GRANT

Rating:
Summary: Adequate, But Hardly Definitive
Review: It is a great mystery to me why there has yet to appear a truly satisfactory biography of Ulysses S. Grant. Here is someone who was probably the most famous and admired man of his time, he had an incredibly varied and interesting life, culminating in one of the most dramatic and well-publicized deaths ever recorded, and heaven knows, there is no lack of source material for historians to draw upon. So, why, over a century since his demise, is Grant much less understood and generally ill-treated by history than when he was alive? I can only surmise that he was too deep a character, and his life far too complicated, for our rather shallow modern biographers to truly do him justice. What Grant needs is a Hume or Froude to step in and rescue his memory.

Unfortunately, he fails to find one in Jean Smith. Smith does a relatively decent job of covering Grant's public career. He describes his war efforts well enough--at least to this non-military historian--and his section on Grant's shockingly underrated Presidency is a welcome bit of revisionism. It's easily the best part of the book.

Where he fails is in his treatment of Grant's civilian years--which was, to me, the most interesting part of his life. Smith delivers a casual, surface treatment of Grant's private life--even his last year, where he held off an impending death by sheer willpower in order to complete his memoirs and provide for his soon-to-be widow, is rushed through hurriedly, as though Smith had wearied of his project and wished to simply get it over with.

Further evidence that large parts of the book feel like a rush-job comes from the occasional word-for-word remarks "borrowed" from authors like Lloyd Lewis and William McFeely. Such plagiarized comments are jarring, and deepen the impression that Smith just did not put much mental effort into much of his work.

In short, the book is a useful, quite readable introductory volume for anyone who knows nothing about Grant and wishes to learn more, but little more. Pity.

Rating:
Summary: Ulysses Grant Shines Under New Light
Review: Jean E. Smith's biography delivers a long overdue, refreshing and considerable recast of Ulysses Grant, especially the post-War years. While sustaining his reputation as an accomplished military leader, Smith's Grant emerges as a politician and stateman of considerable acumen and accomplishment. Rather than present Grant as a successful soldier and failed politician, Smith emphasizes the continuity in Grant's life. The common thread is an indomitable strength of character. Throughout you meet a man of quiet, resolute determination and honesty.

The early chapters focus on Grant's experience at West Point, in the Mexican War, military outposts, and in his many varied and often failed commercial ventures. Throughout these early ups and downs, what emerges is the picture of a man of absolute integrity and humility... a man unwilling to solicit position or accept patronage, unfailing in his payment of peronsal or financial debt, and unflinching in his duty.

Not unexpectedly half the book addresses Grant's military service; most of the accounts are familiar. Smith, however, goes to considerable length to discuss Grant's relationships with subordinate and opposition leaders (e.g., Simon Bolivar Buckner, Sherman, Longstreet, Thomas). The author points to the Federal movements at Vicksburg (1863) and James River (1865) as among Grant's most inspired, while bringing perspective to the momentum gained and lives lost during the campaign of 1864 (e.g., Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor). Sometimes labeled a butcher, Grant's casualty ratio was consistently less than Robert E. Lee's and, unlike preceding Eastern commanders, Grant refused to pay for the same ground twice, choosing to defeat the Confederate Army rather than focus on "geographical trophies."

While the sterotype of the Grant White House is one of corruption, graft and patronage, the book reveals Grant's efforts to avoid or alleviate all. After supporting Lincoln's intent for the South during a true failure -- the Andrew Johnson years (1865-1968) -- Grant makes notable contributions as President. Against a backdrop of residual post-war division, Grant supports the civil rights of freedmen in Reconstruction and of Native Americans in the West. Despite legislative resistance he outlined model civil service reform to prevent rampant patronage. Internationally Grant and his outstanding Secretary of State, Hamilton Fish, oversaw successful treaties governing future relations in the Carribean and enduring peace with England, Through timely, adept and honest maneuvering Grant vetoed the 1874 "inflation bill" and oversaw passage of the Resumption Act establishing sound monetary policy and placing the country on a strong economic footing. Destruction of the Whiskey Ring affirmed fair taxation and removed corrupt officials of both parties. Grant also addressed and sustained separation of church and state.

The book is easily read and balanced in its treatment. Smith discusses the motivations of Grant's occasional "benders," and allows that the General was often too trusting of his friends, many of whom hoped to profit by their association with the great man. Thoughout, however, Grant's honor, motivations and intentions emerge unstained. Jean Smith's book is well researched (ample footnotes, a 38 page bibliography, and 78 pages of citations and endnotes), the only complaint being that many are from eminent but secondary resources. I whole heartedly recommend "Grant" to the general reader, Civil War historian, and politically curious. As I did, you will come away impressed with a Ulysses Grant few have troubled to know well.

Rating:
Summary: The new standard for Biographies
Review: Jean Edward Smith has written, in my opinion, the best biography set within the Civil War era. Grant's life reads as a lucid novel as we travel through the peaks and valleys of his life. His life was truly amazing!
- Before the Civil War Grant actually chopped firewood in order to make enough money to help feed his family (can you ever imagine a current president actually doing such labor in order to make a living?)
- He was a master warrior who didn't like to hunt, or the sight of blood.
- He may have been the unluckiest man alive when it came to business enterproses.

