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Ulysses S. Grant: The American Presidents Series: The 18th President, 1869-1877 (American Presidents (Times))

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Unlike his generalship during the Civil War, Grant's presidency has earned him few admirers among historians. The numerous scandals that took place during his two terms in office, and the Panic of 1873 which wrecked havoc on the country's economy during his second term, have generally diminished history's view of Grant's presidency. His consistently strong stewardship of the difficult task of Reconstruction, including his upholding of the laws which enabled Blacks to vote and hold office in the south, his successful foreign policy, and his fair treatment of Native Americans were often neglected. An historical consensus formed that split Grant's life into halves; General Grant was a heroic and needed leader, but President Grant was an admirable failure, unsuited for political leadership.

Josiah Bunting III is the perfect author to correct these misperceptions about Grant. As a former army officer, Bunting understands well the institution that was so much a part of Grant's adult life and the source for his fame which would catapult him into the White House. But he also has enough emotional distance from the army to provide insightful commentary. What's most surprising, however, is the literary skill Bunting brings to the task. His small book on Grant is a beautiful gem of a biography, burnished to a fine work of art. Bunting has written two novels and he shows a fine writer's gifts here. He has the great biographer's necessary gift of understanding the importance of character.

The Grant that comes alive in Bunting's pages is highly sympathetic, but always credibly so. Bunting shows how the usual slurs against Grant's character (alcohol, butchery, and scandal) were overdone, while many redeeming characteristics (good to friends and family, steady, moral) were overlooked. Bunting reevaluates the character of Grant in this more favorable light and recreates a president who won two elections by landslides and never was out of favor with the general public.

Bunting's defense of Grant succeeds splendidly. I've read all sixteen of these small biographies published so far in "The American Presidents" series, and while I've found all of them good, and many quite excellent, this one on Grant is the best. It belongs on the shelf of every reader interested in American history.

It has been U.S. Grant's misfortune to rank behind Lincoln and Lee in the pantheon of the major notable Civil War heroes. A Presidency racked by scandal though largely not of his fault didn't help matters. But Grant was a winner - and that's what counts. From defeating the "Marble Man" Lee to his courageous drive to finish his memoirs as Cancer was taking his life, Grant showed nobility and character, which is the foci of Josiah Bunting's brief tome in this volume of "The American Presidents" series.

In focusing on the character and the nobility of Grant, Bunting does take a different perspective, though by no means new view of this subject. Indeed, Mark Feely, Jean Edward Smith, and to a lesser degree Geoffrey Perrett have already covered and done justice to Grant's character in their works - and I would recommend both Feely and Perrett to the Grant novice, not to mention his "Memoirs". I might also note that the late Stephen Ambrose, in his "To America" wrote a very lengthy essay on why Grant was a good President - not just a great General, and how he did do his best to stop the resurgence of segregation and anti-Black animus in the post-Civil War South, and why he could not succeed.

This isn't to say that Professor Bunting's book does not deserve a wide readership - it does. But do check out Feely, Perrett, and Smith first, and above all, get a copy of those "Personal Memoirs" - they are by far the best memoirs ever penned by an American President, and a classic of American Literature.

While Bunting does a creditable job of presenting an accurate chronology of Grant's career, the concise format leaves minimal opportunity to examine motivations and nuance of the many facets of the general and president. Those interested in Grant and the Civil War /post-war reconstruction will find this a worthy starting point only - for a more insightful examination the next step would be Grant's autobiography itself. Do not choose this text for coverage of the Civil War engagements to any extent. Bunting has delivered a well-written but terse overview of an impossibly complex character and time in American history.

This short biography, which is a volume in the "American Presidents" series affords the reader a sympathetic view of Grant as President. Another recent short biography of Grant, by Michael Korda, spends a little less time on Grant's presidency (thus more time on his military career) and views his presidency less favorably. I recommend that both biographies be read, as in significantly less than 200 pages, both offer insights into Grant. Indeed, if you have read a longer biography (and there are many) such as McFeely, Peret, or Simpson, these short biographies do a great job of crystalizing the information and, in fact, they offer additional insights.

