Personal Memoirs
Ulysses S. Grant1885Grant wrote these memoirs while dying of cancer, and they turned out to be one of the great works of American prose.
Read this if you…
- are a freak who is obsessed with the meticulous inner workings of military stuff
- are overly obsessed with Civil war history
- can handle boring
Skip this if you…
- aren't the most patient person alive
Why It Matters
Grant wrote these memoirs while dying of cancer, and they turned out to be one of the great works of American prose. Mark Twain published them, and historians still call them the best military memoirs any American general ever wrote. The writing is direct, honest, and completely free of self-pity, which makes it a model for how to tell the truth about war.
The 
Take
Zoned out about half the audiobook, but whenever paying attention, awesome to hear the beyond meticulous notes of Ulysses s Grant. Insights into life in the army, strategy, diplomacy etc . Less about the ma himself but a little bit
Depicted in Art
Lee and Grant face each other across a small table in the McLean parlor at Appomattox, surrounded by Union officers, as Lee prepares to sign the surrender terms.
Thomas Nast, 1895
Grant on horseback at the center of a mounted group of twenty-seven Union generals (Sherman, Sheridan, Meade, Hancock, and the rest) arrayed across an open field.
Ole Peter Hansen Balling, 1865
Massed Union and Confederate lines firing at point-blank range through tangled second-growth woods near Todd's Tavern, May 6 1864, woods aflame.
Kurz & Allison, 1887
Scott's army pouring up the slope toward Chapultepec Castle, Mexican defenders firing from the walls, Mexico City spreading out behind.
Carl Nebel, 1851
Bust portrait of Grant looking directly at the viewer in warm rich tones, beard close-cropped, eyes earnest — Waugh's reading of "Grant the individual."
Samuel Bell Waugh, 1869
Full-length standing portrait of Grant in dark civilian dress, hand resting on a chair, the bearing of the elder statesman rather than the soldier.
Thomas Le Clear, 1880
Grant in field uniform receives the standing Lee in dress grey across a table; the print compresses the actual room into a stately tableau.
Currier & Ives, 1865
Recommended Editions
Penguin Classics
1999
The Penguin with James McPherson out front. McPherson is the Civil War historian, and his essay on why Twain called this the best military memoir since Caesar is the context that opens the book up. Easy to find, easy to carry.
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Deep Dive
What It's About
This summary gives away plot details.
Notable Quotes
“No terms except an unconditional and immediate surrender can be accepted. I propose to move immediately upon your works.”
“I propose to fight it out on this line if it takes all summer.”