Ulysses S. Grant: Triumph Over Adversity, 1822-1865 [Hardcover]

Brooks D. Simpson Professor of History (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 21, 2000

Washington, Lincoln, Grant--these were once the triumvirate of American nationalism. But, like his tomb on the Hudson, Grant's reputation has fallen into disrepair. The image many Americans hold of him is a caricature: someone "uniquely stupid," an insensitive butcher as a general, an incompetent mediocrity as president, and a drunk. Several efforts to counter this stereotype have often gone too far in the other direction, resulting in an equally distorted laudatory portrait of near-perfection. In reading the original sources, Brooks D. Simpson became convinced that Grant was neither a bumbling idiot who was the darling of fortune nor a flawless general who could do no wrong. Rather, he was a tangle of opposing qualities--a relentless warrior but a generous victor, a commander who drew upon uncommon common sense in drafting campaign plans and in winning battles, a soldier so sensitive to suffering that he could not stand to see the bloody hides at his father's tannery, a man who made mistakes and sometimes learned from them. Even as he waged war, he realized the broader political implications of the struggle; he came to believe that the preservation of the Union depended upon the destruction of slavery. Equally compelling is Grant's personal story--one of a man who struggled against great odds, bad luck, and personal humiliation, who sought joy and love in the arms of his wife and his children, and who was determined to overcome adversity and prevail over his detractors. "None of our public men have a story so strange as this," Owen Wister once observed; agreeing, William T. Sherman remarked that Grant remained a mystery even to himself. In the first of two volumes, Brooks Simpson brings Grant's story to life in an account that is readable, balanced, compelling, and definitive.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Here is a superb first in a projected two-volume study of the Union general and president. Serving as neither his subject's advocate nor his prosecutor, Arizona State University historian Simpson provides an eminently informed and finely balanced portrait of Ulysses S. Grant as man, husband, failed entrepreneur and shrewd, victorious general. Simpson (Let Us Have Peace: Ulysses S. Grant and the Politics of War and Reconstruction, 1861-1868) uses carefully excavated facts and anecdotes to reveal an individual far more complex than the caricature (drunken, barbarous in battle, corrupt when given opportunity) handed down to us by popular history. At the same time, Simpson does not gloss over Grant's shortcomings. Although a fan of the general's, Simpson is not in the business of writing apologetics, and therein lies his strength. Appropriately, Simpson dispenses with Grant's pre-Civil War life in the first 70 pages of his book, devoting the balance to his name-making and often controversial Civil War exploits. Most importantly, Simpson shows in Grant the vital trait he shares with every great warrior-leader before or since: a hatred of warfare. War, said Grant, "is at all times a sad and cruel business... and nothing but imperative duty could induce me to engage in its work or witness its horrors." History Book Cub main selection. (Feb.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

In his Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of Ulysses S. Grant (Grant: A Biography), historian William McFeely portrayed the soldier-statesman-president as a liar, a battlefield butcher of men, and a racist. Sixteen years later, Geoffrey Perret's hagiographic work (Ulysses S. Grant: Soldier and President, LJ 7/97) cast Grant as an ethical, intelligent, and spiritually introspective man ill served by back-biting staff officers, incompetent field commanders, and self-aggrandizing political hacks. This balanced contribution from Simpson (The Reconstruction Presidents, LJ 6/15/98) offers a finely nuanced view of Grant as sometimes petty and vindictive, stubborn, partial to favorites, politically expedient, and willing to sacrifice principle in pursuit of results but nevertheless always the determined foe of slavery and Southern nationalism. The author dramatically traces his "triumph over adversity" theme through Grant's adolescence in Ohio, tenure at the Military Academy, tour of duty in the Mexican War, failed business ventures and exasperating domestic life, and grueling ascendancy to the pinnacle of the Union army and closes with his painful attempts to forestall Radical Republican legislation aimed at punishing the postwar South. The author's excellent afterword persuasively explains the complexities and seeming contradictions of his subject's character and genius. An auspicious beginning to Simpson's planned two-volume study; highly recommended for all public and academic libraries.
---John Carver Edwards, Univ. of Georgia Libs., Athens
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 560 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; First Edition edition (February 21, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395659949
• ISBN-13: 978-0395659946
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 1.7 x 9.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #791,491 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #57 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( G ) > Grant, Ulysses S.

