"I'll just lay it out upfront: this is one of the finest biographies I've ever read. Ron Chernow's outstanding research and captivating writing really draw you in and compel you to keep reading. While the narrative runs an imposing 959 pages, it's such a delightful read you'll soon get over its length.
Here at the School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS), one of the signature experiences students have while attending the school is a staff ride to Vicksburg, where Grant turned the tide against the Confederacy in the western theater. Having yet to go but anticipating a window of opportunity in the next class, I decided to hone my Grant knowledge. I seriously considered tackling Grant's autobiographical tome titled Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant, finished just days before his death and considered by many scholars to be one of the best military memoirs in existence, but realized it focuses heavily on his military campaigns and leadership, with little coverage of his presidency and other aspects of his life. I wanted to know all about the man, from his birth to his death and everything in between. What shaped his outlook? What made him such an effective military leader? How much did alcohol influence his ways? Why do so many people refer to him as a butcher, based on his battle history? How can one explain the seeming disconnect between his lauded wartime service and his maligned presidency? Why did he fall prey to charlatans so often? So, with all these questions, I wanted a more holistic treatment and tracked down Chernow's biography and was well-rewarded.
In the first few pages, Chernow admits one of his goals in writing the book was to dispel long-standing misconceptions about Grant. Those misperceptions were fostered mostly during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century by post-Civil War politics and the emergence of the "Lost Cause" narrative actively peddled by revisionist Southerners intent on rewriting the historical record to sanitize and beautify a brutal, ugly past. In Chernow's depiction, Grant is principled, a military genius (particularly his ability to see the strategic connections to his operational and tactical level actions), and a vibrant supporter of civil rights for the newly freed former slaves.
Grant's life begins unremarkably, and, for the first thirty-nine years, oscillates between marginal success and near insolvency as he repeatedly struggled to make a living as a farmer, land speculator, businessman, and soldier. And no small part of that struggle to make it financially—a persistent concern throughout his life—was due to a character flaw, of sorts. He had an abiding, albeit troubling, trust in other people, believing they lived by a code like his own that placed a premium on honor; when they didn't, Grant and his family suffered…"
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Armand
