Touched with fire : five presidents and the Civil War battles that made them / James M. Perry.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Perry, James M. (James Moorhead)

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

McKinley, William, 1843-1901.

Harrison, Benjamin, 1833-1901.

Garfield, James A. (James Abram), 1831-1881.

Hayes, Rutherford B., 1822-1893.

Grant, Ulysses S. (Ulysses Simpson), 1822-1885.

Presidents--United States--History.

Presidents.

Command of troops.

United States.

History.

Presidents--United States--Biography.

Soldiers--United States--Biography.

Soldiers.

United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Biography.

United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Campaigns.

Grant, Ulysses S. (Ulysses Simpson), 1822-1885--Military leadership.

Grant, Ulysses S.

Hayes, Rutherford B., 1822-1893--Military leadership.

Hayes, Rutherford B.

Garfield, James A. (James Abram), 1831-1881--Military leadership.

Garfield, James A.

Harrison, Benjamin, 1833-1901--Military leadership.

Harrison, Benjamin.

McKinley, William, 1843-1901--Military leadership.

McKinley, William.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

xvi, 335 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, maps ; 25 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : PublicAffairs, 2003.

Summary:

So said Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., the future Supreme Court justice, about his fellow veterans of the Civil War. The 1860s were a time much like the 1940s, when a generation of idealistic young Americans answered their country's call, and many made the supreme sacrifice to preserve freedom and liberty for all. And among the two million "boys in blue" were five soldiers whose wartime heroics would take them into national politics -- a ride that would lead, in time, to the White House. In Touched with Fire, James M. Perry reintroduces us to these five men: Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. "Ruddy" Hayes, James A. "Jamie" Garfield, Benjamin "Little Ben" Harrison, and William "Mack" McKinley. Men who -- with the exception of Grant -- we dimly remember. This is the story they wanted told. What mattered most to them was that they had participated in terrible, bloody events that had saved the Union.

Perry describes how Grant won undying fame at Fort Donelson and how that victory sent him inexorably on his way to the White House. Garfield was a bit of a rogue, a fascinating, devious, and brilliant man. He conducted his own victorious campaign in the mountains of eastern Kentucky and went on to play a major role in events leading up to Chickamauga. Hayes, a good and decent man, fought in more than a dozen major battles and was wounded four times, once seriously. McKinley was just eighteen years old when he enlisted in the Army but he saw much active duty in Hayes's regiment. Harrison took part in Sherman's celebrated -- and vilified -- March to the Sea, and distinguished himself a number of times. Drawing on diaries, letters, and other first-hand accounts, Perry recreates the battles that brought these men fame and extols the courage that made them extraordinary leaders, especially under fire. The Civil War was their finest hour, and Touched with Fire sheds new light on these Gilded Age presidents and makes for a vivid reminder of what a truly great generation can accomplish.

Contents:

1 April 12, 1861 1

2 The Making of a Great Commander 17

3 Forts Henry and Donelson 35

4 The Big Sandy Valley 59

5 Political Advancement 89

6 Chickamauga 105

7 The West Virginia Campaign 131

8 South Mountain, Antietam, and the Great Dublin Raid 161

9 Crook's Devils 193

10 The Railroad Business 213

11 Marching Through Georgia 231

12 April 9, 1865 263

13 The White House in the Gilded Age 279.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [311]-318) and index.

ISBN:

1586481142

OCLC:

52047591