Listen free for 30 days
-
American Ulysses
- A Life of Ulysses S. Grant
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 27 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Biographies & Memoirs, Historical
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Listen with a free trial
Buy Now for £36.69
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Clouds of Glory
- The Life and Legend of Robert E. Lee
- By: Michael Korda
- Narrated by: Jack Garrett
- Length: 32 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Clouds of Glory: The Life and Legend of Robert E. Lee, Michael Korda, the New York Times best-selling biographer of Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ulysses S. Grant, and T. E. Lawrence, has written the first major biography of Lee in nearly 20 years, bringing to life America's greatest and most iconic hero. Korda paints a vivid and admiring portrait of Lee as a general and a devoted family man
-
-
Here’s what you need to think.
- By Austen J. Lennon on 27-11-21
-
William Tecumseh Sherman
- In the Service of My Country: A Life
- By: James Lee McDonough
- Narrated by: David Drummond
- Length: 28 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
General Sherman's 1864 burning of Atlanta solidified his legacy as a ruthless leader. Yet Sherman proved far more complex than his legendary military tactics reveal. James Lee McDonough offers fresh insight into a man tormented by the fear that history would pass him by, who was plagued by personal debts, and who lived much of his life separated from his family.
-
Team of Rivals
- The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
- By: Doris Kearns Goodwin
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 41 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this monumental multiple biography, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin studies Abraham Lincoln's mastery of men. She shows how he saved Civil War-torn America by appointing his fiercest rivals to key cabinet positions, making them help achieve his vision for peace. As well as a thrilling piece of narrative history, it's an inspiring study of one of the greatest leaders the world has ever seen. A book to bury yourself in.
-
-
Narration that transports the listener.
- By Faaria on 02-07-21
-
Crucible of Command
- Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee - the War They Fought, the Peace They Forged
- By: William C. Davis
- Narrated by: Traber Burns
- Length: 21 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
They met in person only four times, yet these two men determined the outcome of the Civil War and cast competing styles for the reunited nation. Each the subject of innumerable biographies, Generals Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee have never before been paired as they are here. Exploring their personalities, their character, and their ethical, moral, political, and military worlds, William C. Davis finds surprising similarities between the two men.
-
Truman
- By: David McCullough
- Narrated by: Nelson Runger
- Length: 54 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hailed by critics as an American masterpiece, David McCullough's sweeping biography of Harry S. Truman captured the heart of the nation. The life and times of the 33rd president of the United States, Truman provides a deeply moving look at an extraordinary, singular American.
-
-
interesting times, VERY detailed
- By Anonymous User on 07-02-19
-
A. Lincoln
- A Biography
- By: Ronald C. White Jr.
- Narrated by: Bill Weideman
- Length: 27 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this important new biography, Ronald C. White, Jr. offers a fresh and fascinating definition of Lincoln as a man of integrity - what today's commentators are calling "authenticity" - whose internal moral compass is the key to understanding his life. Through meticulous research, utilizing recently discovered Lincoln letters, legal papers, and photographs, White depicts Lincoln as a person of intellectual curiosity, comfortable with ambiguity, and capable of changing his mind.
-
-
Recommended
- By Tim Davies on 28-02-16
-
Clouds of Glory
- The Life and Legend of Robert E. Lee
- By: Michael Korda
- Narrated by: Jack Garrett
- Length: 32 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Clouds of Glory: The Life and Legend of Robert E. Lee, Michael Korda, the New York Times best-selling biographer of Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ulysses S. Grant, and T. E. Lawrence, has written the first major biography of Lee in nearly 20 years, bringing to life America's greatest and most iconic hero. Korda paints a vivid and admiring portrait of Lee as a general and a devoted family man
-
-
Here’s what you need to think.
- By Austen J. Lennon on 27-11-21
-
William Tecumseh Sherman
- In the Service of My Country: A Life
- By: James Lee McDonough
- Narrated by: David Drummond
- Length: 28 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
General Sherman's 1864 burning of Atlanta solidified his legacy as a ruthless leader. Yet Sherman proved far more complex than his legendary military tactics reveal. James Lee McDonough offers fresh insight into a man tormented by the fear that history would pass him by, who was plagued by personal debts, and who lived much of his life separated from his family.
