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Jean Edward Smith

Grant Paperback – Illustrated, April 9, 2002

by Jean Edward Smith (Author)

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Finalist, Pulitzer Prize in Biography

Ulysses S. Grant was the first four-star general in the history of the United States Army and the only president between Andrew Jackson and Woodrow Wilson to serve eight consecutive years in the White House. As general in chief, Grant revolutionized modern warfare. As president, he brought stability to the country after years of war and upheaval. Yet today Grant is remembered as a brilliant general but a failed president.

In this comprehensive biography, Jean Edward Smith reconciles these conflicting assessments of Grant's life. He argues convincingly that Grant is greatly underrated as a president. Following the turmoil of Andrew Johnson's administration, Grant guided the nation through the post-Civil War era, overseeing Reconstruction in the South and enforcing the freedoms of new African-American citizens. His presidential accomplishments were as considerable as his military victories, says Smith, for the same strength of character that made him successful on the battlefield also characterized his years in the White House.

Print length

784 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Simon & Schuster
Publication date

April 9, 2002
Dimensions

6.13 x 1.4 x 9.25 inches
ISBN-10

0684849275
ISBN-13

978-0684849270
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"In the ongoing positive reevaluation of Grant's career, this is the best full-scale biography to have appeared." -- James M. McPherson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Battle Cry of Freedom

"By far the best life of Grant ever written. . . . It is a remarkable achievement." -- David Herbert Donald, author of Lincoln

"This book one-ups previous Grant biographies." -- Frank Scaturro ― The Washington Times

About the Author

Jean Edward Smith is the author of numerous works of history and biography, including biographies of John Marshall and Lucius D. Clay. He taught political science at the University of Toronto for more than thirty years and is currently the John Marshall Professor of Political Science at Marshall University.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster; Illustrated edition (April 9, 2002)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 784 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0684849275
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0684849270
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.94 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.13 x 1.4 x 9.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #342,254 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #524 in American Civil War Biographies (Books)
- #1,196 in US Presidents
- #1,456 in U.S. Civil War History

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John Allen Chalk

An Illuminating Read - Smith's Grant

Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2019

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I read Jean Edward Smith's biography of U. S. Grant after reading the more recent Chernow and White biographies. Smith supplied details at critical points in Grant's life that are recognized by Chernow and White but not treated with the depth that Smith supplies. Although I have spent many hours in multiple visits to the Shiloh battlefield and knew Savannah, Crump Landing, Pittsburgh Landing, and Corinth as a child growing up in West Tennessee with a school-teacher mother, Smith put Shiloh in a much clearer context for me. Smith's explanatory notes throughout the book also gave me more incidental but enriching information. I recommend Chernow, White, and Smith biographies be read in that order. Grant's life - before the war, during the war, and after the war - continues to inspire, instruct, and challenge all of us to persist in service to others.

19 people found this helpful

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D. Mikels

Superb Account of an Historic Leader

Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2018

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Ulysses S. Grant: A remarkable general, yet a mediocre politician. That was my understanding, as a pseudo-historian enthusiast, until I came upon author Jean Edward Smith's extensive study in GRANT. Smith begs to differ with this consensus, and argues that Grant, as General and Commander-in-Chief, looked back on his years of failure to find strength and tenacity to be a moral and exceptional leader--weaknesses not withstanding. Smith highlights Grant's overwhelming calm demeanor--when those about him were succumbing to their emotions--that led to his success on the battlefield, and in the White House. Smith gives an account of General Grant calmly issuing new orders while rebel shells were literally bursting all around him; it's a microcosm of Grant's ability to focus, and his tenacity to persevere.

In Smith's biography, GRANT covers the general's full life--from a youngster in Ohio to a mediocre cadet at West Point. Grant got his first taste of combat as a lieutenant in the Mexican War; Smith reveals how the young officer very much admired the commanders Winfield Scott and Zachary Taylor--fearless leaders who never lost their demeanor or resolve in the face of tenacious adversity. These were the traits that defined him as general-in-chief during the Civil War. Yet GRANT also covers the general's dark years, suggesting he was forced to resign his commission as captain in the 1850s due to his drinking, subsequently sinking into poverty as a failed farmer, and forced to sell firewood on a street corner in St. Louis. It was a constant fear of returning to such straits that compelled the general to fiercely succeed.

Almost overlooked to be commissioned as an officer as the Civil War began, Grant rapidly gained notoriety on the Western frontier. As President Lincoln proclaimed, "This is a general who fights!" Smith steadily portrays Grant's battlefield acumen, his rigid determination, his calm demeanor, his ability to determine the strengths of his army and to exploit them. Even in the face of adversity, Grant stayed the course; it led to victories at Shiloh, Vicksburg, and Chattanooga, prompting Lincoln to promote him to general-in-chief of the entire Union army and bring him to Washington to take command of the hapless Army of the Potomac. Grant took his forces into Virginia, and when adversity struck--unlike previous commanders who went back north across the Potomac--Grant dug in. After all, as Smith suggests, the general had superior numbers, so it was a matter of sheer attrition to outlast Robert E. Lee's embattled Confederate Army. Such tenacity ultimately led to Lee's surrender at Appomattox; when the war ended, Grant was an undisputed national hero.

