The winter snow machine is still running.

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Just win the snow was starting to melt and mostly gone, another storm roars into the area. With rain, sleet and now snow, we must have several inches in the last several hours.

I have recently read an interesting book entitled, Grant and Sherman: The Friendship that Won the Civil War, by Charles Flood. I interesting look at their friendship, "we are like brothers" said Sherman. It was said that Sherman was the only brother officer that Grant could relax and let down his guard. Sherman needed a father figure that did not look down on him and that he could look up to. Grant needed some one to encourage him. At one point, Grant was on the verge of leaving the army during the war, but Sherman talked him out of it. When Sherman was accused (wrongly) of misconduct, Grant came to his defense. Interesting note, both of these men (despite having graduated from West Point, the only place to get an engineering degree) were down on their luck. About a year before the war, they came across each other in the streets of St. Louis. Grant was wearing his old army coat, selling firewood and Sherman was still trying to make his way in the world. They recognized each other and both realized they were down on their luck. Hard to believe that just 40 odd months later, Grant would be General in Chief and Sherman would be commanding the federal army in the West (KY, TN).

I just finished another book entitled, Grant and Lee, by Fuller. Its a character study between the two men. His conclusion, Grant was a better general than Lee. Grant saw the big picture, understood tactics better and understood the role of supply, and could right clear and concise orders. Grant intervened in the battle when necessary. Lee only saw the picture in VA, refused to give other military advice, gave verbal orders that were forgot or misinterpreted, and some of his bigger battles (Gettysburg, Antietam) were fought because of his poor supply chain. In fact Appomattox Courthouse was a race for supplies and rations for his men. When Lee surrendered, his army had no rations, despite there being hundreds of thousands of rations in Richmond before its fall. One of Lee's biggest failures was his refusal once battle started was to intervene and make sure a command officer was doing what Lee wanted.

I have number of other books to read, including Gettysburg, by Sears; a biography about CSA general Joe Johnston and a book about early photography of Gettysburg.

UPDATE: Lots of snow in the last 5 hours.