“The best study of Grant’s military career since Bruce Catton’s two volumes. . . . The best treatment of Union military command and strategy now in print.” —The New Republic Many modern historians have painted Ulysses S. Grant as a butcher, a drunk, and a failure as president. Others have argued the exact opposite and portray him with saintlike levels of ethic and intellect. In Ulysses S. Grant: Triumph over Adversity 1822–1865, historian Brooks D. Simpson takes neither approach, recognizing Grant as a complex and human figure with human faults, strengths, and motivations. Simpson offers a balanced and complete study of Grant from birth to the end of the Civil War, with particular emphasis on his military career and family life and the struggles he overcame in his unlikely rise from unremarkable beginnings to his later fame as commander of the Union Army. Chosen as a New York Times Notable Book upon its original publication, Ulysses S. Grant is a readable, thoroughly researched portrait that sheds light on this controversial figure. “[An] eminently informed and finely balanced portrait of Ulysses S. Grant as man, husband, failed entrepreneur and shrewd, victorious general. Simpson . . . uses carefully excavated facts and anecdotes to reveal an individual far more complex than the caricature . . . handed down to us by popular history. At the same time, Simpson does not gloss over Grant’s shortcomings. Although a fan of the general’s, Simpson is not in the business of writing apologetics, and therein lies his strength.” —Publishers Weekly “Persuasively explains the complexities and seeming contradictions of his subject’s character and genius.” —Library Journal “Skillfully written. . . . Simpson, who has benefited from decades of Civil War study, wears his wide-ranging scholarship lightly. Guaranteed to enlighten and please.” —Kirkus Reviews “Simpson has done a masterly job. . . . He has given us a detailed and exciting narrative of how one man succeeded, where so many others had failed.” —The New York Times Book Review
Historians have traditionally drawn distinctions between Ulysses S. Grant's military and political careers. In Let Us Have Peace, Brooks Simpson questions such distinctions and offers a new understanding of this often enigmatic leader. He argues that during the 1860s Grant was both soldier and politician, for military and civil policy were inevitably intertwined during the Civil War and Reconstruction era. According to Simpson, Grant instinctively understood that war was 'politics by other means.' Moreover, he realized that civil wars presented special challenges: reconciliation, not conquest, was the Union's ultimate goal. And in peace, Grant sought to secure what had been won in war, stepping in to assume a more active role in policymaking when the intransigence of white Southerners and the obstructionist behavior of President Andrew Johnson threatened to spoil the fruits of Northern victory.
This book fills a gap in Civil War literature on the strategies employed by the Union and Confederacy in the East, offering a more integrated interpretation of military operations that shows how politics, public perception, geography, and logistics shaped the course of military operations in the East. For all the literature about Civil War military operations and leadership, precious little has been written about strategy, particularly in what has become known as the eastern theater. Yet it is in this theater where the interaction of geography and logistics, politics and public opinion, battlefront and home front, and the conduct of military operations and civil-military relations can be highlighted in sharp relief. With opposing capitals barely 100 miles apart and with the Chesapeake Bay/tidewater area offering Union generals the same sorts of opportunities sought by Confederate leaders in the Shenandoah Valley, geography shaped military operations in fundamental ways: the very rivers that obstructed Union overland advances offered them the chance to outflank Confederate-prepared positions. If the proximity of the enemy capital proved too tempting to pass up, generals on each side were aware that a major mishap could lead to an enemy parade down the streets of their own capital city. Presidents, politicians, and the press peeked over the shoulders of military commanders, some of who were not reluctant to engage in their own intrigues as they promoted their own fortunes. The Civil War in the East does not rest upon new primary sources or an extensive rummaging through the mountains of material already available. Rather, it takes a fresh look at military operations and the assumptions that shaped them, and offers a more integrated interpretation of military operations that shows how politics, public perception, geography, and logistics shaped the course of military operations in the East. The eastern theater was indeed a theater of decision (and indecision), precisely because people believed that it was important. The presence of the capitals raised the stakes of victory and defeat; at a time when people viewed war in terms of decisive battles, the anticipation of victory followed by disappointment and persistent strategic stalemate characterized the course of events in the East.
An essential resource for understanding complex modern financial markets, monetary policy, and banking systems The international economic environment has evolved to the point that what constitutes money is not always clear-cut, and monetary aggregates are undependable as guides to overall policy. Central banks have had to turn to very different tactics in order to achieve their stated policy goals. In this in-depth resource, Thomas D. Simpson a former official with the Federal Reserve System introduces a new approach to both monetary policy and the overall financial system. Financial Markets, Banking, and Monetary Policy highlights the role of each major financial market and institution and shows how they've become a part of the overall financial system. The book also describes the important features of central banks along with their responsibility for achieving specific macroeconomic objectives and reveals how they pursue goals for inflation, employment, and the economy. While highlighting the United States system, Simpson's comprehensive view of banking and monetary policy is equally applicable to the financial systems and economies of other developed nations. This reliable resource is solidly grounded in economic principles and on the key term structure of interest rate relationships. Simpson explores how the term structure relationship plays a central role in the conduct of monetary policy and outlines a framework for understanding financial crises and the systemic risk faced by modern economies. The book explains in detail the evolving integration of central banks' various methods for conducting monetary and financial stability policies. Filled with illustrative examples and charts, this resource delves into the interconnection between financial markets and institutions, monetary policy, and performance of the economy. An indispensible resource for both professionals and students of finance and economics, Financial Markets, Banking, and Monetary Policy offers a clear understanding of Simpson's term structure relationship and how it works throughout the financial system.
