''Lee and Grant at Appomattox'' is an historical fiction children's novel by

MacKinlay Kantor MacKinlay Kantor (February 4, 1904 – October 11, 1977), born Benjamin McKinlay Kantor, was an American journalist, novelist and screenwriter. He wrote more than 30 novels, several set during the American Civil War, and was awarded th ...

. It was originally published in 1950 by

Random House Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...

, and later published in paperback by Sterling Point Books.

Plot

''Lee and Grant at Appomattox'' depicts the surrender of the

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

soldiers. In specific, it portrays the surrender of General Robert E. Lee to General

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

at Appomattox Court House, helping to bring about the end of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. Kantor mainly discusses the feelings of each army, both victorious and shellacked, and pays special attention to the history and interaction between Grant and Lee. The story also addresses the lasting bitterness between the

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

and

South South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...

for years following the Civil War.

Characters

* General Ulysses S. Grant – Grant is displayed disingenuously, as a "'silent, shabby, stubborn' man who liked animals more than people".Gallagher (2004), 216. Grant was further portrayed as a man who needlessly squandered the lives of hundreds of men in bloody battle. Ultimately, though, Grant is portrayed as a fair man, who lets the Confederates keep the items pertinent to their livelihood. *

General Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of North ...

– General Lee is portrayed as stately, and, as essayist Gallager said, knightly and religiously. In fact, Kantor speaks very highly of Lee in a number of passages, for example: "You could imagine him eein the wars of long ago, in polished armor. You could imagine him in the wars of Biblical times, proud of his chariot, fascinating the Philistines".

Literary significance and reception

Historian William Marvel has cited the book as piquing his interest in studying the subject of Appomattox as a child.Marvel (2000), 385. Some have accused the book of displaying a bias towards General Lee and presenting an inaccurate portrayal of General Grant.

References to history

The Appomattox Court House was the site of the actual surrender of General Lee to General Grant in 1865. The story makes reference to many actual battles of the Civil War.

References in other works

Gary Gallagher Gary William Gallagher is an American historian specializing in the history of the American Civil War. Gallagher is currently the John L. Nau, John L. Nau III Professor in the History of the American Civil War at the University of Virginia. He ...

mentions the book in his collection of essays ''Lee and His Generals in War and Memory'' as an example of southern hypocrisy dictating how the memories of Lee and Grant are recalled. William Marvel named the book as a childhood influence in his book ''A Place Called Appomattox''.

Notes

References

* * * * {{Ulysses S. Grant 1950 American novels American historical novels Novels set during the American Civil War American children's novels Children's historical novels Cultural depictions of Ulysses S. Grant 1950 children's books Children's books set in Virginia Children's books set in the 1860s