tunate enough to take control of the army as the tide was turning favorably for the Union. After successful campaigns in 1863, as chief of all federal armies Grant was relentless and often forced inconclusive battles, which were very hazardous to the North's position. Although he was average in handling artillery and cavalry he had no grasp on commanding and strategies. Mr. Hassler end his book with a conclusion summarizing the main points of his descriptions of the commanders of the AOP and there effects on the Civil War.In this book, Mr. Hassler has a very convincing style and method to his writings of the commanders. One of these would be his inclusion of maps and pictures throughout the book. The maps are very helpful as they enable the reader to actually see what the author is talking about, as sometimes it can become a bit confusing with the way all the different armies are advancing. It also creates some variety and interest among the 200 some pages which creates a nice change once in a while. The pictures of the commanders are also used this way and are very interesting as the reader can see who Mr. Hassler is talking about and helps you to put a face with a name. Another inclusion that the author uses many times is excerpts from many other different readings, from newspapers to journals. By quoting these authorities Mr. Hassler can strengthen his ideas and create more of a diversified work which makes the reader feel more comfortable with what he is saying and that in fact it is all with truth. The quotes at the beginning of each chapter, such as for example "Whoever makes the first aggressive move will be beaten." by Sylvanus Thayer, are a nice relation to the situation and his writings and can be applied to everything that he conveys in his book. A very interesting thing that Mr. Hassler did at the beginning of each chapter was first give a physical description of the commander and what he was like and regarded as. F...
