Born to Battle, Jack Hurst
Born to Battle, Jack Hurst
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Born to Battle
Grant and Forrest: Shiloh, Vicksburg, and Chattanooga; the Campaigns That Doomed the Confederacy

Author: Jack Hurst

Narrator: Joe Barrett

Unabridged: 15 hr 22 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/29/2012


Synopsis

Born to Battleexamines the Civil Wars complex and decisive western theater through the exploits of its greatest figures: Ulysses S. Grant and Nathan Bedford Forrest. These two opposing giants squared off in some of the most epic campaigns of the war, starting at Shiloh and continuing through Perryville, Vicksburg, Chickamauga, and Chattanoogabattles in which the Union would slowly but surely divide the western Confederacy, setting the stage for the final showdowns of this bloody and protracted conflict. Grant is widely regarded as the man most responsible for winning the war for the Union; Forrest, as the Confederacys most fearsome defender in the West. Both men had risen through their respective hierarchies thanks to their cunning and military brilliance, and despite their checkered pasts. Grant and Forrest were both lower-born officers who struggled to overcome particular, dubious reputations. In time, each became renowned for his intelligence, resourcefulness, and grit. Beginning with the Union victory at Tennessees Fort Donelson in February 1862, Hurst follows both men through the campaigns of the next twenty months, showing how this critical periodand these two unequaled leaderswould change the course of the war. An utterly American tale about class and merit and their role in one of the most formative wars in the nations history,Born to Battleoffers an impassioned account of two visionary Civil War leaders and the clashing cultures they foughtin some cases, quite ironicallyto protect. Hurst shows how Grant and Forrest brought to the battlefield the fabled virtues of the American working class: ingenuity,hard work,and intense determination. Each mans background contributed to his triumphs on the battlefield, but the open-mindedness of his fellow commanders proved just as important. When the North embraced Grant, it won a stalwart defender. When the South rejected Forrest, by contrast, it sealed its fate.

About Jack Hurst

Jack Hurst is a historian and former journalist who has written for newspapers including the Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer, and Nashville Tennessean. His books include Nathan Bedford Forrest: A Biography and Men of Fire. A native of Maryville, Tennessee, and a descendant of both Union and Confederate soldiers, he currently lives with his wife outside Nashville, Tennessee.


Reviews

Goodreads review by David

I usually don’t rate books this low, but I found Jack Hurst a tough author for me to follow. I chose this book because I’ll be traveling to Vicksburg Miss. next month and plan on touring the sight of the siege of that City in 1863. The premise of Born to Battle, chronicling the the path of Union com......more

Goodreads review by Evan

I really enjoyed this book and felt like it delivered on it's premise: Grant and Forest were both exceptional commanders during their time, but southern elitism and snobbery held back Forest while Grant was able to rise through the ranks. I had not read extensively about the war in the west, so the......more

Goodreads review by Charles

This was supposed to be some sort of comparative analysis of two very important Civil War commanders (who happened to be among the war's greatest strategists). Author gives good overall analysis of what these generals did in three major camapains: Shiloh, Vicksburg and Chattanooga. The result is tha......more

Goodreads review by RK

i don't know if this book is quite the Jay-Z/Nas showdown it's title implies. more like Jay-Z/Jah Rule.......more