Grant Tells the War, Part 02: Shiloh
As part of their preparation to co-author their book Unconditional Surrender: Ulysses S. Grant in the Civil War, Chris Mackowski and Curt Fields (as U.S. Grant) sat down to talk about the war from Grant’s perspective. The result was a nine-part series that served as the outline for Unconditional Surrender, published by Savas Beatie as part of the Emerging Civil War Series.
This episode picks up in the wake of Fort Donelson, where Grant finds himself in administrative limbo despite his recent victories. He then goes on to the “apocalypse” of Shiloh, which redefines for both sides the scope, scale, and horror of the war.
For more on Unconditional Surrender, or to order a copy, visit www.savasbeatie.com/unconditional-surrender-ulysses-s-grant-in-the-civil-war/.
If you’d like to see more of Curt Fields as Ulysses S. Grant, check out “Fridays with Grant,” presented by our partners at the Civil War Roundtable Congress.
The part of Grant’s Memoirs which discuss Shiloh is a brilliant example of selective memory and misdirection, delivered in that classic “me, I’m just a simple country boy” style we’ve come to know and love. His actual performance on the field of battle was better than his recitation of it.
Grant’s account of Shiloh was indeed fascinating. Then historians uncovered the facts…
Unfortunately, there is a huge number of errors of fact in this video, along with all-too-numerous fabrications, exaggerations, and mischaracterizations. This is not history.
Mr. Fields stated that “… four out of every ten homes in America had somebody killed or wounded at Shiloh. Forty percent of the homes in America, Atlantic to Pacific, Mexico to Canada, had somebody killed or wounded at Shiloh. That is staggering.”
Say what?!? That would be staggering, indeed.