated with his administration, but he was a decorated war hero famous for turning serious attacks by the Confederate army into victories for the Union and for implementing simultaneous attacks against the South that led to its surrender. He became a national figure overnight when he captured Forts Henry and Donelson and was given the nickname “Unconditional Surrender” Grant after 12,000 Confederates surrendered under his harsh conditions of “no terms except unconditional and immediate surrender.” After the war, Grant achieved the distinction of being promoted to the equivalent of a four-star general. In recent years, his reputation as president has improved somewhat among scholars due to his support for civil rights and his prosecution of the Ku Klux Klan. Grant also signed a bill into law making Christmas a federal holiday in 1870, and another that created America’s first national park, Yellowstone, in 1872.