I knew that U. S. Grant was also at West Point, but I looked it up and he was there in 1839. A good many of the generals on opposite sides of the Civil War served together in prior conflicts.
I wonder if there’s a book out there that traces their lives from West Point to Appomattox. I found a book recently that did a similar thing with Wellington (following him through his India campaigns) and Napoleon (starting in Egypt.) Although I don’t think they ever met before Waterloo. (Or even if they personally met at all, actually.)
There is a book that tracks both of these men through to Appomattox.
The Generals - Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee ; Authors Nancy Scott Anderson and Dwight Anderson (1989) ; ISBN 0-394-75985-0
My cousin "loaned" me this book years ago. One day I will return it.
It does what you ask - following each man's life from childhood through the surrender at Appomattox and includes a nice bibliography, chapter notes, etc. I found it a fascinating read that offered up so many details one would not expect. For any lover of history this is a great book contrasting two of the most important people in that conflict.
Since we’re off down a rabbit hole anyway, my favourite meetings of rival generals are those between Scipio Africanus and Hannibal. Once before the battle of Zama, and again years later in Ephesus when their military careers were behind them. I think one account is in Polybius and the other Livy.
Not the book you're asking for, but I want to plug Grant's autobiography. It has a sort of "I've already been a general and president so now I can tell you about embarrassing things I did as a kid" charm that is an interesting contrast to typical biographies.
Grant, a paper millionaire prior, discovered that he had lost his entire fortune in a Ponzi Scheme. Realizing that he needed to find a way to pay back the loan and support his family, Grant turned to writing. Mark Twain convinced Grant to sign a contract with his nephew’s new publishing firm, Charles L. Webster and Company, to write his memoirs. To sweeten the deal, Twain offered Grant a seventy percent royalty from the profits. The need to write the memoirs quickly became more urgent when Grant was diagnosed with inoperable throat cancer that worsened with time. Grant worked vigorously throughout early 1885 to write the memoirs. He and his wife Julia also relocated in June to a friend's cottage in upstate New York at Mount McGregor to continue writing in a peaceful setting. Grant spent upwards of five to seven hours a day working on the book, aided by his son Frederick and other assistants who checked facts. His servant Harrison Terrell and Doctor John Hancock Douglas also played a crucial role by tending to Grant’s medical needs and provided comfort during moments of great pain. Grant finished the Memoirs three days before his death on July 23, 1885. When "The Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant" were published later that year, they became an instant best-seller. The first paycheck to his widow, Julia Dent Grant, was for $200,000, providing long-term financial stability to the Grant family.
I wonder if there’s a book out there that traces their lives from West Point to Appomattox. I found a book recently that did a similar thing with Wellington (following him through his India campaigns) and Napoleon (starting in Egypt.) Although I don’t think they ever met before Waterloo. (Or even if they personally met at all, actually.)