Bunting views Grant as the most pro African American president up to his time and for many decades thereafter. He tried to make Reconstruction work for the freedmen but, much like the attitude of Americans when the Vietnam War dragged on for many years, Americans lost their patience when Reconstruction dragged on with little discernable progress. Grant was President at a time when foreign affairs were not paramount. Therfore, most of what went on beyond domestic policy involved Latin America, including a plan to acquire Santo Domingo (now the Dominican republic). However, Grant was successful in certain foreign ventures such as entering into a treaty with Great Britain for reparations based on it's role in building blockade running ships for the Confederacy.

Another area in which Bunting admires Grant is his treatment of the American Indian. Grant was ultimately unsuccessful but he had hoped to integrate them into American society so that they would be full citizens. Today, we would understand that what Grant was trying to do would strip the Native American of his/her culture but, at the time, Grant's attempts were very much ahead of the general feeling which viewed our original inhabitants as savages.

Of course there were scandals during the Grant presidency and Bunting criticizes Grant for being passive in dealing with these. Grant was not involved but he was too loyal to his friends and, therefore failed to act decisively. Where he should have fired certain unethical officials outright, Grant would often ease them out. His gentle treament failed to set an example to others who might be tempted to also act unethically.

I have read many histories of the Civil War, McFeely's biography of Grant, and Grant's personal Memoirs. Nontheless, this short volume has given me additional insights into Grant and was well worth reading.

If you know nothing about Grant, this is the perfect place to start. Unlike other biographies in this series, which talk almost exclusively about each man's presidency (i.e. the Washington bio), this gives you an overview of Grant's entire life, from childhood to death. Appropriately, most of the book centers on the Civil War and the presidency, but you get to see what led up to Grant's actions during those times. "Faults" like his drinking are covered but also explained. You get a well-rounded view of the man. Like the best biographies, it makes you want to know more. I am now moving on to Grant's own "Memoirs."

Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant, but there's a story there, as summarized in this work) was to ascend to the highest ranks in the hearts of his countrymen--from commanding general of the Union forces to President of the United States.

His rise to such positions seemed most unlikely to those who knew him in the years after the Mexican War. He grew up in Ohio and, through happenstance, ended up at West Point. He completed his studies, ranking in the middle of the pack in his class. He was noteworthy for his skills as a horseman and for his mathematical ability. His performance in the Mexican War was very strong. In the process of his tour of duty, he served under both Zachary Taylor and Winfield Scott, and learned considerably about what makes a general. Thereafter, he had a series of postings leaving him isolated and sometimes "on the bottle," where he developed a reputation as a drunk.

There follows the familiar story of his departure from the army, failed effort after failed effort at creating a solid economic grounding h=for his family. As the Civil War opened, while he was working in the family store in Galena, Illinois, he served as an officer as civilian military units were formed.

After that, his meteoric rise in the Army--from regiment command to commanding general of all Union forces. In between, he displayed the ability to win battles that often led other generals to retreat. In the process, Americans had come to respect him as the war closed.

The book chronicles his disagreements with Andrew Johnson's policies after Lincoln's assassination. Then, in 1868, Grant was nominated by the Republicans for president. This book takes a hard look at his presidency--the good, the bad, and the ugly. There were some important contributions--despite faltering, he did try to support the newly won rights of former slaves; he also supported humane treatment of Indians (even against the wishes of his top lieutenants--William Sherman and Phil Sheridan). But his economic policy contributed to the Panic that engulfed his second administration. His blind eye toward corruption of some of his colleagues does him no honor in history. There were also some foreign policy successes, to round out the picture.

And, his final years, in which he courageously tried to provide for his families' economic security.

All in all, another good entry in this series of brief biographies (155 pages of text, with a useful chronology following the text). As always, if one wishes a quick and accessible view of this American president, this book will do nicely. And, even though this book is brief, the author pouts Grant's performance as president in a nice context.

