Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
MP3 CD
(IDB Productions, July 5, 2016)
Ulysses S. Grant has postponed writing his memoir for a long time, before being diagnosed with throat cancer and beginning to write this remarkable account of his life. Through this work, the well-known General offers a detailed and comprehensive account of the events of the Civil War and various other important historical events he had taken part in, such as the U.S.-Mexican War and Grant's presidency – although the latter is scarcely mentioned. Written in two volumes, the memoir is extremely thorough in its description of Grant's military career. As he talks about the Civil War, he describes each and every event in remarkable detail, and presents his impartial account of events as they came to pass. Grant portrays himself as a man of action who attempts to achieve the most out of the next battle, while also viewing the battles in general as a means to ending the war. Without glorifying war or making it seem like something more than it was in any way, he is able to capture one of the most vivid, detailed pictures of both the American Civil War – including notable events such as General Lee's surrender – and the U.S.-Mexican war, providing details of outstanding historical value about the battle strategies involved, the men and the unforeseen events that have constantly shifted the tides of battles, in some cases influencing the struggle in ways no one could have predicted. Ulysses S. Grant was a practical man, and he showed this fact both on the battlefield and through the well-organized work he managed to realize working on his memoirs, even while reaching increasingly closer to his demise. Mark Twain himself has thoroughly commended Grant's work, comparing it with Julius Caesar's Commentaries, and pointing out Grant's fairness, truthfulness and simplicity in his account of both sides of each conflict.