-
Team of Rivals
- The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
- By: Doris Kearns Goodwin
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 41 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this monumental multiple biography, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin studies Abraham Lincoln's mastery of men. She shows how he saved Civil War-torn America by appointing his fiercest rivals to key cabinet positions, making them help achieve his vision for peace. As well as a thrilling piece of narrative history, it's an inspiring study of one of the greatest leaders the world has ever seen. A book to bury yourself in.
-
-
Narration that transports the listener.
- By Faaria on 02-07-21
-
Crucible of Command
- Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee - the War They Fought, the Peace They Forged
- By: William C. Davis
- Narrated by: Traber Burns
- Length: 21 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
They met in person only four times, yet these two men determined the outcome of the Civil War and cast competing styles for the reunited nation. Each the subject of innumerable biographies, Generals Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee have never before been paired as they are here. Exploring their personalities, their character, and their ethical, moral, political, and military worlds, William C. Davis finds surprising similarities between the two men.
-
Truman
- By: David McCullough
- Narrated by: Nelson Runger
- Length: 54 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hailed by critics as an American masterpiece, David McCullough's sweeping biography of Harry S. Truman captured the heart of the nation. The life and times of the 33rd president of the United States, Truman provides a deeply moving look at an extraordinary, singular American.
-
-
interesting times, VERY detailed
- By Anonymous User on 07-02-19
-
A. Lincoln
- A Biography
- By: Ronald C. White Jr.
- Narrated by: Bill Weideman
- Length: 27 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this important new biography, Ronald C. White, Jr. offers a fresh and fascinating definition of Lincoln as a man of integrity - what today's commentators are calling "authenticity" - whose internal moral compass is the key to understanding his life. Through meticulous research, utilizing recently discovered Lincoln letters, legal papers, and photographs, White depicts Lincoln as a person of intellectual curiosity, comfortable with ambiguity, and capable of changing his mind.
-
-
Recommended
- By Tim Davies on 28-02-16
-
Rise to Greatness
- Abraham Lincoln and America's Most Perilous Year
- By: David Von Drehle
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 17 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As 1862 dawned, the American republic was at death’s door. The federal government appeared overwhelmed, the U.S. Treasury was broke, and the Union’s top general was gravely ill. The Confederacy - with its booming economy, expert military leadership, and commanding position on the battlefield - had a clear view to victory. To a remarkable extent, the survival of the country depended on the judgment, cunning, and resilience of the unschooled frontier lawyer who had recently been elected president. Twelve months later, the Civil War had become a cataclysm but the tide had turned.
-
The Definitive FDR
- Roosevelt: The Lion and the Fox (1882-1940) and Roosevelt: The Soldier of Freedom (1940-1945)
- By: James MacGregor Burns
- Narrated by: David Stifel
- Length: 58 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the longest serving president in US history, reshaping the country during the crises of the Great Depression and World War II. James MacGregor Burns's magisterial two-volume biography tells the complete life story of the fascinating political figure who instituted the New Deal. The Lion and the Fox details Roosevelt's youth, education, and his rise to national prominence, through his first two terms as president. The Soldier of Freedom is a moving profile of a leader gifted with rare political talent in an era of extraordinary challenges.
-
Nazi Billionaires
- The Dark History of Germany’s Wealthiest Dynasties
- By: David de Jong
- Narrated by: Michael David Axtell
- Length: 11 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this landmark work, investigative journalist David de Jong reveals the true story of how Germany’s wealthiest business dynasties amassed untold money and power by abetting the atrocities of the Third Reich. Using a wealth of untapped sources, de Jong shows how these tycoons seized Jewish businesses, procured slave labourers and ramped up weapons production to equip Hitler’s army as Europe burnt around them. Most shocking of all, de Jong exposes how the wider world’s political expediency enabled these billionaires to get away with their crimes.
-
-
Well written and researched
- By HellRazor on 27-07-22
-
Custer's Trials
- A Life on the Frontier of a New America
- By: T.J. Stiles
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 23 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for History. In this magisterial biography, T. J. Stiles paints a portrait of Custer both deeply personal and sweeping in scope, proving how much of Custer’s legacy has been ignored. He demolishes Custer’s historical caricature, revealing a volatile, contradictory, intense person - capable yet insecure, intelligent yet bigoted, passionate yet self-destructive, a romantic individualist at odds with the institution of the military (he was court-martialed twice in six years).
