Grant & Meade: An Uneasy Alliance
by Bradley M. Gottfried and Linda I. Gottfried
BTC’s Take:
Coming soon. However, author Brad Gottfried is a well-known author in Civil War circles. He is the author of many of the Savas Beatie “Maps of…” series and continues work there, hoping to complete the Seven Days and the Peninsula for publication in 2027. In addition, he is known for his “Brigades of..” and “Commanders of…” series on Gettysburg and Antietam, the latter coming very recently. In his latest effort he partners with his wife Linda. I cannot wait to jump into this one for the Petersburg portion.
Book Summary/Review:
BTC Siege of Petersburg Book Notes:
BTC Siege of Petersburg Book Sources:
Publisher Info:
The war effort had sputtered in Virginia for three years until President Abraham Lincoln appointed General U. S. Grant as General-in-Chief of all Union armies. By maintaining his headquarters with the Army of the Potomac, Grant established an uneasy relationship with the army’s commander, Gen. George Meade, the victor of Gettysburg. How these men worked together to bring Robert E. Lee to surrender is covered in this volume. The relationship began cordially with Grant initially promising to only provide broad strategic directions to Meade. The latter would then direct his army as he desired. However, as the war churned on and Grant believed Meade’s army was underachieving, he took a progressively stronger role in its activities.
How these two strong-willed military leaders worked together to achieve a common goal was not easy. The thin-skinned Meade constantly worried about losing his job and railed against any hint of disrespect by the press, politicians, or the general public. Grant worried less about image and concentrated on ending the war.
Using a wealth of first-person accounts and maps, this book covers the seminal campaigns of 1864-65 (including the Overland, Petersburg, and Appomattox Campaigns) to help explain the complex and evolving relationship between the two men.
Paperback Edition
ISBN: 979-8-234-03694-0
Publisher: Seminole Press
Release Date: May 2026
Pages: 206, many maps and illustrations
The Siege of Petersburg Online: Beyond the Crater Pages Which Mention This Book: