Task: Sentiment Analysis
Input (English): What might have been.... . The subtitle of the book, "The Friendship That Won The Civil War" would imply that there really was a friendship, and indeed it seems the relationship between Grant and Sherman was destined to create a winning duo. That makes it unique, not just because of the resultant Union victory, but it really does stand out as the one relationship among the senior leadership of both sides that was capable of creating the kind of synergism necessary to win the struggle. The only other comparable relationship was Lee and Jackson, which was every bit as successful, but didn't survive the war.  There are too many anectdotes in the book to mention, but I can say that I learned a lot more than I had previously gleened from separate biographies. Grant was clearly a victim of disappointing performances by subordinates, Sherman being a glowing exception. And Sherman's armies needed the type of visionary leadership that ultimately unleashed them to win. Yet the contingent nature of the events leading to the monumental victories are pointed out again and again. Such were the nature of promotions and military politics in the day.  A fast paced read. The relatively quick descriptions of the battles are much appreciated. If Grant and Sherman seemed like inspiring characters before, Hood's book will convince you that the story of their friendship not only won the war, but had a profound impact on 19th century America well beyond 1865
Output (English): POS