The Man Who Saved the Union: Ulysses Grant in War and Peace

I just finished H.W. Brands' wonderful bio of U.S. Grant, the 18th President of the United States, the top general of the Union Army, and the soldier that Lincoln finally found who would and could fight and win.

I started this 643-page whopper in mid-March--I didn't read it straight through but took a few breaks along the way. Still, it was a two-month book, densely packed, superbly written, and a fitting monument to a truly great American.

While I chose it because of my interest in the Civil War, it covered Grant's time as president as well as the four years following the war while Andrew Johnson was still president and reconstruction was just getting underway, and Lincoln's vision of reconstruction was being systematically dismantled. I confess that my knowledge of the last half of the nineteenth century is weak, so this was a good survey of the key people, issues, politics, and global relationships that shaped that time period and led to the turmoil of the twentieth century.

What do I like about Grant? Mostly that he was self-effacing, quiet, calm, and incredibly good at his job. When put in a position of leadership, he was decisive and confident. He didn't second-guess himself but wasn't arrogant about it. He was loyal to his friends, family, and those who served under him. Despite the scandals that rocked his administration, he was a man of integrity and truly tried to do what was best for the country. He battled the Ku Klux Klan, worked hard to try to carve out lasting treaties and land for the Native Americans, helped resolve the economic panic that hit when unscrupulous financiers tried to corner the gold market, and tried to implement Lincoln's vision for reunification. He made mistakes, but he did believe in the 14th and 15th amendments and tried to make them a reality for all Americans.

I found it interesting that after his second term as president, he and wife Julia traveled for about two years, all through Europe, and then the Middle East, and then Asia. He was absolutely beloved and revered not only in the U.S. but all over the world. Newspapers reported on his travels, his speeches (which he hated giving), and his life in general

I really did enjoy the Civil War section the best--I am still wrapping my brain around the geography, topography, strategy, and timelines--and Brands did an excellent job of explaining it all from Grant's involvement and perspective. Now, I am eager to read Grant's memoir, which he wrote while dying of cancer so that his wife would be able to live off the proceeds of the book. I've heard that it is well-written, detailed, and accurate, according to those who fought for him and subsequently read his accounts of their campaigns.

Fun Fact: Did you know that Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain) published Grant's memoir? They had met a few times and shared the stage on at least one occasion. When Clemens learned the paltry amount that Grant's original publisher was going to pay for his memoir, Clemens basically bulldozed everything, offered to publish it himself, gave Julia Grant the lion's share of the sales revenue and turned a decent profit himself.

Here are the opening paragraphs of Chapter 87, which covers the response to his death in July 1885 at age 63.

The country had been bracing for the news, but no one expected the flood of emotion that followed. In cities and towns all across America, memorials and resolutions were read extolling the accomplishments of the great man. The South joined the North in commemorating his virtues; New Orleans and Richmond matched New York and Chicago in celebrating the life well lived. Condolences came from most countries of Europe and serval in Asia and Latin America. London's Westminster Abbey held a special service in his honor.

The African American community mourned particularly. "In General Grant's death, the colored people of this and all countries, and the oppressed everywhere, irrespective of complexion, have lost a preeminently true and faithful defender," a group of black veterans resolved in New York City.

In closing, Brands says:

One thing all Americans could agree on was Grant's central role in saving the Union. As commanding general in the Civil War, he had defeated secession and destroyed slavery, secession's cause. As president during Reconstruction, he had guided the South back into the Union. By the end of his public life the Union was more secure than at any previous time in the history of the nation. And no one had done more to produce that result than he. 

A five-star bio, for sure!