A review by tfpjr492
Grant by Ron Chernow

challenging informative inspiring slow-paced

4.0

Grant presents the amazing life story of Ulysses S. Grant. It is better than fiction because Grant’s life was an intricate mix of fate, strength of character, keen intelligence, family dynamics, and a good-hearted temperament.

When Grant was commissioned in the Army, he was swept up in the events of the War with Mexico. It was a formative experience as he learned military logistics, combat tactics, and leadership.

Eventually, he resigned his commission, and he attempted to provide for his family with a succession of businesses, which were all utter failures. 

At age 38 fate intervened when he was swept up in the events of the Civil War. He rejoined the Army as a colonel. His combat tactics were aggressive, opportunistic, and relentless. He won battles and he came to the attention of President Lincoln at a time when other generals seemed timid by comparison.

Grant’s defeat of Confederate General Robert Lee, effectively ended the war. Grant offered Lee generous terms of surrender at Appomattox, and those terms aligned with President Lincoln’s plans for reconstruction. 

After Lincoln’s assassination national events ultimately led to Grant’s election to two terms as president. Although there were no more military battles, the peace was violently turbulent with the rise of the Ku Klux Klan in the South. Grant fought the political battles of Reconstruction with some success. His administration was marred with scandalous corruption, which did not involve him directly.

Grant returned to private life, and he lost his family’s finances in an ill-advised venture. He managed to recover with the completion of his memoirs just prior to his death. This book is recommended to those readers who can slog through a lot of details. The life story is astonishing.