The short volumes in the American Presidents series offer an outstanding way for readers to get reacquainted with American history and with our Nation's leaders. Each volume is written by a scholar who brings his or her own perspective to the subject, focusing on the factors that make the president in question worth knowing and remembering. In this volume of the series, Josiah Bunting III offers an admirable and challenging portrait of U.S. Grant (1822 -- 1885) who served as the eighteenth president of the United States (1869 -- 1877). Bunting is a former army officer who served as the superintendant of the Virginia Military Institute for many years. He offers a reappraisal of the Grant presidency in this volume, in company with some other contemporary scholarly reassessments.

As Bunting emphasizes, Grant has suffered from cliches both as General and as President. He is frequently castigated as a "drunk" (Grant did indeed have problems with alcohol early in his career) and as a "butcher", in spite of the extraordinary strategic skill he displayed in the Vicksburg campaign, at Fort Donelson, in crossing the James River en route to Petersburg, and elsewhere (and in spite of the relatively low casualty rates, overall, of the armies under his command). In his presidency, Grant is often found at the bottome of the various rankings, primarily due to the corruption that ensued during his administration.

Bunting's book offers a brief portrait of Grant's early life and a good brief summary of his accomplishments during the Civil War. He also offers a brisk account of Grant's activities during the four years between Appomattox and Grant's own election to the presidency, focusing on his increasingly strained relationship with Andrew Johnson and his eventual rejection of Johnson's lenient policy of Reconstruction. This pivotal period of Grant's career is frequently overlooked.

But the focus of the book is on Grant's presidency. Bunting properly points out that with the exception of Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt, no person faced greater challenges than did Grant in assuming the executive office. The country was seriously divided over Reconstruction, with the seemingly intractable goals of restoring the Union on the one hand and protecting the rights of African Americans on the other hand. Bunting praises Grant for the efforts he made to protect the rights of the freed people. With substantial justification, Bunting says that Grant's efforts were the strongest made by an American president until the mid-20th Century. Bunting also praises Grant for pursuing a relatively humane policy towards the Indians, for his courageous veto of inflationary paper money legislation in 1874, and for his calm and principled stance during the Hayes-Tilden controversy in the presidential election of 1876.

Bunting does not overlook Grant's deficiencies as president, but I think he tends to downplay them. He acknowledges a substantial degree of moral obtuseness in Grant, if not personal culpability, in the manner in which the President responded to the scandals which plagued his administration. Grant showed a high degree of cronyism while in office and a tendency, derived from his success as a general, to be peremptory in has actions and judgments. On several occasions, Grant's policies and inactions led to economic difficulties, including the severe depression of 1873. Even in the area of Reconstruction and civil rights, Grant frequently compromised his efforts due to political considerations. And he was aware that the military presence in the South and the agressive Federal efforts to protect the rights of the freed people would need to end, due to lack of support in the nation, if not during his administration, then in the administration of his successor.

Grant remained a revered figure during his lifetime. He probably could have been elected to a third term in 1876, had he wished, and he narrowly missed a renomination for president in 1880. Grant's Memoirs of his Civil War and Mexican War experiences, which he wrote towards the end of his life, is a classic of American literature.

I think historians will debate the extent to which Bunting's work, and similar studies, serve to rehabilitate the presidency of Grant. But clearly, Bunting offers a fresh and thoughtful approach which will serve to modify the stereotypes that many informed Americans carry about him. Bunting's book offers a good introduction to a great, if enigmatic, American and to his difficult presidency.

Robin Friedman

This is one of two brief biographies of Grant (1822-1885) I recently read, the other written by Michael Korda and included among the volumes which comprise the Atlas Books/HarperCollins' "Eminent Lives" series, with James Atlas serving as general editor. Although both cover much of the same material, there are significant differences between their authors' respective approaches to the18th president of the United States.

For example, Korda duly acknowledges the problems which awaited Grant after he was elected to his first term in 1869. "What did Grant's reputation as a president in, however, (and continues to do so today whenever journalists and historians are drawing up lists of the best presidents vs. the worst ones), was the depression of 1873, which ushered in a long period of unemployment and distress, made politically more damaging by accusations that the president's wealthy friends were making money out of it." Given that the United States was growing too fast, in too many different directions at once, and the inevitable consequence was corruption and an unstable economy, it would have taken a more astute man than Grant to slow things down or clean them up."

