The general and the journalists
Subtitle: Ulysses S. Grant, Horace Greeley, and Charles Dana
By: Harry J. Maihafer.
Edition: 1st ed.
Publisher: Brassey's
Published: 1998
Place of publication: Washington
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 315
ISBN-13: 9781574881059
Subjects: Grant, Ulysses S. 1822-1885 -- Relations with journalists.; Greeley, Horace, 1811-1872.; Dana, Charles A. 1819-1897.; Presidents -- United States -- Biography.; Journalists -- United States -- Biography.; Press and politics -- United States -- History -- 19th century.; United States -- Politics and government -- 1869-1877.; United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Journalists.
Description: As both general and president, Grant felt the full power of the press. By a remarkable twist of fate, not only his wartime successes but also his peacetime failures were directly influenced by Greeley and Dana, two of the greatest figures of American journalism.

The trio provides a fascinating contrast: Grant the simple soldier, basically unchanged from the time he left West Point until the day he died, honor untarnished but reputation sullied by men in whom he placed too much trust; Greeley the idealistic, brilliant, opinionated kingmaker, alternating in wartime between hawk and dove, forever shifting in his allegiances; and Dana the perverse, pragmatic, cynical intellectual, one of the first to emphasize news over editorials.

The General and the Journalists follows the three powerful men as their paths cross during the Civil War and Reconstruction. Vividly portraying the 19th century era of "personal journalism," when Greeley and Dana became major players on the national stage, Harry J. Maihafer shows how the media greatly affected the conduct of the Civil War and, to this day, has shaped the public's perception of Lincoln's, Johnson's, and Grant's presidencies.

Extensive quotes from contemporary newspapers convey a feeling of immediacy, bringing to life a new and important aspect of Grant's career, one of intense drama and bitter conflict.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 298-300) and index.
Table of contents: title: Neither flinched, begged nor surrendered; title: Tall, slender, pale and plain; title: Volumes he could not buy; title: So far away from friends; title: Reports are somewhat exaggerated; title: Who can reason with him?; title: Hardscrabble; title: To Richmond! To Richmond!; title: Likely as not to do it; title: At all events we can try; title: Like Currier without Ives; title: All hearts were stilled; title: Judged only by my acts; title: The prayer of twenty millions; title: Mr. Dana is my friend; title: You were right, and I was wrong; title: Wet, dirty and well; title: The question astonishes me; title: Enough of this show business; title: Hold on with a bulldog grip; title: Let's end the business here; title: Let us have peace; title: A fool not to give it; title: Shed tears for me; title: To do what was right; title: Man proposes and God disposes