Ulysses S. Grant is often dismissed as a simple butcher of his troops. In fact, Grant was an inspired military leader with a genius for issuing lucid orders, maneuvering his troops adroitly, and making excellent use of his staff." "Grant is unfairly maligned because of the bloody 1864 campaigns he conducted against Robert E. Lee to secure final victory for the Union. A Victor, Not a Butcher proves that, far from being a crude butcher (as he has been characterized not only by Southern partisans, but by many historians), Grant's casualty rates actually compared favorably with those of other Civil War generals. His perseverance, decisiveness, moral courage, and political acumen place him among the greatest generals of the Civil War - indeed, of all military history." "Author Edward Bonekemper traces Grant's record of unparalleled success - Forts Henry and Donelson, Shiloh, Iuka, Corinth, Raymond, Jackson, Champion's Hill, Vicksburg, Chattanooga, the Overland Campaign, the James Crossing, Five Forks, Petersburg, and Appomattox - showing how Grant won his victories through expert execution of carefully planned military strategies, not the meat-grinder tactics of myth." "This book also explores the paradoxes of Grant's early life and deals forthrightly with his struggles in civilian life - particularly the allegations of alcoholism and other factors that led his contemporaries (as well as historians of later generations) to underestimate him." "Bonekemper identifies the key elements of Grant's success as a general. He even demonstrates that as a military strategist and leader, Grant outshone his much-lionized rival, Robert E. Lee. He examines casualty records that prove that Grant lost fewer men in his successful effort to take Richmond and end the war than his predecessors lost in making the same attempt and failing. Bonekemper proves that it was no historical accident that Grant accepted the surrender of three entire Confederate armies. (No other general on either side accepted the surrender of even one army until Sherman accepted the capitulation of the remnants of the Army of Tennessee at the war's end.) Grant's tactics are studied carefully by American military personnel to this day." "Ulysses Grant won the Civil War. He was responsible for virtually all major Union victories. Bonekemper ably silences Grant's critics and restores Grant to the heroic reputation he so richly deserves.

Includes maps of: Grant's Early Western Battles and Campaigns, 1861-1862; First Day of Shiloh, April 6, 1862; Grant's Vicksburg Campaign, March-July 1863; Grant's Breakout at Chattanooga, October-November 1863; Grant's Overland Campaign, May-June 1864; Grant's and Sherman's Pincers Movements, 1864-1865; Grant's Appomattox Campaign, April 2-9, 1865.

Introduction -- The greatest Civil War general -- Living a troubled life -- 1861: seeking a chance to fight -- Winter 1862: capturing Forts Henry and Donelson -- Spring 1862: salvaging a victory at Shiloh -- 1862-3: Surviving frustration upon frustration -- May-July 1863: vanquishing Vicksburg -- Autumn 1863: saving Chattanooga -- Early 1864: planning a national campaign -- Summer 1864: Attacking Lee's Army -- 1864-5: Tightening the noose -- Early 1865: winning the war -- Grant's winning characteristics -- Appendix I: Historians' treatment of Ulysses S. Grant -- Appendix II: Casualties in Grant's battles and campaigns -- Appendix III: The critical election of 1864: how close was it?