Grant

The Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant by Ulysses S. Grant (1885)

As the title suggests, these are the memories of the victorious commanding general of the American Civil War, Ulysses S. Grant. This is not an autobiography. It is the story of a career. Grant never wanted to write his memoirs and rejected many offers from publishers for years. It was only after he was financially ruined by a scam and dying from throat cancer did he finally do so. He would not live to see it published, however, dying just three days after finishing. The narrative covers his early life, military career in both the Mexican War and Civil War, and ends just after the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Grant does not discuss his own presidency or later life. Filling two volumes, it was an instant best-seller and has never been out of print. Its success saved his family from poverty. The Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant is now considered a classic of American literature.

I was surprised at how easy this book is to read. Grant’s writing style is very common and down-to-earth. Grant was no scholar. He wasn’t from the educated upper classes of his society. His family was middle-class from frontier-era Ohio. He uses a familiar language with very little slang. The reader gets a sense that this was his normal speaking style, and it makes the narrative more relatable and accessible. He was not trying to impress anyone. He was just relating events as he experienced them and how they affected his decisions. This style allows the book, published in the late Nineteenth Century, to be easily understood by the average reader in the early Twenty-First.

The Ulysses S. Grant presented in The Memoirs is different than the romanticized legend I had imagined. In real life, Grant was a normal guy. As a young man, he didn’t want to join the military. When his father got him admitted to the United States Military Academy at West Point, he tried to flunk out. Eventually, he decided to go with it because he didn’t know what else to do with himself (very relatable). When he left the military, all efforts to make a go at civilian life ended in disaster. He finally realized soldiering was the one thing he was good at and poured himself into it. The rest is history.

Grant is honest with the reader. He admits mistakes or lapses in judgment and relates the lessons he learned from them. Grant was a realist and had the ability to improvise and adapt. He saw circumstances as they were and adjusted his plans for the best possible outcome. He wasn’t egotistical, honor-seeking, fault-finding, buck-passing, or political like many of the officers he had to deal with. He was loyal — to his friends and his country — but also didn’t shy away from criticizing either when it was deserved. When in command, Grant actively sought advice from his generals and listened to their ideas, sometimes rewriting whole orders based on their suggestions. He recognized peoples’ gifts and talents and was able to use them successfully. He was daring and imaginative, willing to take risks, and took advantage of opportunities. When Grant was finally given command of the Union forces during the Civil War, he turned a demoralized, patch-work army into an efficient, unified war machine that steamrolled the enemy. He earned everything that he had. What The Memoirs presents to the reader are lessons in what real and effective leadership looks like.

The Memoirs is not a history book. Grant does not give play-by-play accounts of individual battles. In most cases, he just summarizes them in one paragraph or less. Instead, we get a look into his reasoning and decision-making: why he ordered what, why he chose this unit to do that maneuver, and so forth. Sometimes Grant will analyze other generals’ actions and campaigns and describe what he would’ve done instead. He assesses individual officers and their leadership skills. But however direct Grant is in his critiques, he never belittles anyone. His language is polite and proper.

For me, the most interesting chapter was the last, “The Conclusion.” Here Grant gives his overall opinion about the Civil War, its aftermath, and consequences. He’s dying. He doesn’t care anymore and doesn’t hold back. It was interesting to read this opinion from a man who conducted his part in the War with such singlemindedness.

I recommend the edition edited by John F. Marszalek from 2017 (pictured above). It combines the two original volumes into one book and is heavily annotated. The notes help the reader follow along when Grant is vague on people, places, or events. They also provide historical context and background. I thought they were useful and informative.

I decided to read The Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant because of its status in American literature and military non-fiction. Really. That’s the only reason. Things get labeled “classics” and it seems like you’re made to feel as if you question the label, it’s your fault, not the book’s. This is too common in both the literature and the art worlds and it smothers conversation. I wanted to see for myself what the big deal was, to see if it was worthy of acclaim it has received over the years. It is.