Booknotes: Lincoln's Bold Lion

New Arrival:

• Lincoln's Bold Lion: The Life and Times of Brigadier General Martin Davis Hardin by James Huffstodt (Casemate, 2015).

There were a lot of Union generals during the Civil War (obviously) and Hardin is one of those that I'd only vaguely heard of and about whom knew nothing specific. Huffstodt's book is the first full biography of the young general, a West Point graduate who "fought with distinction at Malvern Hill, Second Manassas, Gettysburg, Grant’s Overland Campaign, and the July 1864 Rebel raid on Washington. He was wounded four times, nearly died on two occasions, and lost an arm during the war." According to the description, the book also emphasizes family connections with both Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln, a helpful factor in Hardin's military advancement.