Lincoln's Generals' Wives

[Sally]

I recently finished reading “Lincoln’s Generals’ Wives” by Candice Shy Hooper.

https://www.amazon.com/Lincolns-Generals...1606352784

It’s basically four biographies in one. I knew quite a bit about Julia Grant, and a little about Jessie Frémont, (particularly her infamous encounter with Mr. Lincoln after her husband issued his misbegotten “emancipation proclamation” in Missouri.) But I knew nothing about Ellen Sherman or Nelly McClellan, so I learned a lot of interesting fun facts. For example, I had no idea that McClellan proposed three times before Nelly accepted him because she was actually in love with A.P. Hill. Unfortunately for Nelly, her parents didn’t approve of Hill, but they thought McClellan was a real stand-up guy. So Nelly was sort of coerced into marrying him instead.

All in all, the book is a good read. The author’s style is engaging and entertaining despite a few errors that were probably missed in the editing process (e.g., at one point she refers to Clara HARRISON rather than Harris). There’s also some repetition, but that’s to be expected since the lives of all four women (and, even more so, their husbands) were so intricately intertwined.

Still, I’d recommend it for anyone interested in this period of history.