-
-
Excellent historical biography
- By Amazon Customer on 13-12-18
-
A Certain Idea of France
- The Life of Charles de Gaulle
- By: Julian Jackson
- Narrated by: John Banks
- Length: 35 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In six weeks in 1940, France was overrun by German troops and surrendered. One junior French general, refusing to accept defeat, made his way to England. On 18 June he spoke to his compatriots over the BBC, urging them to rally to him in London. At that moment, Charles de Gaulle entered into history. For the rest of the war, de Gaulle frequently bit the hand that fed him. He insisted on being treated as the true embodiment of France, and quarrelled violently with Churchill and Roosevelt. But he managed to have France recognised as one of the victorious Allies.
-
-
phenomenal biography of de Gaulle
- By Kindle Customer on 16-06-20
-
Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power
- By: Jon Meacham
- Narrated by: Edward Herrmann, Jon Meacham
- Length: 18 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this magnificent biography, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of American Lion and Franklin and Winston brings vividly to life an extraordinary man and his remarkable times. Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power gives us Jefferson the politician and president, a great and complex human being forever engaged in the wars of his era. Philosophers think; politicians maneuver. Jefferson’s genius was that he was both and could do both, often simultaneously. Such is the art of power.
-
-
Great biography for a interesting man
- By Anonymous User on 17-04-22
-
Abraham Lincoln
- The Prairie Years and The War Years
- By: Carl Sandburg
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 44 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Originally published in six volumes, which sold more than one million copies, Carl Sandburg’s Abraham Lincoln was praised as the most noteworthy historical biography of Sandburg’s generation. He later distilled this monumental work into one volume that critics and readers alike consider his greatest work of nonfiction, as well as the most distinguished, authoritative biography of Lincoln ever published.
Growing up in an Illinois prairie town, Sandburg listened to stories of old-timers who had known Lincoln. By the time this single-volume edition was competed, he had spent a lifetime studying, researching, and writing about our 16th president.
-
-
Very comprehensive biography
- By Jason Hehir on 17-05-19
-
The Man Who Saved the Union
- Ulysses Grant in War and Peace
- By: H. W. Brands
- Narrated by: Stephen Hoye
- Length: 27 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ulysses Grant rose from obscurity to discover he had a genius for battle, and he propelled the Union to victory in the Civil War. After Abraham Lincoln's assassination and the disastrous brief presidency of Andrew Johnson, America turned to Grant again to unite the country, this time as president. In Brands' sweeping, majestic full biography, Grant emerges as a heroic figure who was fearlessly on the side of right.
-
The American Civil War
- By: Gary W. Gallagher, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Gary W. Gallagher
- Length: 24 hrs and 37 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Between 1861 and 1865, the clash of the greatest armies the Western hemisphere had ever seen turned small towns, little-known streams, and obscure meadows in the American countryside into names we will always remember. In those great battles, those streams ran red with blood-and the United States was truly born.
-
-
Spectacularly great history.
- By Johnny M on 19-06-14
-
The Making of Oliver Cromwell
- By: Ronald Hutton
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 13 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658) - the only English commoner to become the overall head of state - is one of the great figures of history, but his character was very complex. He was at once courageous and devout, devious and self-serving; as a parliamentarian, he was devoted to his cause; as a soldier, he was ruthless. Cromwell's speeches and writings surpass in quantity those of any other ruler of England before Victoria, and, for those seeking to understand him, he has usually been taken at his word. In this remarkable new work, Ronald Hutton untangles the facts from the fiction.
-
-
With God in his side
- By Rachel Redford on 20-09-21
-
Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant
- By: Ulysses S. Grant
- Narrated by: Robin Field
- Length: 29 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Among the autobiographies of great military figures, Ulysses S. Grant’s is certainly one of the finest, and it is arguably the most notable literary achievement of any American president: a lucid, compelling, and brutally honest chronicle of triumph and failure. From his frontier boyhood, to his heroics in battle, to the grinding poverty from which the Civil War ironically rescued him, these memoirs are a mesmerizing, deeply moving account of a brilliant man told with great courage.
