William C. Davis (1) (1946–)

"Crucible of Command" isn't intended to be a complete history of the Civil War, and doesn't provide a detailed review of various battles, but instead is a comparative biography of Generals Lee and Grant. The book made me rethink what I knew, or thought I knew, about the two generals. Previously, I would have described General Grant as being somewhat of a minor military man, lucky to even be named a General much less overall commander of military forces; a heavy drinker if not a drunk; and someone whose military style was to send wave after wave of soldiers headlong into battle regardless of the numbers sacrificed. In contrast, I would have described General Lee as a brilliant leader and military strategist. I also had the belief that the Confederacy was fully committed to their cause, and that the men of the South were fully dedicated with nary a straggler or deserter among them.
William Davis' book changed a lot of my preconceptions about my earlier preconceptions, and about the conduct of the war itself. Because the book isn't really about the battles and chronology of the war, it made me realize that there was a lot I'd forgotten or just didn't know about the Civil War, and motivated me to read more. As a result, I just picked up one of Bruce Catton's books on the History of the Civil War, and am looking forward to refreshing my memory and learning more about this important part of our U.S. history.
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