Reviews for Three Years with Grant: As Recalled by War Correspondent Sylvanus Cadwallader

The average rating for Three Years with Grant: As Recalled by War Correspondent Sylvanus Cadwallader based on 2 reviews is 5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2015-02-19 00:00:00 George Harris "Three Years With Grant" Sylvanus Cadwallader, University of Nebraska Press, 1955 Sylvanus Cadwallader was a newspaperman who became an "embedded" correspondent with the Army of the Tennessee under the command of a somewhat obscure but rising General, Ulysses S. Grant. He was to become a civilian member of Grants staff and followed him from the fall of 1862 through to the 1865 surrender at Appomattox at which he was present. In the 1800s newspapers were the only medium for information. However, the standards of professionalism were not at all universal in the press of the age. Many Civil War correspondents were as apt to report; rumor, inference, gossip, favoritism and conjecture, as they were fact. Worst of all, it seems that at times the press had little compunction for revealing sensitive military information. This was important because newspapers circulated between the North and South. For these reasons newspaper reporters were generally mistrusted if not reviled by professional military leaders. Sylvanus Cadwallader was the opposite of the typical newspaper correspondent. He was intelligent, affable, honest, discrete, accurate and professional. Because of his integrity and his competent writing Cadwallader was quick to earn the respect, trust and friendship of General John Rawlins, Grant's Chief of staff, and subsequently of the General himself. Cadwallader was a colleague, close friend and an important member of General Grant's staff with unlimited access. This book tells the story of General Grant's war from the view of a trusted insider at his headquarters. During his time with Grant and especially his tenure with the Army of the Potomac, Sylvanus Cadwallader almost single handedly made the New York Herald the premiere newspaper in the Nation with a circulation 10 times that of other newspapers. He did this by orchestrating a group of hand picked professional correspondents of the highest skill and integrity, and by setting up a network to deliver their supremely accurate reports very rapidly to the Herald offices allowing the newspaper to scoop the competition by days. The New York Herald reigned supreme for swift, accurate information about the war. Cadwallader's access and skill in recording the persons and events in Grant's command make for a lively, informative and educational read. Although not very technical on the strategies and nuances of the battles, Cadwallader's insight makes this the best book I have read on Grant the man. Three Years with Grant is a lively and thoroughly enjoyable book. It should be noted that Sylvanus Cadwallader completed the manuscript for this book in 1896, however the book was never published. Much later the original manuscript was discovered and edited for publication by Benjamin Thomas (in 1955). Thomas must take much credit for the "flow" of the finish work. This said, the content and the words are Cadwallder's alone. This book is a delight, 5 stars.

Review # 2 was written on 2008-02-19 00:00:00 Gerry Mcguire It is interesting to read accounts of life from a different century. To read of a unique time and place in American history is very interesting. The "taming" of the "west" in the immediate wake of the Civil War Is instructive in many ways. Life of the soldiers and their families in Texas and Kansas in the late 1860s was different from modern renditions of the later west. With brief mention of Wild Bill Hickok and Buffalo Bill the only familiar characters are Generals Custer and Sherman. Yet the description of life at the forts illustrates the dangers faced in the westward migration and the impact of the army and railroad in opening up the way for pioneers. The volume of information new to me was surprising, the interesting quality of the narrative, replete with anecdotes and descriptive explanations, was a relief, and the subject matter compelling. While the account ended less than 10 years shy of Custer's demise (at age 36!) at Little Big Horn one can easily imagine how easily it could have happened earlier. There were many epiphanies for me in reading this book, and had it achieved in the Texas portion the interest that I found in reading the Kansas portion i might have given it five stars. An important, monumental, and good read.