GRANT by JEAN EDWARD SMITH (2001)

Perhaps because I have lived my entire life in the South, I have always held a negative opinion of Ulysses S. Grant. I have thought him to be a notorious drunkard who was a failure at civilian life. I have thought that the Union victory was due only to the fact that the North had more soldiers and equipment than the South and that Grant's generalship paled in comparison to Robert E. Lee's. I have always thought that he was a bad president who punished the poor fallen South. Boy, was I wrong. It is amazing how biased my education has been.

This scholarly biography changed my mind. It concentrates on facts in an impartial manner, including both the good and the bad, to reveal a truly admirable man of great ability. It is true that he was most probably an alcoholic, of the binge drinker variety. In his earlier life he had several such episodes, but there is no indication that he drank at all when leading the Union army or during his tenure as president. It is also true that he failed over and over again at various endeavors in civilian life before the Civil War, often because he was too trusting of the honesty of others. Like many who are themselves unflinchingly honest, he was trusting that others behaved likewise. This somewhat naive viewpoint also accounted for scandals during his presidency. He was never proved to be involved in wrongdoing, but he did sometimes give power to those who used it for personal gain.

Here are some things I learned which made me a Grant adherent:
*His leadership skills as general were exemplary. He demonstrated great concern for his soldiers and inspired their devotion. He seldom gave up a fight, often snatching victory when defeat seemed certain. He was a superb tactician who had an instinct for what his adversaries would do.

*He was magnanimous in victory, which helped immeasurably to ensure that the South would be gathered back into the Union, rather than be treated as defeated enemies. In the terms of surrender of Lee's army, Grant allowed the soldiers and officers to return to their homes, with no arrests, and also to retain their handguns and personally owned horses and mules. He and Lincoln were of a like mind about this, but unfortunately Andrew Johnson, who became president when Lincoln was assassinated, believed that the South should be punished.

*As president, Grant fought for the rights of the freed slaves; he even sent troops to assure their access to vote and to limit the actions of the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist groups. This mostly accounts for his negative reputation in the South, even today. Smith comments, "White supremacist historians, the dominant school of American historiography from the 1880s to the 1950s, savaged his (Grant's) efforts to protect the freedmen, just as many in the West ridiculed his peace policy toward Native Americans."

*As indicated above, Grant as president had a conciliatory approach to Native Americans. He believed most of the problems on the frontier were attributable to the settlers and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Therefore, he chose to make peace with the Plains Indians, avoiding an all-out campaign of extermination, which some would have preferred.

*In a third area of principle, Grant defended the separation of church and state. He wrote, "Resolve that neither the State nor the nation shall support institutions of learning other than those sufficient to afford every child the opportunity of a good common-school education, unmixed with sectarian, pagan, or atheistic dogmas. Leave the matter of religion to the family altar, the church, and the private school supported entirely by private contribution."

This biography is extremely well written and readable. My only complaint would be that it provides such specific accounts of the major battles that I bogged down in the details. However, I am sure they would be of great interest to those familiar with reading military history. Smith even provides maps with arrows indicating troop movements.

I highly recommend this biography, particularly to those in the South who may have acquired a partisan opinion of Grant.