-
-
Outstanding
- By Kindle Customer on 29-05-17
-
Lincoln
- By: David Herbert Donald
- Narrated by: Dick Estell
- Length: 30 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the best-selling tradition of Truman, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer David Herbert Donald offers a new classic in American history and biography - a masterly account of how one man's extraordinary political acumen steered the Union to victory in the Civil War, and of how his soaring rhetoric gave meaning to that agonizing struggle for nationhood and equality.
-
-
Worthy but dull
- By Trixie on 05-05-13
Summary
A major new biography of the Civil War general and American president, by the author of the New York Times bestseller A. Lincoln. The dramatic story of one of America's greatest and most misunderstood military leaders and presidents, this is a major new interpretation of Ulysses S. Grant. Based on 7 years of research with primary documents, some of them never tapped before, this is destined to become the Grant biography of our times.
More from the same
What listeners say about American Ulysses
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mister Peridot
- 10-07-17
Full and fair biography
Americans know the key importance of Grant to the USA, not just as the civil war general but as an effective president and as a role model to future generations who have been inspired by his modesty, honesty and courage. The book is very well read by Arthur Morey. And the author, Ronald White, does justice to his subject giving as much coverage to his life before and after the civil war as to his role in the war itself. White clearly admires Grant and his admiration shines through the work, engaging the readers attention. Only in a couple of chapters was it hard to follow who was who and what was going on, one of these being an account of foreign relations during his presidency. The chapters on the civil war are quite easy to follow as the narrative focusses on Grants own experience and his relations with fellow officers rather than detailed descriptions of battles. Very likely there is much in this book that you won't know already. One such story for me was the invitation to dinner that Grant received from Bismark. Grant the famous war hero and ex-president arrives at Bismarks palatial home on foot, on his own and plainly dressed. Not what the great German and his servants were expecting!
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Karen
- 27-06-20
Magnificent
Why use several words when one will do - magnificent!!!!!
Highly recommend and that’s coming from an Englishman
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Old Quaker
- 05-01-22
Excellent in every respect.
One of the best biographies I've read for many years. A pure joy to listen to!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Wayne
- 28-07-22
Masterpiece!
Riveting Biography!
Every spare minute was listening to it right up to the end.
Although, I bought the book to follow the military story; I was just as entranced with the story of his Presidency and the years following.
Highly recommend it!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Michael J. Nardotti, Jr.
- 05-11-16
An Absolutely Superb Work
This is the most insightful and instructive biography I have ever read. Not only does it give overdue credit to a truly great military leader and president and genuinely kind and humble man of extraordinary accomplishment, but it also provides the reader of a more complete and compelling picture of the monumental challenges faced by the nation and it's leader following the Civil War and it's aftermath. This work is must read history.
60 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Mike From Mesa
- 16-11-18
Absolutely wonderful.
I was uncertain about buying this book since I had already read all the volumes of Grant's autobiography as well as quite a few books about Grant's and Sherman's campaigns during the Civil War and I feared that purchasing it would be a waste of my time and money. I was wrong.
When I was in public school the history classes that covered the Civil War referred to Grant as a poor commander, someone who wasted human lives and only won because of the overwhelming numbers of Federal troops, and that was a view I carried with me as I became an adult, and it only began to change as I started to read newer books covering the war. Shelby Foote's multi-volume history made me start to believe that perhaps what I had been taught in school was wrong and, as I read more and more books about the campaigns in the West, I became increasingly convinced that my what I thought I knew of Grant and his generalship was wrong, and badly so.
American Ulysses is so well written that in spite of all I had previously read about Grant and his campaigns my interest never flagged and I found it difficult to stop listening. Arthur Morey's narration is so well suited to the material that time flew as I listened to the book and I found myself looking forward to listening to more the next day. The book is more of a biography than a retelling of the battles of the war and the narrative never gets bogged down in military details of how the battle progressed, but still manages to cover what happened and why.
A large part of the book covers Grant's life after Appomattox, his issues with the Johnson administration and his two terms as President and covers his efforts to insure that those freed by the Civil War were able to exercise their rights as citizens. All of this was new to me as it was never covered in my public school classes and was not in any of the Civil War books I read, but Grant was committed to insuring real freedom and citizenship for those freed by the war and his battles to try to insure the former slaves their freedom is covered in detail, as are the reasons for the failure of that effort.
