Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-07-17
THE RISE OF U. S. GRANT. BY A. L.
Conger. Illustrated with photographs and
maps New York: The Century Co.

end of the Mall, stands one OF the
really impressive memorial statues of
the Federal City mounted soldier
Worn, weary. slight sag of body
to both horse and man tells OF heavy
days of anxious nights. A suggestion of droop
to the poncho across the shoulders, to the hat
even, stresses the weight Of the whole. To
the right to the left, ON the broad low plat
form are groups, Cavalry here, Infantry there.
But for the moment. the soldier Is unmindful
of these. He Is looking away not alertly, Just
aRusingly instead Looking, maybe across to
the West end of the Mall where. enshrined.
sits another great figure. the chieftain OF this
soldier in war. the one whom this tired man,
was later. to succeed as the head OF this great
Nation Or maybe. he was looking still further
away, away into some future when mankind
viii have ceased from warfare, will have ceased
from lying in terms of "a world safe Tor de-
mocracy," "a war to end war; and other such
coverings for 4 basic selfishneSS and Sayagery.
However to get back to the weary man. SO
different from the familiar military statues of
heroic mien, sword a-lift. steed reared upon
two feet, seeming the battle from affair." Alb
surd in effect: unfaithful in art!
To get back to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and to
move from that truly great piece of art into
the story of this soldier by another soldier
who. quite in the spirit and with the skill OF
that other artist, devotss himself to $50 pages
of analysis along the lines of military theory
and practice applied to the character and Ca
reer of Gen. Grant.
This writer discards the earlier Geographic
method of sire and grandsire, of birth and a
subsequent time table of events applied to the
person under consideration, agreeing that the
prime interest Of this man to the world IS that
of Grant, the soldier, whose winning Of the war
established him permanently in military annals.
Col. Conger assumed plausibly and logically,
that Grant to be studied in any repaying man.
ner must be considered from the historical
department of military headquarters.
What brought about the spectacular rise of
this silent soldier?" did he earn these honors
or did friendly chance bestow them?" How
to explain the man usefully to those coming
after him?" Such maybe, the questions that
this author set up as waymarks, or possible
warnings
An active soldier himself, with hOnors &C.
cr,ling from the quality of such service. Col.
Conger is also q delving student OF military
history. And So thus equipped. he set out upon
the trail of Ulysses S. Grant. soldier. winner OF
the Civil War. head of the United States Army
and finally, President Of the United States,
though this last honor Hes technically. outside
the authors interest and treatment.
The method of this biography serves. in the
first place, to dissipate some OF the Grant
legends 1t would. However, the essential man
remai.5. The man OF certain temperament and
character of certain outlook and prepoSsessions.
And it is this essential man that. step by step,
Col. Conger measures and weighs by the pur-
poses and principles and technic Of war, as
war engaged Grant at points in his career, un-
til the climax Of his service to his country
came with the North triumphant over the
South in the Civil War new kind of biog-
raphy. but the only kind that in anything like
justice and revelation, could be applied to this
particular man. A convincing narrative. An
absorbing and gripping story of the true al
lance. finally. of a man and his destiny. And
50 communicable is the great adventure that
the reader himself goes into battle and upon
the march. himself gets something of the es-
Sense of reason lying behind the various
maneuvers of startegy and tactic. An amazing
story. Vital history really alive, urging one
into it as a part of the period which. among
other events made the great and succoring
soldier of the Civil War out of Gen. U. S.
Grant
FIGHTING FOR TINE: The battle that saved
Washington and mayhap the Union. BY
Glenn H. Worthington. Produced under
the sanction of The Frederick County
Historical Society. Baltimore The Day