A House Divided is an exciting introduction to two of the most fascinating players in the American Civil War. Ulysses S. Grant was gruff and sloppy, the son of a hardworking but uneducated man opposed to slavery. Robert E. Lee, a slave owner himself, was a polite, aristocratic Virginia gentleman who descended from the Revolutionary War hero “Light-Horse Harry.” Both men studied at West Point but developed very different tactics—Lee proved to be a careful strategist who made brilliant use of standard military tactics, while Grant was instinctive, spontaneous, and unconventional. Pitted against one another, the two became the most influential players in the bloodiest and most wrenching episode of American history. In alternating chapters, historian Jules Archer begins by exploring their formative years and early careers all the way through their postwar lives. Archer focuses on the men’s roles during the Civil War, detailing down to specific battles and decisions made by each man. Perfect for reluctant young historians as well as history-buffs-to-be.

Part of the Jules Archer History for Young Readers series by Sky Pony Press, this book is guaranteed to inspire interest in a crucial piece of American history “Southern gentleman Lee and drunken maverick Grant were such contrasting characters that examining their lives side by side can only amaze....Archer pulls off a comprehensive history of these two men, while at the same time presenting a clear account of the Civil War....A superb story well told.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Well-researched, smoothly written narrative.”
—The Horn Book

“It is the little details that make this book so interesting. The numerous quotations from Grant’s and Lee’s writings that pepper the text make this bibliography read like a novel while adding validity to it. This book will appeal to many, not just those who like books about war.”
—Journal of Reading