Perhaps the most poignant parts of the book cover the period of his life when this man, so able to sort the wheat from the chaff in his generals, failed to see how he was taken advantage of by those he trusted. Mr White, and history, have shown that although Grant's administration was plagued by financial scandals, he himself was never touched by a hint of those scandals and left office with his honor and honesty intact. The final scandal, which bankrupted him, again involved those he trusted and his actions in trying to repay those debts that fell on him, only again proves how honest a man he was.
This is a wonderful biography, full of information new to me, wonderfully written and wonderfully narrated, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in General Grant and his life.
44 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Agent J
- 08-12-16
A True All American
Sadly, the significance of Grant is somewhat shadowed in history by Lincoln. I'm the better for listening to this book. Fantastic book and narrator.
23 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Mark
- 02-11-16
A New Campaign to Reasses Grant
If you could sum up American Ulysses in three words, what would they be?
Compelling, Penetrating, Fair
What did you like best about this story?
White has enough confidence in his research and ultimately his discernment to render the story in a straight-forward manner that might have pleased its subject. White doesn't besiege the reader with footnotes, counterpoints or what-ifs, instead placing the reader in that time and place, with Grant.
Which scene was your favorite?
The breakout towards Jackson during the Vicksburg Campaign. White is able to capture the intensity and pressures bearing down on Grant, and when, at last, Grant's forces move east when their target lay west, the reader gains a sense of Grant's audacity, nerve and will.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I am very familiar with the details of Grant's life and times from other biographies and histories. Yet there is cumulative power in White's writing and his description of Grant's last "campaign" at the close of his life was more moving than any other treatment I had encountered.
Any additional comments?
Any author attempting a comprehensive biography of such a momentous figure has to make choices about length and depth of detail. White's concentration is on the prominent figures on the Union side, and there is a nutshell quality to his descriptions of Grant's adversaries (even Lee). Ultimately that's a justified treatment of the vanquished. White briefly discusses Grant's long banishment into the historical wilderness, as his reputation declined and languished after his death, but White misses an opportunity to explore the context of the ongoing struggle by many to preserve the most imperfect aspects of the United States that led to the war and which continue to trouble the nation on the low boil. The most eye-opening aspect of the book was the depth of Grant's commitment to the rights and protection of the freedmen. If he was late getting there, his absolute, unshakable resolve on this point caused me to seriously reassess his presidency, and gave me a greater appreciation of his remarkable character.
71 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Joecool
- 29-10-16
WOW
I feel I have been shielded from an important piece of American history till now
29 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Mark
- 15-11-16
Inspirational, page-turning history
I loved this biography of Ulysses S Grant. Grant came alive as a person in the early chapters, both growing up, and in his West Point years. His life story is fascinating from start to end, through the Civil War, and his presidency in the tumultuous post-war period. The writing in this bio is great, and I never knew what a heroic man Grant was. Grant is best known for his military genius, and this book captures that well. Grant was a man of courage and integrity throughout his life, and he inspired me as a leader who was ahead of his time as a passionate advocate of civil rights. This biography captured his family life well, but I wanted to know more about how he dealt with marrying the daughter of a slave owner from St. Louis. The years of his presidency focused mostly on the politics of the day, which was fascinating but less personal than the other years of his life. This was a long book, but most of it was totally engaging, and all of it was so informative. The connections to politics today jumped from the page. After listening to this, I have a new American hero. This book was emotionally and intellectually engaging - a great combo.
26 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Jay
- 08-11-16
A great man and a great book.
One of the most poignant biographies I have read of a great man, general and presidents.
11 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- jmac
- 28-01-17
Hard To Follow Without the Written Book Available
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
You really need the written book available as reference, otherwise it just gets too complicated to follow from listening. The names, dates, and places gets confusing, especially without maps, tables, or diagrams, unless you are already know them by heart. I had the same problem with Shirer's Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, it was a great audiobook but I constantly needed to refer to the written book which I bought soon after starting the audiobook.
What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?
A great history of Grant!
