Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant: Amazon.ca: Ulysses Simpson Grant: Books

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In 1862, a prominent Republican visited President Lincoln and called General Ulysses S. Grant an incompetent drunk who created unnecessary political problems. Lincoln, frustrated with all his generals but this one, famously replied: "I can't spare this man; he fights." Indeed, Lincoln had gone through a series of unheroic generals before settling on Grant to lead the Union's Army of the Potomac. Grant's success at marshaling the industrial might of the North eventually pounded the South into submission. This memoir, finished as its author was dying of throat cancer in 1885, is widely admired for its clear and straightforward prose. The volume was an enormously popular hit upon publication (by Mark Twain, no less), and today Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant ranks among the finest pieces of military autobiography ever written.

Review

"The best [memoirs] of any general's since Caesar." --Mark Twain

"A unique expression of the national character....[Grant] has conveyed the suspense which was felt by himself and his army and by all who believed in the Union cause. The reader finds himself...on edge toknow how the Civil War is coming out." --Edmund Wilson --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Customer Reviews

21 Reviews

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4.9 out of 5 stars (21 customer reviews)

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4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and readable memoirs, July 14 2003

By

Alex Frantz (San Leandro, ca USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Personal Memoirs (Paperback)

Grant here gives a consistently interesting account of his role in many of the major campaigns of the Civil War. His prose is clear and his accounts of battles and strategies quite readable, even to those without particular expertise in military history. He sticks to the story, making few attempts to even scores with his numerous critics in the Army or the press.

One thing that should be noted is that these 'personal memoirs' are in many ways remarkably impersonal. There is only a quite brief account of Grant's youth, and his wife, to whom he was apparently quite devoted, is barely mentioned. Grant tells the story of his career as an officer with increasing levels of responsibility, but says little about himself. Also, the memoirs end with the assassination of Lincoln, and do not at all discuss his presidency.

The edition I read was lacking in maps, which was a serious drawback, however it was a different edition than the one discussed here. Because so much of the book focuses on the tactics of specific campaigns, a good set of maps is a very valuable addition, and would be advisable to check for in any edition you consider reading or buying.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Reading, Jun 25 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Personal Memoirs (Paperback)

I'm not a Civil War or military fan, but I really enjoyed reading these memoires. I expected a very dry book, but General Grant provides a great narrative, slipping in a sly sense of humor at times. My recommendation is that the publishers provide better maps. I needed to use an atlas and detailed maps off the internet.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Old wine in new bottles, Mar 23 2002

By

John J. Ross (Chestnut Hill, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Personal Memoirs (Paperback)

I'm a little irritated at the usually terrific Modern Library. They have hatched a new series of volumes on "War", with a general introduction by Caleb Carr. Apparently, however, aside from the slick covers, no attempt was made to provide the reader with any original material, such as maps, appendices, notes or other scholarly material. The edition of Grant's memoirs contains a new, curt, unhelpful introduction by Geoffrey Perret. (Perret offhandedly mentions that Grant's memory diverges from the facts on more than one occasion, but makes no attempt to further elucidate a matter that would obviously be of high interest to the reader.)The maps are old, crabbed and often difficult to follow; the geographically-challenged reader, such as myself, is often obliged to consult a road atlas to follow the Western campaigns. The memoirs themselves are terrific. Grant's plain, homely soldier's style, with dashes of self-deprecation and dry irony, is engrossing reading.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the better Civil War memoirs
One of the nice things Grant does in his book, is break down ranks using a horizantal flow chart on various pages. This helps clear confusion for the novice. Read more

Published on Jun 18 2003 by Lamont G. Sible Jr.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great American History from two great Americans
This book is alive! How many 125 year old books are still page turners? This one is. This was Grant's last great effort (and ghost-written with Mark Twain). Read more

Published on Aug 24 2001 by Mark A. Tusken