Crucible of Command

Critics Review

• “Dual biographies are famously difficult to pull
  off, but William C. Davis has done it with panache. His research in previously
  unexploited sources reveals new information and insights on both Grant and Lee.
  With narrative skill that shifts the focus back and forth between the two
  generals, Davis builds the tension as their careers converge toward the climax
  at Appomattox. Here we have something genuinely new in Civil War scholarship.”

  James M. McPherson, Pulitzer Prize–winning author

• “There are many volumes contrasting Lee and Grant, but William C. Davis
  has gone far beyond the typical wartime comparisons. This beautifully
  written and wonderfully entertaining study falls right into line with
  his other excellent works, and the side-by-side comparisons of the lives
  and growth of Lee and Grant offer far more than the usual examination
  of Civil War strategy.”

  Jeff Shaara, New York Times bestselling author

• “Shows the Civil War generals as complex men.”

  Denver Post

• “A magisterial dual biography that rises far, far above the average. Davis balances fact and research with searing action and penetrating personality. This very entertaining history is much more than the sum of its parts.”

  January Magazine

• “In scores of books, William C. Davis has demonstrated his mastery of nineteenth century military history. In this panoramic 688-page narrative, he sets out the intertwined journeys of two generals who led their countries through years of strife, but then forged a peace that recreated a nation. Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee met only four times, but their stories cannot be told alone. In this dual biography, these remote canonized figures emerge as humans.”

  Barnes&Noble.com, editorial review

• “Davis takes an interesting approach,
  using secondary sources and correcting them where applicable and relying on
  first-person, contemporary accounts of Lee and his formidable adversary,
  Ulysses S. Grant…One of Davis’ chief
  contributions in this accessible, well-written study is to show how thoroughly
  politicized the war was—as was its aftermath, revealed by a charged but by no
  means unfriendly meeting the two had in 1868, when Grant was in the White
  House. A fresh look at the sources and a
  careful eye to leadership and character places this book high atop the list of
  recent Civil War histories.”

  Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

• “Davis compares the experiences and leadership styles of Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee in this dual biography…Davis debunks many
  of the myths surrounding the two generals and treats both fairly…During
  most of their lives—even during the Civil War—the generals had very
  little to do with each other; however, the comparisons between the two
  are helpful for understanding the general sensibilities of North and
  South. Accessible to all readers, this history will appeal to anyone who
  enjoys comparative biography.”

  Library Journal

• “A well-regarded historian of the Civil War,
  particularly of the Confederacy, Davis compares the conflict’s two most
  famous generals…Davis follows their
  army careers, identifying command traits that the Civil War revealed.
  That exploration is central to Davis’ sifting of their letters and
  reports, and it furnishes his audience with evidence to view whether
  Grant’s repute as a capable but limited general and Lee’s renown as
  being akin to a military genius are justified. A solid pick for the
  Civil War collection.”

  Booklist

• “Magical and magisterial, William C. Davis’
  transportive joint biography truly brings these iconic warriors back vividly to
  life, tracing their inevitably linked stories so vividly that readers will be
  forgiven if they find themselves on the edge of their seats as the narrative
  hurtles toward an outcome they thought they already knew. Using primary sources
  with his customary commitment to originality, Davis manages to interpret the
  data both judiciously and jauntily. Few
  Civil War historians are more adept at tipping a hat to the rich literary
  texture of the period while presenting material in high modern style. Frankly,
  I could not put this scholarly and seductive book down.”

  Harold Holzer, Civil War scholar and author