During and after the Civil War, four presidents faced the challenge of reuniting the nation and of providing justice for black Americans—and of achieving a balance between those goals. This first book to collectively examine the Reconstruction policies of Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, Ulysses S. Grant, and Rutherford B. Hayes reveals how they confronted and responded to the complex issues presented during that contested era in American politics. Brooks Simpson examines the policies of each administration in depth and evaluates them in terms of their political, social, and institutional contexts. Simpson explains what was politically possible at a time when federal authority and presidential power were more limited than they are now. He compares these four leaders' handling of similar challenges—such as the retention of political support and the need to build a Southern base for their policies—in different ways and under different circumstances, and he discusses both their use of executive power and the impact of their personal beliefs on their actions. Although historians have disagreed on the extent to which these presidents were committed to helping blacks, Simpson's sharply drawn assessments of presidential performance shows that previous scholars have overemphasized how the personal racial views of each man shaped his approach to Reconstruction. Simpson counters much of the conventional wisdom about these leaders by persuasively demonstrating that considerable constraints to presidential power severely limited their efforts to achieve their ends. The Reconstruction Presidents marks a return to understanding Reconstruction based upon national politics and offers an approach to presidential policy making that emphasizes the environment in which a president governs and the nature of the challenges facing him. By showing that what these four leaders might have accomplished was limited by circumstances not easily altered, it allows us to assess them in the context of their times and better understand an era too often measured by inappropriate standards.
Make no mistake, the Confederacy had the will and valor to fight. But the Union had the manpower, the money, the matriel, and, most important, the generals. Although the South had arguably the best commander in the Civil War in Robert E. Lee, the North's full house beat their one-of-a-kind. Flawed individually, the Union's top officers nevertheless proved collectively superior across a diverse array of battlefields and ultimately produced a victory for the Union. Now acclaimed author Albert Castel brings his inimitable style, insight, and wit to a new reconsideration of these generals. With the assistance of Brooks Simpson, another leading light in this field, Castel has produced a remarkable capstone volume to a distinguished career. In it, he reassesses how battles and campaigns forged a decisive Northern victory, reevaluates the generalship of the victors, and lays bare the sometimes vicious rivalries among the Union generals and their effect on the war. From Shiloh to the Shenandoah, Chickamauga to Chattanooga, Castel provides fresh accounts of how the Union commanders--especially Grant, Sherman, Sheridan, Thomas, and Meade but also Halleck, Schofield, and Rosecrans--outmaneuvered and outfought their Confederate opponents. He asks of each why he won: Was it through superior skill, strength of arms, enemy blunders, or sheer chance? What were his objectives and how did he realize them? Did he accomplish more or less than could be expected under the circumstances? And if less, what could he have done to achieve more--and why did he not do it? Castel also sheds new light on the war within the war: the intense rivalries in the upper ranks, complicated by the presence in the army of high-ranking non-West Pointers with political wagons attached to the stars on their shoulders. A decade in the writing, Victors in Blue brims with novel, even outrageous interpretations that are sure to stir debate. As certain as the Union achieved victory, it will inform, provoke, and enliven sesquicentennial discussions of the Civil War.
Some 100,000 soldiers fought in the April 1862 battle of Shiloh, and nearly 20,000 men were killed or wounded; more Americans died on that Tennessee battlefield than had died in all the nation’s previous wars combined. In the first book in his new series, Steven E. Woodworth has brought together a group of superb historians to reassess this significant battleandprovide in-depth analyses of key aspects of the campaign and its aftermath. The eight talented contributors dissect the campaign’s fundamental events, many of which have not received adequate attention before now. John R. Lundberg examines the role of Albert Sidney Johnston, the prized Confederate commander who recovered impressively after a less-than-stellar performance at forts Henry and Donelson only to die at Shiloh; Alexander Mendoza analyzes the crucial, and perhaps decisive, struggle to defend the Union’s left; Timothy B. Smith investigates the persistent legend that the Hornet’s Nest was the spot of the hottest fighting at Shiloh; Steven E. Woodworth follows Lew Wallace’s controversial march to the battlefield and shows why Ulysses S. Grant never forgave him; Gary D. Joiner provides the deepest analysis available of action by the Union gunboats; Grady McWhineydescribes P. G. T. Beauregard’s decision to stop the first day’s attack and takes issue with his claim of victory; and Charles D. Grear shows the battle’s impact on Confederate soldiers, many of whom did not consider the battle a defeat for their side. In the final chapter, Brooks D. Simpson analyzes how command relationships—specifically the interactions among Grant, Henry Halleck, William T. Sherman, and Abraham Lincoln—affected the campaign and debunks commonly held beliefs about Grant’s reactions to Shiloh’s aftermath. The Shiloh Campaign will enhance readers’ understanding of a pivotal battle that helped unlock the western theater to Union conquest. It is sure to inspire further study of and debate about one of the American Civil War’s momentous campaigns.