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 41 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Grant the Human March 11, 2000

By KySgt64

Format:Hardcover

The criticisms of this book are hard to fathom. Brooks Simpson's wonderful new biography of Ulysses S. Grant--one of the least-understood and most-maligned of the "Great Americans"--is full of Grant's humanity, his complexities, his enigmas, and his sensibilities. Far from white-washing Grant's drinking, Simpson points out that Grant was keenly aware that he was a classic alcoholic. That's not what was important; what was important is what Grant did about it, and how the public perceptions of him then, and largely now, have been wrong. And far from sketching a passionless, boring Grant, Simpson vividly portrays Grant's human side: his intense love for his wife and children; his struggles to measure up to the expectations of his father and his father-in-law; the hurt he felt over casualties; and the actual tears that came--which were seen and written about by many of his contemporaries--when a loss was just too much to take.

I enjoyed this book immensely precisely because it painted Grant as a person with all the weaknesses and frailties that accompany all of us. And yet Grant became great. The best part of the book is Simpson's concluding essay on exactly why that was so. I have concluded that, while Grant is not often included in the pantheon of American heroes, I think he would have preferred it that way. This is biography at its best--stripped of both glorification and gratuitous criticism. I am anxiously awaiting the second volume.

32 of 37 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally - a balanced portrait February 9, 2000

By Erik Lindquist

Format:Hardcover

Mr. Simpson has written a meticulously researched and readable biography of a fascinating man. I am baffled by some of the lest enthused reviews appearing here as I found this book to be the finest military biography I have ever read (and I have read most of those written about figures of the Civil War).

I found I couldn't put this book down and I would recommend this book highly to anyone who wishes to actually feel as though you have talked about Grant with a lifelong friend of his.

Buy this book if you are even marginally interested in this time in our country's history but especially if you think you can't learn any more about US Grant.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Justice for General Grant January 3, 2005

By Dennis Phillips VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

It is hard to imagine that Ulysses S. Grant could still be controversial 140 years after the end of the Civil War, but judging by the reviews posted for this book one has to assume that this is the case. As a native of the American South it would be easy for me to join in with the negative reviewers but I was quite impressed with this book. While I must respect all opinions expressed in this forum and assume that all reviews are honest and sincere, I can't help but suspect that some of the unhappiness with this book is rooted in a dislike for Grant.

First of all, I found the author's writing style to be quite good and very readable. There were to be sure a few dry areas but not many. Unfortunately, most of those dry areas are to be found early in the book and that may explain why some readers were turned off. The author has also mastered the use of quotes, which seems to be a problem area for many historians. When Professor Simpson uses a quote it is used in perfect context and it is always just the right length. Many historians have the bad habit of including far too many quotes that are far too long and end up distracting the reader so this author's mastery of the technique was a welcome relief. Simpson has also done an excellent job of researching his subject although the Southern point of view is conspicuous in it's absence.

Simpson is fond of his subject as are most biographers but he does not hesitate to criticize Grant when criticism is called for. For example, Grant's claims that he was not surprised at Shiloh are treated with the contempt such claims deserve. The author makes it very clear that Grant was indeed surprised and that his claims to the contrary are pure nonsense. Simpson also spends a great deal of time handling the questions about Grant's drinking habits. Grant has been trashed for years as a drunk; an attack that overlooks the fact that within the 19th century military hard drinking was the norm and not the exception. Simpson does not in any way dismiss the drinking charges however and at times the professor makes it abundantly clear that he does not really believe Grant's version of some of the events that may have involved alcohol. On the other hand, Simpson points out that Grant was absolutely not the alcoholic that many make him out to be.

Overall, Simpson has given us a very clear portrait of General Grant. The reader will see both Grant's weaknesses and his strengths. Most clearly one begins to see a man whose greatest asset was his self-confidence. This was a man who had faith in his own judgment but was more than willing to make changes in his plans as events he couldn't control came into play. He was probably not a greater tactician than many other Civil War generals were, but he made things happen. For example, General Rosecrans had devised a plan to relieve the siege of Chattanooga before Grant arrived. Grant adopted much of this plan but the difference was that Rosecrans drew up a plan but failed to act while Grant set about breaking the siege with a vengeance. In short, the tender hearted Grant, who almost wept at the sight of wounded and dead soldiers understood how to wage a modern war better than any other Civil War commander. Simpson has done a very commendable job of shedding light on this complicated, yet very straightforward man.