The Civil War continues to exert a fascination above all other American conflicts. William C. Davis’ Crucible of Command compares and contrasts the most prominent opposing generals, Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee. Davis finds many similarities. Grant wasn’t especially committed to abolishing slavery and Lee wasn’t fervently committed to upholding the peculiar institution. Most of all, they thought alike as leaders—as careful planners with the imagination to seize upon unanticipated developments. But temperamentally and socially they were worlds apart. A running theme of this enjoyable double-biography is Lee as embodying the old landed aristocracy and Grant representing the can-do spirit of a new America.
