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 as he reflects on the fortunes that shaped his life and his character. Written under excruciating circumstancesâ??Grant was dying of throat cancerâ??and encouraged and edited from its very inception by Mark Twain, it is a triumph of the art of autobiography.
Grant was sick and broke when he began work on his memoirs. Driven by financial worries and a desire to provide for his wife, he wrote diligently during a year of deteriorating health. He vowed he would finish the work before he died, and one week after its completion, he lay dead at the age of sixty-three.
Publication of the memoirs came at a time when the public was being treated to a spate of wartime reminiscences, many of them defensive in nature, seeking to refight battles or attack old enemies. Grant's penetrating and stately work reveals a nobility of spirit and an innate grasp of the important fact, which he rarely displayed in private life. He writes in his preface that he took up the task "with a sincere desire to avoid doing injustice to anyone, whether on the National or the Confederate side.… (más)
Argh! It is so difficult to separate the topic from the execution thereof! My husband gave me this as a Christmas gift, knowing I was attempting to read biographies of all U.S. Presidents. This was not a biography, except to a minor degree of his early youth, but rather a memoir of the major battles of the civil war. As a pacifist, I wasn't much interested in the blow-by-blow. However, as a student of history, the overview of an important era was helpful.
The book was re-edited as a digital version--a kindle in the format I read. It was done well except for the many, many maps. They were unreadable. I have read other kindlized books that dealt with photographs and maps quite well. It is a shame that "Digireads" could not do a better job. ( )
The complete personal memoirs of the 18th President of the United States and chief Union General during the American Civil War, Ulysses S. Grant. Volume I begins with a brief introduction of Grant’s ancestry and boyhood and ends with Vicksburg. Volume II begins with Chattanooga and ends with the Grand Review in Washington D.C. at the end of the Civil War.
Memoirs are a military history of the Mexican-American War and the Civil War from Grant’s perspective as a West Point graduate and military officer.
5497. Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant, by Ulysses S. Grant (read 4 Sep 2017) I have intended to read this work for over 20 years and finally have done so. It is full of interesting material, including an account of Grant's life before he went to West Point and quite a detailed account of his time in the Mexican War and a brief account of his time out of the Army when he was a clerk in Galena. When the Civil War broke out Grant returned to the Army and by ability rather than political pull advanced in position. One gets the idea that he was indeed an able officer--I know, he wrote the book--but the fact of his successes cannot be denied. Some of the account of military action is deathly dull but the account of much and of Grant's opinions is full of interest. The book does not cover anything of Grant's life after 1865, though he does mention that he was president. I for one am glad he was on the right side in 1861 and stood by his country and opposed the people who were trying to destroy the nation and preserve slavery, He is unequivocal in saying that slavery was the cause of he Civil War and is not fooled by the claim that the South was resisting aggression. The South wanted slavery to be secure and feared that slavery would be restricted by Lincoln and so, despite the Constitution eleven, states seceded. There can be no doubt about that. ( )
There are several sections that are great, such as the account of Grant's meeting Lee at Appomattox. I also like Grant's assessment of the USA's motives in the war with Mexico. Unfortunately, personal anecdotes are rather few and far between. The rather straightforward listing of battles and flanking movements gets a little monotonous. That said, I did read both volumes and feel like I learned quite a bit. The North was really fortunate to have Grant (and Sherman) in the right place at the right time. Lincoln certainly appreciated them too. ( )
As soon as the news of the arrival of the Union army behind Vicksburg reached the North, floods of visitors began to pour in. Some came to gratify curiosity; some to see sons or brothers who had passed through the terrible ordeal; members of the Christian and Sanitary Associations came to minister to the wants of the sick and wounded. Often those coming to see a son or brother would bring a dozen or two of poultry. They did not know how little the gift would be appreciated. Many of the soldiers had lived so much on chickens, ducks and turkeys without bread during the march, that the sight of poultry, if they could get bacon, almost took away their appetite. But the intention was good.
This corresponds to the 2 volume work, THE PERSONAL MEMOIRS OF ULYSSES S. GRANT. Please do not combine with either individual volume, or with omnibus works that contain other works in addition to this; they have different CK information (e.g. the Mexican-American War information in the early part of the work doesn't apply to volume 2 only).
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 as he reflects on the fortunes that shaped his life and his character. Written under excruciating circumstancesâ??Grant was dying of throat cancerâ??and encouraged and edited from its very inception by Mark Twain, it is a triumph of the art of autobiography.
Grant was sick and broke when he began work on his memoirs. Driven by financial worries and a desire to provide for his wife, he wrote diligently during a year of deteriorating health. He vowed he would finish the work before he died, and one week after its completion, he lay dead at the age of sixty-three.
Publication of the memoirs came at a time when the public was being treated to a spate of wartime reminiscences, many of them defensive in nature, seeking to refight battles or attack old enemies. Grant's penetrating and stately work reveals a nobility of spirit and an innate grasp of the important fact, which he rarely displayed in private life. He writes in his preface that he took up the task "with a sincere desire to avoid doing injustice to anyone, whether on the National or the Confederate side.
)
)
Google Books — Cargando...
2
The book was re-edited as a digital version--a kindle in the format I read. It was done well except for the many, many maps. They were unreadable. I have read other kindlized books that dealt with photographs and maps quite well. It is a shame that "Digireads" could not do a better job. (