Created by scholars who have walked the battlegrounds, consulted with local experts and park guides, and studied the testimony left behind by the participants, this guide is the ultimate guide to Gettysburg. 57 maps, figures & photos.
The human skull has many functions. The largest component of the skull, the neurocranium, protects and insulates the brain. It comprises the dome-shaped vault or calvaria, obviously a protective structure, and the more complex cranial base, which gives the vault a massive foundation and also houses the organs of hearing, balance, and smell. The facial skeleton, or splanchnocranium, encloses the upper airway and the mouth. Chewing, the cQ-ordinated action ofthe jaws and teeth, is a function of the facial skeleton. The orbits, formed from both calvarial and facial bones, house the eyes and their accessory muscles. The'skull also provides skeletal support for the muscles which affect speech and facial expression. It is largely by these that people communicate and display their emotions. Personality is judged on speech and on facial appearances, by conscious or subconscious aesthetic comparisons with cultural ideas-and prejudices. So the shape of the skull has, or can have, profound emotional significance.
In this lively work of revisionism, Brooks D. Simpson offers a new understanding of Henry Adams's political career, looking beyond the oft-quoted Education of Henry Adams to discover the historian, journalist, and political gadfly as he truly was. In doing so, Simpson challenges portrayals presented by Adams's many biographers and reassesses positions of major historians. He demonstrates the unreliability of The Education as a factual account of post-Civil War American politics, cautions those who represent Adams as a typical political reformer, and discusses why Adams's fervent desire to achieve political success ended in abject failure. Arguing that Adams sought political influence and power, not office, Simpson follows the young republican's struggle to reconcile the dictates of family heritage with his own personal inclinations by carving out a career as a political journalist and behind-the-scenes manipulator of reform politics. But his arrogance and sarcasm, according to Simpson, doomed him to offend the very people he sought to influence and forced him to the margins of the reform movement. Simpson contends that even as Adams wrote about his failure in The Education of Henry Adams, he sought to conceal its true causes behind a facade of witty, derisive remarks about American politics and politicians. In contrast, Simpson places the blame for Adams's failure squarely on Adams himself, concluding that personality rather than politics thwarted his promising career.
In this volume, Millie emerges from her self-made cocoon to try to eliminate evil, only to end up an accomplice in the hijacking of a truckload of thermometers. Ozy's annual baldness curse is finally deflected, and he learns that his biological mother was one of the all-time geniuses of frozen confectionary. Avery takes up blogging, Llewellyn runs for president by not running, and Millie's homework runs off and starts a revolution. And, of course, much more. 128 pages, 8 1/2 by 11 inches, lightly annotated, with an introduction by our own Millicent Mudd.
Tax Compliance for Tax-Exempt Organizations provides a detailed analysis of the federal tax laws affecting tax-exempt organizations and the tax treatment of donors to such organizations. It offers expert guidance to tax-exempt organizations and their tax advisors on the tax compliance issues they confront on a daily basis and the preparation of the various tax forms they must file with the IRS. It offers unique insight into four key areas: tax law and the rules that govern compliance; reporting requirements; compliance steps, choices and mechanisms; and accounting.
Treating the market economy as a complex adaptive system offers a better explanation of how it works than does the mechanical analogy of neoclassical equilibrium theory. The nonlinear interactions of millions of individual human beings, coupled with the influence of chance, result in the emergence of markets. Other regularities emerge in the patterns of economic growth, business cycles and in the spatial locations of economic activity. Rethinking Economic Behaviour demonstrates the implication of complexity theory for business and government decision-making, and concludes with an assessment of the future evolution of the market economy.
It's an unfortunate reality that many men grow up in churches that suppress their God-given sexual urges. As a result, many Christian men, single and married, are frustrated with their love lives and their sex lives. The authors of this book claim that Christian men should be the greatest lovers in the world and then work to show men how to do it. They help men: -learn what the Bible says about a healthy sex life -discover how to relate to women as men instead of as boys -address psychological and spiritual issues that interfere with healthy sexuality -learn specific techniques that create a strong relationship, great foreplay, and passionate sex Solidly based in Scripture and informed by the experiences of the authors, all respected sex therapists, What Wives Wish Their Husbands Knew about Sex dispels the myths that keep good Christian men from experiencing sex as God meant it to be. Perfect for any man, it is also a great book for counselors and pastors who work with men.
Multistate Guide to Regulation and Taxation of Nonprofits offers comparative coverage of state regulation of solicitation and fundraising; state taxation of nonprofits, as well as required income tax compliance. The Guide is designed as a practical resource to assist trustees, officers, and directors of nonprofit entities and their accountants in carrying out their responsibilities when they solicit funds or conduct business in more than one state. The easy-to-use smart chart format enables the nonprofit professional to readily locate information concerning one state's treatment of a particular issue or compare the treatment required by several states all on the same table.
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