Grant

By: John Mosier

Narrated by: Brian Emerson

Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's Summary

In this newest addition to the Great Generals Series, John Mosier brings to life the brilliant military strategist Ulysses S. Grant. A modest and unassuming man, Grant never lost a battle, leading the Union to victory over the Confederacy during the Civil War, ultimately becoming president of the reunited states. Grant revolutionized military warfare by creating new leadership strategies and by integrating new technologies in classical military strategy.

In this compelling biography, Mosier reveals the man behind the military legend, showing how Grant's creativity and genius off the battlefield shaped him into one of our nation's greatest military leaders.

©2006 John Mosier (P)2006 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Critic Reviews

"Mosier has written the best appraisal of Grant's generalship ever to appear....Mosier has gone farther than anyone in proclaiming Grant to have been a military genius, one who in a number of ways surpassed both Napoleon and Wellington." (Charles Bracelen Flood, author of Grant and Sherman and Lee: The Last Years)
"A solid description of the most effective Union general. Grant has been consistently underestimated and Mosier helps correct that." (Newt Gingrich)

Grant(Unabridged)

The writing style of the author is a delight to hear with the spoken word which is not always the case, even with well written works. In addition, I found the research and scholarship compelling. I understand that the scope of the book was limited to Grant's "generalship", however it would have been interesting to follow through with the author's more thorough analysis of his presidency. As the author admits, our present day perception of Grant is one of a very good general and a "poor" president. We are left with a very brief, yet decidedly more positive assessment of his presidency based upon a few facts which on the suface appear plausible. This has left me with the desire to find other biographies of Grant that cover his presidency more in depth but perhaps with the same slant as the author's. In sum, I found the work both scholarly and captivating. It may be a bit thin for the advanced enthusiast, however I strongly recommend this to beginning or average level scholars of history and/or military matters.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Grant Reevaluated

Mosier takes a fresh look at one of America's most enigmatic and influential military leaders. Most historians tend to view Grant as a competent but singularly unremarkable military strategist, who won the war using persistent blunt-force application of superior numbers and resources. Mosier turns these oft-repeated bromides about Grant on their ear, arguing that he was a brilliant strategic thinker who used combined force of arms in coordinated thrusts to topple the Confederacy. That he didn't succeed in doing so much sooner is attributable directly to the political military establishment, and in particular, the Machiavellian machinations of Henry Hallick.

A fascinating "high-level" read about Grant the general. If you're looking for excruciating details on all of the major battles he fought, this isn't the work for you. But if you want to understand Grant's strategy and how it shaped the outcome of the war and the organization of the American military, this is a must read.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Of substance and factual

Well done bio of Grant which covers the war years well and provides introspective to the man before military life and as a US President. Especially recommended for Civil War enthusiasts regardless of the side your rootin for! SOme interesting links to R.E.Lee prior to the CW.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Amazing person

This was an excellent book detailing the life of General Grant and the less successful President Grant. As a general, we was uniquely qualified to lead an army at that time in history. The author does an excellent job helping you to understand who Grant was and how he thought. While his presidency was less than stellar, he still had some successes and had a great challenge in trying to reconcile the country. This book is well worth the time.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Grant deserves better

Despite its excellent reviews, I found this book to be so dull that I fell asleep every time I put the ear buds in. Most of the info was old hat. I did learn he was only 5 ft 5 in. tall. Story: disappointing. Narrator: a sleeping pill

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Worthy biograhpy

One for the historians. It certainly helps to have read Grant's Memoirs before coming to this. The narration is fine and the author wastes no time in setting the tone for the book; praise for Grant, at times almost gushingly so. The author makes continued use of comparing Grant to Wellington and Napolean in order for us to appreciate his acheivements. Its a technique that works well but does begin to grate after the fifth or sixth use.
John Mosier has written an acurrate and enjoyable assessment of Grant the General. The major downfall of the book is the author's strange ommission to skip over alot of the action after Grant took charge of all the Union armies.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful