Books with title Personal Memoirs Of U.S. Grant:

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 circumstances—Grant was dying of throat cancer—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 63. 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.”

General Grant's personal memoirs are a must read for all Civil War buffs and those even remotely interested in history. This book, which includes both Volume I and II, articulately spells out the military career of one of the United States' greatest generals. Grant's memoirs are well-written, thoughtful, insightful, and offer more than a glimpse into the mind of U.S. Grant. Volume I opens with a heartfelt preface where Grant explains how his diminishing health pushed him to complete this work and "asking no favor but hoping (his remarks) will meet the approval of the reader." They most definitely do. Following the preface, the reader is given a (very) short review of his early childhood, life at West Point, and early Army life. The next one hundred pages are dedicated to the Mexican War followed by his resignation from the military and civilian life in Illinois. The remainder of Volume I and all of Volume II extensively deal with the war between the states. Volume I (written before Grant realized he was critically ill) is rich in detail of the various military campaigns and his ascension through the military ranks. Volume II hurls the reader into the conflict, reads rapidly, and is rife with Grant's personal observations and insights. This second volume picks up where the first left off--following Vicksburg to the campaigns in Tennessee to the Battle of the Wilderness to Sherman's March to the Sea to the Battle of Franklin right up to Appomattox and all the events of April and May 1865. These campaigns are told from the commanding general's perspective with great overview and detail. However, what really makes Volume II special are all the personal observations and insightful comments about those Grant served with and against. Grant is thoughtful and displays much about himself as this great book draws to a close. An eloquently written, detailed, first-person account of the Civil War that offers much to those who read it.

From his boyhood in Ohio to his graduation from West Point, and then through detailed accounts of his service in the Mexican-American War, the Civil War, and his presidency, Grant gives a full report of his life and career in this remarkable firsthand account. Completed in the last year of his life, 1885, as Grant battled throat cancer and poverty, the “Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant” was published by Mark Twain shortly after Grant’s death. Instantly popular and praised by admirers, critics, and people throughout the country, this autobiography was both a critical and financial success. Grant was recognized both for the clarity and succinctness of his writing. The royalties of the work provided for his family, firmly reestablishing their financial security. A model of autobiography to this day, the “Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant” is a exceptional work of literature, reflecting a man’s ultimate concern for the welfare of his country throughout his life. This edition collects both volumes of Grant’s memoirs into a single edition.

Completed a short time before his death in 1885, the Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant is recognized today as one of the most significant American military memoirs of all time. In an honest and intelligent voice, the celebrated Civil War general and former President offers a detailed and intimate telling of the events of the Mexican-American war, and the American Civil War and his role within it as a Union General.At the time of its publication, the Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant was an instant success—a result of the marketing efforts of Mark Twain, Grant’s publisher and personal friend. In an attempt to assist the Grant family in recovering some of the fortune lost when Grant was defrauded of his estate, Twain created a national marketing campaign that used Civil War veterans as booksellers. The resulting sales of over 350,000 copies allowed the Grant estate to be successfully reestablished and the Memoirs themselves to be recognized within the canon of American non-fiction.HarperTorch brings great works of non-fiction and the dramatic arts to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook production and celebrating reading in all its forms. Look for more titles in the HarperTorch collection to build your digital library.

Completed just days before his death and hailed by Mark Twain as "the most remarkable work of its kind since the Commentaries of Julius Caesar," this is the now-legendary autobiography of ULYSSES SIMPSON GRANT (1822-1885), 18th president of the United States and the Union general who led the North to victory in the Civil War. Though Grant opens with tales of his boyhood, his education at West Point, and his early military career in the Mexican-American war of the 1840s, it is Grant's intimate observations on the conduct of the Civil War, which make up the bulk of the work, that have made this required reading for history students, military strategists, and Civil War buffs alike. This unabridged edition features all the material that was originally published in two volumes in 1885 and 1886, including maps, illustrations, and the text of Grant's July 1865 report to Washington on the state of the armies under his command.

The Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant is an autobiography by Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th President of the United States, focused mainly on his military career during the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War, and completed as he was dying of throat cancer in 1885. The two-volume set was published by Mark Twain shortly after Grant's death.Twain created a unique marketing system designed to reach millions of veterans with a patriotic appeal just as Grant's death was being mourned. Ten thousand agents canvassed the North, following a script that Twain had devised; many were veterans who dressed in their old uniforms. They sold 350,000 two-volume sets at prices from $3.50 to $12, depending on the binding (roughly $100 to $340 in 2019). Each copy contained what looked like a handwritten note from Grant himself. In the end, Grant's widow, Julia, received about $450,000, suggesting a gross royalty before expenses of about 30%.The Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant has been highly regarded by the general public, military historians, and literary critics. Positive attention is often directed toward Grant's prose, which has been praised as shrewd, intelligent, and effective. He portrayed himself in the persona of the honorable Western hero, whose strength lies in his honesty and straightforwardness. He candidly depicts his battles against both the external Confederates and his internal Army foes.

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.