Grant: A Biography [Paperback]

William S. McFeely (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1982

"Combines scholarly exactness with evocative passages....Biography at its best."—Marcus Cunliffe, The New York Times Book Review; Winner of the Pulitzer Prize.

The seminal biography of one of America's towering, enigmatic figures. From his boyhood in Ohio to the battlefields of the Civil War and his presidency during the crucial years of Reconstruction, this Pulitzer Prize-winning biography traces the entire arc of Grant's life (1822-1885). "A moving and convincing portrait....profound understanding of the man as well as his period and his country."—C. Vann Woodward, New York Review of Books "Clearsightedness, along with McFeely's unfailing intelligence and his existential sympathy...informs his entire biography."—Justin Kaplan, The New Republic Illustrations

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A moving and convincing portrait....profound understanding of the man as well as his period and his country. -- C. Vann Woodward, New York Review of Books

Clearsightedness, along with McFeely's unfailing intelligence and his existential sympathy...informs his entire biography. -- Justin Kaplan, The New Republic

Combines scholarly exactness with evocative passages....Biography at its best. -- Marcus Cunliffe, New York Times Book Review --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

William S. McFeely, the Abraham Baldwin Professor of the Humanities, Emeritus, at the University of Georgia, is the author of the Pulitzer Prize–winning biography Grant. He lives in Wellfleet and Cambridge, Massachusetts. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 608 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (November 1982)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393300463
• ISBN-13: 978-0393300468
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,722,828 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

82 of 87 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A grudging nod to excellence, May 7, 1998

By 

Candace Scott (Lake Arrowhead, CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grant: A Biography (Paperback)

McFeely won the Pulitzer Prize for this book in 1982, but the conclusions he reaches about his subject have drawn fire ever since. Those sympathetic to Grant correctly point to errant assumptions and mistakes in character analysis. Most glaring is McFeely's insistence that Grant gloried in carnage, was insensitive to death and suffering, and was an incompetent chief executive.

Actually Grant was one of the most exquisitiely sensitive men ever born and was nothing like the 'butcher' that McFeely describes. However, the research in the book is oustanding and there are very few factual errors to be found. This contrasts markedly to Geoffrey Perret's recent 1997 Grant biography, which contained inaccuracies on nearly every page. McFeely is most solid in the period of Reconstruction, though he is usually overly prone to criticize the hapless Grant. Throughout many chapters, it seems the General can't buy a break.

McFeely's greatest admiration for Grant is contained in two areas of his life: his family relationships, specifically his loving marriage to wife Julia, and his abilities as a writer. McFeely leaves no doubt that he regards Grant's 1885 Memoirs as one of the great books ever written and the best part of this biography is in explaining the processes Grant used to produce such a masterpiece, while dying of throat cancer.

With its flaws and uneven treatment of Grant, McFeely's book cannot be considered definitive, but it is still the only complete biography of Grant written in the past 30 years. Perret's limping entry isn't even in the same league as this book, in accuracy, writing or research. To sum up: overly critical, but a must read for Civil War buffs.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding work--especially on the post-Civil War era., April 25, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Grant: A Biography (Paperback)

As the author of a book on the Civil War and another on the Reconstruction era, I highly recommend McFeely's biography of Grant. McFeely is not only a fine historian, he is a first-rate writer, offering sharp portraits of Grant and the figures who surrounded him; clear, insightful expositions on important issues; and a compelling narrative. The great strength of this work is its coverage of Grant's rise to the presidency and his two terms in the White House--one of the finest portraits of this dramatic, pivotal era, filled with everything from Indian wars to staggering political corruption to the first great struggle over civil rights. The book is weaker on Grant's military career during the Civil War; as McFeely draws out information about the general's personal life, he seems to neglect both the details and the grand scale of Grant's achievements on the battlefield. All told, however, this remains a classic biography--and a pleasure to read. --T.J. Stiles, author of IN THEIR OWN WORDS: ROBBER BARONS AND RADICALS

21 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An objective look at Grant--with all his many faces, March 24, 2003

By 

bixodoido (Utah, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grant: A Biography (Paperback)

William S. McFeely's book Grant attempts to be an objective look at the life of one of the most well-known of US generals. It is a good account, full of details into Grant's life and quick to dispel many of the popular myths (both positive and negative) which have been spread about the general. The treatment of the Civil War does not take up the majority of the work, but instead comprises a part of the career of a man who went from tanner to army man to President to writer, with various stints as a failed businessman and bored peacetime army officer in between.

In his quest for objectivity, I think McFeely has overstepped his bounds just a bit. He greatly downplays Lincoln's affection for Grant, claiming that the President was never quite sure if he could trust the general. Early on, this may have been true, but the fact is that Lincoln many times defended Grant when rumors came to his ear, saying he liked Grant because "he fights." Also, McFeely calls Grant's wilderness campaign a "hideous disaster," and insinuates that Grant did not care much about the colossal loss of life at Cold Harbor. The overwhelming fact about the Wilderness Campaign is that it was, indeed, very costly in terms of human life. Still, Grant got things done. He defeated Lee--something McClellan and the other commanding officers could not do. Grant did what he had to do, terrible though it was.

Still, these are matters of opinion, and the book remains a wonderful treatment of Grant. One of the things I like most is that is gives equal treatment to all aspects of Grant's life, not just the Civil War. I learned a great deal about the Grant administration, which is usually regarded as one of the most corrupt in our nation's history. That may be true, but McFeely convincingly argues that not all of it was Grant's fault.

Overall, this is a great work on Grant. It has its flaws, but it still remains an adequate overview of this man's life, and should provide a good companion to Grant's personal memoirs. I would recommend this book to anyone studying the Civil War, as it gives a great account of Grant's part, though it lacks details (which can be obtained in other studies of the War itself). This would be a great addition to any Civil War library, as well as a good book for anyone studying American History as a whole.