The Generals’ Civil War
In this insightful book, Stephen Cushman considers Civil War generals’ memoirs as both historical and literary works, revealing how they remain vital to understanding the interaction of memory, imagination, and the writing of American history. Cushman shows how market forces shaped the production of the memoirs and, therefore, memories of the war itself; how audiences have engaged with the works to create ideas of history that fit with time and circumstance; and what these texts tell us about current conflicts over the history and meanings of the Civil War.
Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant
Concentrating primarily on Civil War military campaigns, Grant’s firsthand accounts of those campaigns offer students and historians an incomparable vantage point on the conflict. There are also excellent observations of the Mexican War and glimpses of Grant’s personal life — boyhood, the years at West Point, his marriage to Julia Dent, and more. Throughout, Grant displays a calm detachment, generosity, integrity, and intelligence that are deeply moving.
This volume reproduces the unabridged text, lengthy Appendix and all illustrations from the original two-volume edition published in 1885-86. The work is further enhanced by the addition of historic photographs by famed Civil War photographer Mathew Brady and others.
Please enjoy Stephen Cushman’s Trouble Begins lecture here.