Like many Americans I had been subjected to the propoganda of the Southern apologists and never realized how great Grant really was. He knew what he had to do to win, realized it would be hard, but once he set his course he finished the job.

JES inspired me to visit the battlefield at Shiloh on a warm Saturday afternoon. History was really brought to life as I looked around and envisioned all of the soldiers fighting and dying on American soil. Grant never seemed so alive.

JES also shows how Grant was underappreciated president who tried to keep Lincoln's dreams alive. While Grant was an excellent reader of men on the battlefield this skill did not follow him into politics or business. As a result, Grant's admistration was rocked by scandal - costing him dearly in the eyes of historians.

JES biography on Grant was a treasure to read. I used to wonder how Grant was able to land on the $50 bill... now I wonder why he is only on ONE bill.

Rating:
Summary: Nothing new or revealing
Review: Jean Edward Smith is a competent writer who has produced a relatively error-free and certainly positive look at Ulysses S. Grant, but there is something missing. Grant is an elusive subject and after reading this treatment, he will remain as enigmatic and unfathomable as he has always been. Smith has no background on Grant or the civil war and his limitations show, particularly in such a lengthy tome as this. Much of the book is culled from other (superior) Grant biographies and certain issues, such as Grant's drinking, are treated in a paragraph, when pages are necessary to do justice to the topic.

Most disturbing is Smith's propensity to borrow liberally from other authors in his interpretations. Certain sections of this book read similarly to words written by previous Grant biographers. See particularly his views on Grant's drinking, which are similar to McPherson's sections in his book, "Battle Cry of Freedom" (available on Amazon).

Smith is strongest in his post-civil war sections and his chapters on Grant's much-maligned Presidency are well-written and contain much needed revisionism. Grant was not the bumbling fool as President as is so often depicted. Smith deftly shows that Grant's years in the White House were not devoid of achievement.

Still, the flaws of this book surmount any of the positives. The pacing is poor and only a few scant pages are devoted to Grant's valiant race with death and the publication of his brilliant memoirs. The civil war chapters are fairly flat, with no fresh information or anecdotal material. He relies on dated sources and accepts whatever they offered without critical analysis. There are better Grant books out there and you would be advised to search those out.

Rating:
Summary: The Grant I always knew was there.
Review: Jean Wdward Smith has given us a wonderful gift. This biography of Grant is by far the best ever written. I know, because I've read all the others. Grant emerges as a singular and strong general from the chaos of the early Civil War years. His importance in stability of the post-war period and reconstruction cannot be overestimated. You are missing a rare treat if you haven't read this masterful work.

