Book News: The Impulse of Victory

If your Civil War interests run Appalachian Tennessee and Georgia, David Powell just might be your favorite author. Late this year, Southern Illinois University Press will publish his The Impulse of Victory: Ulysses S. Grant at Chattanooga. I would say it's his 'next' book, but November is a long way off and there might be more (including his Tullahoma Campaign study co-authored with Eric Wittenberg) in between! Fortunately, all of his books are good to great, so any new addition to his fast-growing catalog of titles (which will eventually include a multi-volume Atlanta Campaign history) is a source of high anticipation.

The placeholder text of the description—"Detailed examination of Major General Ulysses S. Grant's actions and decisions during the pivotal weeks of October and November 1863, which were crucial to both the outcome of the American Civil War and Grant's subsequent career"— is pretty meager at this point, but it seems to indicate that The Impulse of Victory will closely share characteristics with another World of Ulysses S. Grant series title, Timothy Smith's The Decision Was Always My Own: Ulysses S. Grant and the Vicksburg Campaign (2018) [my review]. Perhaps these books will eventually be part of a 'series within a series' examining Grant's decision-making during his various campaigns.

I recently received a review copy of another new entry in the series, and the Booknotes article for it will appear soon. Another interesting-sounding title is 2018's Interrupted Odyssey, which reexamines President Grant's Indian policy. If you've read it, feel free to tell us what you think about it in the comments section.