By John S.D. Eisenhower
Military Historian John S. D. Eisenhower, was a
Brigadier-General in the U.S. Army Reserves, served as the United States’ Ambassador to Belgium during
the first term of the Nixon Administration, and was the son of President Dwight
D. and Mamie (Doud) Eisenhower.
Eisenhower, the author of numerous works of military history
and biography including “Agent of Destiny: The Life and Times of General
Winfield Scott,” “So Far From God: The U.S. War with Mexico 1846-1848,” and “Zachary
Taylor,” died at Trappe, Maryland on
December 21, 2013. At the time of his
death he was the oldest living presidential child. His final book, “American General: The life
and Times of William Tecumseh Sherman,” was being made ready for publication at
the time of his death and will be published posthumously on October 7,
2014.
“American General” is a short womb-to-tomb biography
surveying the life of William Tecumseh Sherman, a Major-General in the Union
Army during the American Civil War, and later General of the Army of the United
States. Sherman, often referred to as “the
first modern general” is a polarizing figure of the Civil War depending on
which side of the Mason-Dixon line one hails, his is either a hero or a villain,
and rarely anything in between.
Eisenhower’s biography is not heavy on historical minutia, relying
heavily on secondary sources and published letters, “American General” is a brief
synthesis of Sherman’s life. His
engaging narrative moves quickly from event to event from his birth to his
death.
While there is nothing new between its covers “American
General” is a solid biography of Sherman, though there are a more than a couple
of errors of a typographical nature (such as dates of the wrong year) that
should Mr. Eisenhower have been alive at the time of publication surely would
have been caught, but they few and their actual meaning is clear and they do
not interrupt Eisenhower’s easily read narrative.
“American General” is well written and adequately
researched. Though there is nothing
really “new” within it, it is still an excellent biography of one of America’s
most memorable generals, and would serve as a great introduction to those who
have only a basic knowledge of the man who was William Tecumseh Sherman.
ISBN 978-0451471352, NAL Caliber Hardcover, © 2014,
Hardcover, 352 pages, Photographs, Appendices, End Notes, Bibliography
& Index. $28.95. Click
HERE to
purchase this book.