Rating:
Summary: Straightforward Biography of a Straightforward Man
Review: Most historical figures come down to us in effigies of themselves, and Ulysses Grant resides in the popular imagination today as a legendary general but a feckless president who presided over a passive administration while robber barons looted the country. I always sensed there had to be something wrong with this discordant picture of Grant, and this excellent biography set it right for me, sketching out the remarkable character traits which not only account for his success as a general, but also made him, in the author's view, a strong president who saved the country from what could have been even worse turmoil and injustice than what in fact prevailed at the end of ruinous civil war. Never particularly interested in the military, Grant as a young man entered West Point solely for the purpose of obtaining an engineering education that would facilitate a respectable civilian career. As destiny would have it, however, he graduated just in time to enter service in the Mexican War. He was exposed briefly to combat there, and he performed well enough. His actual job, though, was quartermaster, and what he displayed more than anything was an extraordinary diligence in coping effectively with prosaic, unfamiliar work and, through trial and error, accomplishing what was expected of him. Unlike many of his glory-seeking young peers, he was happy when the war ended, because he was able to return to his wife, whom he adored, and undertake the comfortable business career he envisioned for himself. Unfortunately, business turned out to be his area of incompetence, as he revealed a serial proclivity for trusting the wrong people and committing himself to luckless investments. A life of obscurity and failure seemingly would have been his lot were it not for the advent of the Civil War. As one of the few men in his home area with any military experience, he was called back to service to muster and organize local troops. Like other West Pointers, he soon found himself commanding ever-increasing numbers of men, and as he encountered combat, he did well enough to begin attracting the attention of the Federal administration. His victories at Donaldson and Shiloh demonstrated both his relentless trail-and-error approach to warfare and his imperturbability in the face of seeming defeat. At Vicksburg he captured a strategic stronghold that both sides had hitherto deemed impregnable, and in so doing, he accomplished one of the major turning points of the war. Lincoln by this time was utterly frustrated by repeated failures of his commanders in the Eastern theater, all of whom typified the flashy arrogance of 19th century military officers, but each of whom in turn had been quickly humbled by the wily and aggressive tactics of Robert E. Lee. Grant appeared to be answer to Lincoln's prayers, and being quickly promoted over the heads of more senior officers, Grant assumed overall command of the Union armies. Knowing, as Lincoln did, that the protracted stalemate developing in Virginia threatened to force a negotiated end the war on Confederate terms, Grant wasted no time in launching the bloody campaigns that finally took full advantage of the North's superior resources and manpower. He made costly mistakes, but unlike his predecessors, he took them in stride and pressed relentlessly on, destroying Lee's proud army and achieving victory for the Union in less than two years. Suddenly this quiet, dusty man was an international celebrity and, almost against his will, a rising star in American politics. After Lincoln's assassination and the welcome departure of Andrew Johnson, the presidency virtually fell into Grant's lap, as seemingly the only man capable of restoring the nation. Surprisingly well-regarded in much of the South because of his conciliatory approach at Appomattox, he nonetheless sincerely believed in the justice of Union cause. He ruthlessly suppressed the Ku Klux Klan and others in the South who sought to reverse the War's outcome, while at the same time he restrained self-serving Northern politicians trying to exploit Reconstruction for private gain. Privately, he displayed an honest concern for the plights of blacks and American Indians, as he had for the Mexicans two decades earlier, and his restraining hand probably eased the violence that afflicted these peoples. Despite his personal inexperience, he dealt with economic and diplomatic crisises with the same imperturbably that marked his style as a general. Scrupulously honest during an era that could have made him rich, he emerged from the Presidency penniless, even though he had powerful friends who tried to help him. Perhaps imagining he could now erase the memory of past failures, he turned his hand to business again, this time Wall Street, but his odd naiveté reasserted itself, and he fell victim to swindlers. Having now to cast around for means of bare sustenance, he turned to writing magazine articles, for which he was paid pittances. Mark Twain befriended him around this time and, owning his own publishing company by now, the famous author offered Grant a generous contract for his memoirs. It was probably Grant's insatiable passion for cigars that finally caught up with him, for he was diagnosed with throat cancer during this bitter-sweet period of his life. Rising to an unfamiliar challenge for one last time, he labored diligently over his book through the rigors of cancer, finishing shortly before his death. The book met critical and popular success, earning a small fortune for his widow. Jean Edward Smith is obviously partial to Grant, as biographers often are to their subjects, but even allowing for this, the story told here rings true and is deeply satisfying to American tastes. Grant typified the combination of unassuming virtues and great power that Americans tend to identify with. Like Grant himself, this biography can't really be called brilliant, but it conveys an honest, clear picture of a fascinating man, and I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful book.
Review: My fund of knowledge about this great American was poor at best prior to reading this book. I found the book excellent reading, very nicely presented, and an extremely enjoyable and informative work. I would rate it right up there with JOHN ADAMS/David McCullough. Now, I have to get my hands on USG's personal memoirs!

Rating:
Summary: an excellent introduction and overview of Grant
Review: No book since Catton has been both so right-headed about Grant and so well-written. It is gratifying to see the reviews here from other readers who appreciate Grant's greatness -- and none, so far, from Grant disparagers. But I am puzzled by the criticism of this book on the grounds that it is inferior to Catton. Surely there is room for both, and this book does have strengths Catton lacked -- remember Catton's cavalier dismissal of Grant's presidency and political skills? Did Catton address all the sources of anti-Grant propaganda as well as Smith does? This is truly a marvelous AND necessary book, and it should warm the hearts of those who want the historical underestimation of Grant to be corrected.

Rating:
Summary: Ranks with the best military bios ever written
Review: Not since Bruce Catton has anyone come close to putting all the pieces together of this heroic, enigmatic life. Over 1500 sources were consulted by Smith to give us a version of Grant without the psychobabble. Especially valuable for Grant's Mexican War experience and its influence on his command style. The footnotes here are as wonderful as in Gibbon. Get this book if you have any interest in the Civil War and Reconstruction.

Rating:
Summary: PLAGIARISM
Review: Page 411, bottom paragraph:

"The President's casket, draped in black crape, rested on a raised platform under a domed black canopy. President Johnson, the Supreme Court, members of the cabinet and the diplomatic corps and other dignataries, were seated in the room. At the foot of the catafalque were chairs for the President's family, represented only by Robert Lincoln. Mrs. Lincoln felt unable to attend. At the head of the catalfalque, standing alone throughout the ceremony, was Grant - the living symbol of the cause for which the President had given his life.

Correspondent Noah Brooks reported that the general 'was often moved to tears.' Grant later said he was grateful that Lincoln had spent most of his final days with him at City Point. 'He was incontestably the greatest man I have ever known.'"

Grant Takes Command, Bruce Catton (pub. 1969)
Page 479, bottom paragraph:

"Draped in crape and black cloth, the President's casket lay in the East Room under a domed canopy of black cloth. President Johnson, members of the Supreme Court and the cabinet, the uniformed diplomatic corps and other dignataries, were seated in the room. At the foot of the catafalque were chairs for members of Mr. Lincoln's family, represented only by Robert Lincoln, Mrs. Lincoln feeling unable to attend. At the head of the catafalque, all through the service, stood General Grant, alone.

Correspondent Noah Brooks said that the general 'was often moved to tears.' Grant reflected said he would always be glad that Lincoln had spent most of his final days in Grant's company, and when he tried to sum up the man he could only say: 'He was incontestably the greatest man I have ever known.'"

How accurate can it be if it is simply reworded from previous works?