It is soon obvious in this volume that Bunting disagrees with, indeed resents the fact that Grant is generally remembered "as a general, not a president, [which] explains in part the condescension - there is no better word for it -- from which pundits and historians have tended to write of him." Bunting asserts that if judged by the consequences of Grant's common sense, judgment, and intuition, his presidency, "so far from being one of the nation's worst, may yet be seen as one of the best."

Korda indicates no inclination to view Grant's presidency as "one of the best." He duly acknowledges the problems which awaited Grant after he was elected to his first term in 1869. "What did Grant's reputation as a president in, however, (and continues to do so today whenever journalists and historians are drawing up lists of the best presidents vs. the worst ones), was the depression of 1873, which ushered in a long period of unemployment and distress, made politically more damaging by accusations that the president's wealthy friends were making money out of it." Given that the United States was growing too fast, in too many different directions at once, and the inevitable consequence was corruption and an unstable economy, "it would have taken a more astute man than Grant to slow things down or clean them up."

This last observation by Korda is consistent with a contemporary assessment of Grant by the Edinburgh Review, one which Brooks Simpson quotes in his own study (Let Us Have Peace: Ulysses S. Grant and the Politics of War and Reconstruction 1861-1868), and which Bunting also cites: "To bind up the wounds left by the war, to restore concord to the still distracted Union, to ensure real freedom to the Southern Negro, and full justice to the southern white; these are indeed tasks which might tax the powers of Washington himself or a greater than Washington, if such a man is to be found."

With all due respect to Grant's admirable personal qualities, I remain unconvinced by Bunting's eloquent but - in my judgment - problematic endorsement of Grant's
leadership as president. The same "buck" that stops on a desk on a battlefield in Virginia also stops on a desk in the Oval Office.

Those who share my high regard for this volume are urged to check out Korda's biography as well as Grant's Personal Memoirs. Both Korda and Bunting cite a number of other sources worthy of consideration.

The first book on Grant that I read was "Grant- The Soldier and the Man" by Edward Longacre.

This was a wonderful insight into Grant and certainly exposing his personal foibles. The details into Grant's life from childhood through the Civil War were wonderfully presented.

I had just finished biographies on Lincoln and Johnson and was hungry for more reading on the post civil war era. Unfortunately, Longacre ended the book right after Grant was elected president- which is why I purchased Bunting's work.

The first 90 pages are an abbreviation of Grant's life through the war. Not nearly as detailed or informative as Longacre's.

The book ends 60 pages later and frankly, it kept me wanting for more. It just skimmed over too much of Grant's presidency (and hardly touches on his life after he was president).

Other reviewers have lauded this book. In my opinion, the author seems to have been in too much of a hurry to finish it and could have certainly provided a much more in depth rendition.

Ulysses S. Grant was a simple man (a "guy's guy" if you will) whose quiet, dignified leadership and composure helped the nation through some of the worst days of the Civil War. It seems odd really to think of a military commander (or a military man of any rank or position) to possess the qualities that Grant did. Humble. Straightforward. Sensitive. And yet he was all these things.

He had to contend with the same horrors that Lincoln had to face: the most disruptive and bloody years the nation ever suffered through. And following the war (rather than accept retirement after having served) he accepted a call to the presidency, and with it, the challenges of Reconstruction. The simple statement, "Let us have peace," still echo down as a strong reminder to us, to those who never had the chance to meet him... Grant really was the right person for the times in which he passed.

The author, Josiah Bunting III, deserves credit and our thanks for having written a very good book. It's language is engaging. As a reader, I never thought I'd be able to sit through pages of descriptive narration of battles, army movements and strategy. It was never really something I could stomach in any of my history classes, and yet Mr. Bunting had me at every move. I was fascinated and along for every moment of the ride.

One can't help but be struck with the haunting realization that the Civil War was never a thing written in stone: it was avoidable. As with any other historical moment, it was something that came, something that followed the actions of other leaders (Franklin Pierce, Stephen Douglas, James Buchanan all spring to mind) who couldn't see that they were walking down a dangerous path. And yet, the war also lifted some men into national prominence: men of great character... men like U. S. Grant.