10 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Tad Davis
- 11-10-17
A much-needed reassessment
Arthur Morey is the perfect narrator for this fine biography of one of America's least appreciated heroes. Ronald White has followed up his portrait of Abraham Lincoln with a detailed and engaging portrait of the man who made Lincoln's policies a reality.
Grant's excellence as a general has been getting more recognition lately: he defeated Lee (and the other Confederate armies) not simply by overwhelming numbers, but by a clearly thought out strategy - and by a refusal to act like a defeated general.
His presidency is less appreciated, and to some extent it was Grant's fault. He was a man of sterling personal integrity, so much so that he was sometimes unable to recognize corrupt behavior, especially when one of his trusted aides from the war years was involved.
Grant declared his intention to reform "Indian affairs," and he did try, but the results were mixed. He appointed new governors and new agents, yet some of the worst of the massacres happened on his watch. He seemed unable or unwilling to fully wrest the direction of Indian affairs from military hands; and he doesn't seem to have made a serious effort to restrain Philip Sheridan. The end result was more poverty, misery, and death for Native Americans.
His tutor on foreign policy was his Secretary of State Hamilton Fish. Together they managed to produce a treaty with Great Britain that settled all outstanding issues between the two countries, including the vexed question of British-built warships that were owned and operated by the Confederacy. This was a political achievement of no small magnitude, because Charles Sumner, Senate leader, was in complete opposition.
One of Grant's foreign policy goals failed. He wanted to annex Santo Domingo, making it a haven for freed slaves and a beacon of freedom in a slave-dominated Caribbean. In this, he had the support of ardent abolitionists like Frederick Douglass - but not Sumner. Ultimately Grant chose to fold on this because it was interfering with the negotiations with Britain.
One of his major achievements in domestic policy was his fight against the Ku Klux Klan. This terrorist organization had murdered hundreds if not thousands of black citizens, especially those insisting on their right to vote. Grant, perceiving that state and local governments were unwilling to take this on, asked for and received from Congress the authority to suspend habeas corpus and send in troops to enforce the law. Wielding the newly created Department of Justice as a weapon, he began dismantling the Klan and indicting thousands of its members. In this, he was often opposed by a Republican Party more interested in reforming civil service than in enforcing civil rights.
On the strength of his achievements in this first term, Grant was reelected in 1872 with 56 percent of the vote and an overwhelming majority in the Electoral College.
Sadly, there were more scandals. The Whiskey Ring cheated the government out of millions in tax revenue. There was massive corruption in the Interior Department. There was a kickback scheme at the War Department. Through all of this, Grant remained oblivious to the greed and corruption that surrounded him. He did not run for a third term, and the skulduggery surrounding the election of 1876 ended up negating many of the gains Grant had made in the area of civil rights.
Grant's return to private life also turned out badly. He allied himself with an investment banker who turned out to be keeping two sets of books — one for Grant and one for himself. The head of the firm tried to abscond with the funds, and Grant was left with the spare change in his pocket and a humiliating loss of face. To earn money, he began writing articles about the war. This grew into plans for a memoir, and this in turn drew him into the orbit of Mark Twain. Twain negotiated a generous deal with Grant for royalties on the book.
As he was writing his memoirs, in the hope of restoring his family's fortunes, he was diagnosed with throat cancer. It was terminal, and the next few months were a race against time. Grant finished his manuscript just a few days before he died; a few months later, Twain was able to present Grant's wife with the largest royalty check ever written, close to half a million dollars.
Grant's reputation is climbing higher again as the country digs itself out of the "lost cause" mythology. There have been new biographies by Jean Edward Smith and H.W. Brands, and a deeply flawed attempt at reassessing Grant by Geoffrey Perret. As I write this, another Grant biography has just come out, by Ron Chernow, another master biographer. It will be interesting to compare notes.
7 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Deborah Jacob
- 29-03-17
A Spellbinding Biography
Ronald White succeeds admirably well in capturing Grant as a student, general and president. There is nothing more difficult than writing about battles, but white makes every battle of the Civil War exciting. Grant's story is a sad one. All, it seems he ever wanted to do was teach in a university. He ended up serving his country quite selflessly. Unfortunately, many people took advantage of his kind nature. I can't wait to see how Ron Chernow will compete with White when his biography on Grant is released later this year.
6 people found this helpful