Crucible of Command

William C. Davis is the author or editor of more than fifty books in the fields of Civil War and Southern history, as well as numerous documentary screenplays. The only four-time winner of the Jefferson Davis Award, he is also a member of the Advisory Board of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and serves on several other consultative bodies. He lives in Blacksburg, Virginia.

Praise for Crucible of Command Winner of the 2014 Jefferson Davis Award "Brilliant...smoothly written and...scrupulously even handed."--Wall Street Journal "This meticulously researched, well-written book greatly enriches our understanding of each of these extraordinary figures."--Publishers Weekly "Here we have something genuinely new in Civil War Scholarship."--James McPherson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the New York Times bestseller Battle Cry of Freedom "The best, and certainly the most readable, account...fresh and engaging."--Journal of Southern History "An ambitious and well-executed book by a distinguished Civil War historian."--Civil War Book Review "Magical and magisterial."--Harold Holzer, author of Lincoln and the Power of the Press "A fresh look at the sources and a careful eye to leadership and character places this book high atop the list of recent Civil War histories."--Kirkus Reviews Kentucky Forward, 8/2/16 "A dual biography of two legendary leaders: how they fought a bloody, brutal Civil War then forged a lasting peace that changed our country. The author explores their personalities, their character, and their ethical, moral, political and military worlds."