In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

Book Reviews231 quest of the Far West by railroads all find Sherman's name associated witii diem. The audior covers seventy years in the life of tiiis dynamic figure. Bruce Cation's new appraisal as an introductory feature hits the nail squarely on the head when he remarks: Sherman was, in other words, a man of contradictory aspects, and the great virtue of Lewis' book is that it shows how tiiose different aspects became a part of the man's character and how they finally were welded into a coherent whole. Lewis was able to do this partly because he had studied everything Sherman did and said with perceptive care, and partly because he always saw Sherman as expressing die inner spirit of die unsophisticated , poorly trained, matter-of-fact young men who fought under him. This is no ordinary military biography. It is rich in anecdotes and detailĀ» and has withstood die test of time in terms of its literary merits. The reviewer would like to stress tiiat, among die many positive tilings which can be said about this volume, Mr. Lewis' excellent description of the relationship between Grant and Sherman and the meaning of the Union in Sherman's life are high lights which are not easily forgotten. Arthur Lerner Los Angeles, California. Ben Butler. By Hans Louis Trefousse. (New York: Twayne Publishers. 1957. Pp. 365. $5.00.) the choice of a subject such as ben butler is a fertile field for any writer who senses the dramatic impact between men and events during times of crises. Like many individuals who were well known during their time, controversially or approvingly, Butler's name seems to have been forgotten with the passing of die years. At the time of the Civil War era he was regarded as one of die most dynamically contradictory figures. There were many facets to his personality which won for him staunch friends and equally devout enemies. In die early days of die conflict between the states Butler was an apologist for slavery. He felt that national unity hung in die balance. A short while later he became one of the leaders responsible for raising Negro troops for the North. From a vantage point of reactionary and pro-slavery forces before the outbreak of war, he supported views of die most advanced radical abolitionists after the firing of the first shot. Indeed, his opinions would still be considered advanced today in die present integration struggle. The author has aimed to reconstruct Buder's life in order to restore his name to its proper place in history. This has been a big undertaking and Mr. Trefousse has been very meticulous widi his documentation. There is an objectivity here which will be appreciated by all readers. Ben Butier was often vain and foolhardy and his failings were many. Citing these failures does not reject the reality of Butler's advocacy of fundamentals of die republic. As an ex-governor of Massachusetts, ex-congressman from Essex and Middlesex, 232civil war history a major-general of United States volunteers, a famous lawyer and astute politician , his life was a drama of the times on a grand scale. This reviewer believes the author has commendably presented his picture. Arthur Lerner Los Angeles, California. The Lost Dispatch: A Story of Antietam. By Donald J. Sobol. (New York: Franklin Watts. 1958. Pp. 173. $2.95.) it has often been pointed out that one of the main interests in the Civil War is concerned widi a series of "human incidents" involving die young and die old. The War between die States provides varieties of endless imaginative material so tiiat perceptive writers can readily build dieir plots. This book is a case in point. On September 13, 1862, a dispatch was found in a meadow outside of Frederick, Maryland. Its finding is believed to have changed die course of the Civd War. Although authorities generally agree on how the dispatch was discovered, no one seems to know how it first disappeared. The Lost Dispatch is based on diis enigma and wherever fact is confirmable the author adheres to it in his plot. And while die book is still fiction and not history, Mr. Sobol...

pdf

Share