Lee and Grant

Gene Smith's "Lee and Grant: A Dual Biography" stands as a compelling examination of the two commanding generals whose military decisions shaped the outcome of the American Civil War. Published in 1984, this work takes the innovative approach of presenting parallel narratives of Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant, allowing readers to observe how these two men, born into vastly different circumstances, became the principal military figures of their respective causes.

Smith structures the biography by alternating between the lives of Lee and Grant, tracing their paths from childhood through their experiences at West Point, service in the Mexican-American War, and ultimately their confrontation during the Civil War. This parallel construction proves particularly effective in highlighting the stark contrasts between the two generals. Lee emerged from Virginia aristocracy, inheriting the expectations and privileges of the planter class, while Grant grew up in Ohio as the son of a tanner, experiencing a much more modest upbringing that included manual labor and business struggles.

The author demonstrates considerable skill in presenting both generals as complex human beings rather than reducing them to simple historical archetypes. Lee appears as a man torn between duty and personal conviction, someone who opposed secession yet felt bound by loyalty to Virginia. Smith explores Lee's internal conflicts and the burden of command that weighed on him throughout the war. Grant emerges from these pages as a more complicated figure than popular memory often allows, moving beyond the simple narrative of the determined fighter to reveal a man who struggled with failure in civilian life, faced allegations of drinking, yet possessed an uncommon clarity of military vision when given command.

Smith draws extensively on letters, memoirs, and contemporary accounts to construct his narrative. The book benefits from the author's ability to locate telling details that illuminate character. Grant's financial difficulties before the war, his work in his father's leather goods store, and his resignation from the army all receive careful attention. Lee's devotion to his wife Mary Custis, his service as superintendent of West Point, and his conflicted decision to decline command of Union forces become windows into his character and values.

The military campaigns themselves receive thorough treatment, though Smith remains focused on the human dimensions of leadership rather than purely tactical analysis. The Peninsula Campaign, Antietam, Gettysburg, and the Wilderness all appear in these pages, but always with attention to how Lee and Grant made decisions, responded to setbacks, and bore the weight of casualties. The grinding nature of the Overland Campaign particularly reveals the contrast between Lee's dwindling resources and Grant's willingness to accept losses in pursuit of strategic objectives.

One of the biography's strengths lies in its treatment of the relationship between these two commanders. They had crossed paths briefly during the Mexican-American War, though Grant was a junior officer and Lee a rising star on General Winfield Scott's staff. Smith traces how they came to represent not just opposing armies but conflicting visions of American society and nationalism. Yet the author also notes the mutual respect that characterized their final meeting at Appomattox Court House, where Lee's surrender was conducted with dignity on both sides.

The post-war years receive attention as well, offering insight into how both men navigated defeat and victory. Lee's presidency of Washington College and his efforts to reconcile former Confederates to reunion appear alongside Grant's two terms as president and his later financial ruin. Smith follows both men to their deaths, with Lee dying in 1870 and Grant completing his memoirs while battling throat cancer in 1885.

Smith writes with clarity and narrative momentum, making complex historical material accessible without sacrificing depth. The dual biography format occasionally requires readers to shift mental gears as the narrative moves between subjects, but this structure ultimately serves the book's purpose of illumination through comparison. The author maintains balance in his treatment, neither romanticizing Lee's Lost Cause nor dismissing Grant's significance beyond his military achievements.

This biography serves readers seeking to understand the Civil War through the lives of its two most important military leaders. Smith's work provides context for the conflict while maintaining focus on the human dimensions of command, duty, and character. The book remains valuable for anyone interested in American military history, Civil War studies, or the question of how individual lives intersect with national crisis.