Will I love Grant?

Chernow completely reversed my impressions of Grant. Yes, he struggled with a drinking problem and unfortunately he is known for that and a less than brilliant presidency. But U.S. Grant probably did more for African Americans than any other President, except for Lincoln and Johnson. It is said that when someone complained to Lincoln about Grant’s drinking during the civil war, the president responded, “Find out what he drinks. I want to send a barrel to my other generals.”

I’m admittedly self-impressed, having read this volume of nearly a thousand papers, poky reader that I am. The Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer strikes me as little short of brilliant with this masterpiece on Ulysses S. Grant, whose military career began with distinguished service in the Mexican War and overlaps with that of Steptoe, subject of my biography. Chernow focuses much of his book on Grant’s Civil War service, but his relevance to my theme is the subject of Grant’s presidency, taken up in later pages. Like many officers who served in the West before and after the Civil War, Grant recognized… show more.

I was fifteen the first time I went through U. S. Grant’s house in Galena, Illinois. I’ve been there two or three times since and what stands out most to me is the copies of his memoirs they have on display. One look at them, made me rush out and buy a first edition.

Papers and politicians relished telling stories about Grant’s drinking. Many people believed it, but Abraham Lincoln wasn’t fooled. He understood that Ulysses S. Grant was the indispensable man. When other generals stopped to rest on their laurels, Grant raced forward, ever-ready to fight another battle. Lincoln… show more.

Maybe you want to learn more about Grant, a whole lot more... then this is the book to read, at 950 pages of small print it is a lot to handle but you can learn a lot. The best answer to whether Grant was a better general than Lee has long been available – Grant won – but this book strengthens the case. It provides background to Grant before he reached high command during the Civil War. The book gives a balanced view of Grant as president, particularly his strong civil rights record.

There are innumerable biographies of Civil War leaders. Two fine recent ones have been Sherman: Scourge of War, by Brian Holden Reid, and Elizabeth Brown Pryor’s Reading the Man: A Portrait of Robert E. Lee through His Private Letters. But Chernow’s “Grant” is in a class by itself for its combination of scholarship and terrific readability. After generations of comparative neglect, Chernow has recovered the Union’s paramount general and less successful postwar president from the demolition of his reputation following Reconstruction. He bursts apart the myths of Grant’s alleged mediocrity, incompetence, and uncontrolled alcoholism to reveal in brisk… show more.