Lincoln's Generals

Gabor S. Boritt is the Director of the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College and this collection of five essays is a great addition to any well-read student of the Civil War. The essays are: -"Lincoln and McClellan" by Stephen W. Sears -"Wilderness and the Cult of Manliness: Hooker, Lincoln and Defeat" by Mark E. Neely, Jr. -"'Unfinished Work': Lincoln, Meade, and Gettysburg'" by Gabor S. Boritt -"Lincoln and Sherman" by Michael Fellman -"Grant, Lincoln, and Unconditional Surrender" by John Y. Simon It also includes extensive endnotes and a suggestion for further reading written by each of the authors with commentary on the sources they used. This is not a book for the beginning Civil War learner. The authors assume the reader is well-versed in the personalities involved. The essays are well-written and I learned some new things (I have nearly 100 books on the Civil War on my shelf), such as that Grant considered bringing McClellan back to lead an army in 1864. Ironically, the worst of the bunch is written by Pulitzer Prize winner Mark E. Neely, Jr. It felt like it was edited from a much larger work. That being said, the overall quality is very high. Highly recommended.