General Ulysses S. Grant

The Complete Personal Memoirs of General Ulysses S. Grant Several weeks ago I watched the three-part two hours each history of Grant on the History Channel. It was extremely well done. I am sure you can find it. I urge you to try. It was after this that I decided to order his biography. I have finally finished. I am not necessarily asking you to read because of its extreme length and thoroughness. It is amazing to me the depth of his knowledge and memory. The details from his youth are amazing. You know I wrote my own biography and published it in 2004. My memory of those early years was dismal. I can only assume that the description of battle events was from notes taken during the events. Otherwise it would be impossible to remember. The incredible fact is that he never lost a battle during the four years of the Civil War. He may have had setbacks but he always was able to start anew and win. He never met President Lincoln until after his conquest of Vicksburg on July 4, 1864. It was then that Lincoln made him Commander-in-Chief of all the Armies East and West. From that time on both Armies synchronized their efforts in a mutual way to prevent the South from shifting their Armies from one sector to the other. When Lincoln was told that Grant was a drunk, his reply was to find out what whiskey he drank and supply it to all the other Generals. He said Grant fights. There had been a time early on when he was posted to California after the war with Mexico and separated from his wife and family that he drank excessively. He resigned and returned to Civilian life until called up after the secession of the Southern States. He put this book together at the end of his life in order that his family would have income to support them. Otherwise he was in debt due to being swindled in a business affair. He was dying of a throat cancer and within days of finishing the book he died. America has been blessed throughout our history with leaders who arose when desperately needed. Grant was one of them. Jack B. Walters June 16, 2020