Lincoln's Generals' Wives

Four Women Who Influenced the Civil War - for Better and for Worse

By: Candice Shy Hooper

Narrated by: Candice Shy Hooper

Length: 18 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

The story of the American Civil War is not complete without examining the extraordinary and influential lives of Jessie Frémont, Nelly McClellan, Ellen Sherman, and Julia Grant, the wives of Abraham Lincoln's top generals. They were their husbands' closest confidantes and had a profound impact on the generals' ambitions and actions. Most important, the women's own attitudes toward and relationships with Lincoln had major historical significance.

Candice Shy Hooper's lively account covers the early lives of her subjects, as well as their families, their education, their political attitudes, and their personal beliefs. Once shots were fired on Fort Sumter, the women were launched out of their private spheres into a wholly different universe, where their relationships with their husbands and their personal opinions of the president of the United States had national and historical consequences.

The approaches and styles of Frémont and McClellan contrast with those of Sherman and Grant, and there is equal symmetry in their wives' stories. Jessie Frémont and Nelly McClellan both encouraged their husbands to persist in their arrogance and delusion and to reject the advice and friendship of their commander in chief. In the end, Jessie and Nelly contributed most to the Union war effort by accelerating their husbands' removal from active command. Conversely, while Ellen Sherman's and Julia Grant's belief in their husbands' character and potential was ardent, it was not unbounded. Ellen and Julia did not hesitate to take issue with their spouses when they believed their actions were wrong or their judgments ill-advised. They intelligently supported their husbands' best instincts - including trust in and admiration for Lincoln - and re-buffed their worst. They were the source of strength that Sherman and Grant used to win the Civil War.

Relying on letters, memoirs, and other primary sources - and, for the first time, mapping the women's wartime travels - Hooper explores the very different ways in which these remarkable women responded to the unique challenges of being Lincoln's generals' wives.

©2016 Candice Shy Hooper (P)2017 Audible, Inc.

Good Story

The book was an interesting perspective of these four woman. It was interesting, but not for everyone.

What a Marvelous First Book!

I absolutely loved this book! What wonderful story-telling about these 4 amazing and, as it turns out, powerful and influential (especially to their husbands) women. And, of course, I so enjoyed the inter-twining and unfolding of historic events with the personal stories of the wives and their illustrious generals. This is
a great book for history lovers because it is so full of facts and events. But it is also a wonderful read for people only casually interested in history but who relish stories about people and "feelings." Frankly, I particularly liked the author's theories and conjectures and her interesting analyses of the characters. See, it pays to be an older author who's been around the block a few times! Congratulations on a marvelous 1st book! I do hope you write another!

Very pleasing read.

In addition to the insightful details of the four famous couples lives, the very pleasant reading performance the author provided was outstanding.