Following Lincoln's assassination, Grant continued as general-in-chief during Andrew Johnson's tumultuous presidency; Smith suggests it was Grant's machinations behind the scenes that prohibited Johnson from undoing Reconstruction. In 1868, with Grant not even wanting a political career, the general was unanimously nominated the Republican candidate for president; Grant subsequently won in a landslide. Again, Smith reveals how Grant brought the same calm demeanor to the White House; it helped him in his first year, when corrupt speculators flooded the market with gold and caused a financial panic, to defy congressional and media demands to flood the economy with greenbacks, easing the economy back on the gold standard. Grant also stringently enforced Reconstruction and sent in armed forces to repel the KKK; he also advocated peace on the Plains. He tried (ultimately without success) to drive all the corruption out of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, yet he was able to establish a fragile peace within the various reservations. Still a nationwide phenom, Grant was reelected in 1872, on another landslide.

Smith reaches a harsher note when he describes the general's second term. Grant had a weakness for giving the benefit of the doubt to those who showed kindness to him; as a result, he picked less then stellar men to fill cabinet positions for his second term. As Smith relates, one by one these scoundrels fell into scandal; these subsequent scandals overshadowed Grant's second term--and did massive harm to Reconstruction in the south. Smith also examines how Grant's calm resolve helped keep hotheads from taking to the streets in the wake of the 1876 election--he refused to favor Democrats or Republicans, but pushed for a bipartisan solution to resolve the disputed election; it was a bizarre turn of events on the Supreme Court that ultimately tipped the scales in favor of Rutherford B. Hayes. And in March of 1877, Ulysses S. Grant becomes a private citizen.

Now in the final chapter of the general's life, Smith shows the Grant family touring the world for two solid years; Grant was an international sensation in Europe and Asia. (Smith shows ample evidence that Japan was by far the general's favorite country.) Donors and boosters raised money for Grant and his wife, Julia, to purchase a brownstone in New York--plus said funds allowed for the Grants to live comfortably. Unfortunately, Grant continued to make bad business decisions--as he had done in the 1850s--and he lost all his money investing in a house of cards scheme his son, Buck, had established. Fortunately, various friends stepped in to "loan" Grant sufficient funds to get by, allowing the general--now in the clutches of cancer--to write and complete his memoirs. Mark Twain himself was going to publish them, and the royalties generated would serve as insurance for Julia and Grant's children. Grant finished his memoirs literally days before his death in July of 1885; Smith relates how Twain was proud to present the first royalty check to Julia in the amount of $200,000: at the time, the largest royalty check ever written.

Absolutely unknown to this reviewer: Grant was a candidate for a third presidential term in 1880. He fell short by just a handful of votes to get the nomination on the first ballot, throwing the Republican convention into subsequent chaos, culminating in the eventual nomination of James Garfield. Also unknown: on the final day of Congress in 1885--as Chester Arthur was leaving office at noon, and Grover Cleveland was about to be sworn in as president--the House and Senate passed a resolution restoring Grant's rank as general, thereby providing a lifelong pension. As Smith relates, the general was a beloved national hero, long after his military and political careers.

Smith's prose is direct and to the point. His narrative flows smoothly, and is easy to assimilate. There are thousands of footnotes, relayed at the back of the text, along with a bibliography over 40 pages long; clearly Smith has done his homework. Ulysses S. Grant was an exceptional commander, politician, and man; Jean Edward Smith's GRANT is an exceptional biography. Enthusiastically recommended.
~D. Mikels, Esq.

12 people found this helpful

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DantheMan

"Lick 'em tomorrow"

Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2015

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After reading this biography I have a new found respect for this great general and man who would not quit. There is no question that Grant was a superb leader. The calm, steady, unflagging mentality he brought to the field instilled trust throughout the ranks. Though perhaps lacking the Southern class of Robert E. Lee or the genius of Stonewall Jackson--Ulysses S. Grant more than made up for it by his sheer fight. His directness in battle was often criticized by his peers (going against the military grain of the day), but it proved more than effective. It was exactly what the Union needed to win. No battle epitomizes Grant's fighting mentality more than the battle of Shiloh. After a crushing first day of over 7,000 Union casualties, a shattered and disheartened Sherman approached Grant and said, " Well, Grant, we've had the devil's own day, haven't we?" Grant's response between cigar puffs is classic Grant: "Yes. Yes. Lick 'em tomorrow though." Turns out that is exactly what he did.

Grant's resilience was formed in the dark years before the Civil War. Prone to terrible financial luck, every business venture Grant's hand touched was undoubtedly cursed to fail. I was surprised to learn that before the war Grant spent years in poverty. Struggling to live and support his family, he spent hours a day selling fire wood on a street corner. These years molded Grant and prepared him for what was to come.

In battle Grant was resilient. In victory he was gracious. In peace he was principled. Much of Smith's account records the presidency of U. S. Grant (and while I was far more interested in the Civil War) I was pleased to learn that while not a great President, Grant was a good one. He improved relations with England, helped to rebuild the South, supported oppressed people groups (Native Americans & African Americans), and vetoed a dangerous inflationary bill. Much is made of the scandals and bribes that occurred throughout the Grant administration, and perhaps rightfully so. Grant's radical loyalty for his friends and simplistic trust of people proved destructive. However, flawed as he was, I cannot deny that Grant was just the man the United States needed--both during and after the war.

As to the biography itself, I was impressed with Smith's account. I found it to be very scholarly and yet easy to read. My complaints are too few maps, and I found certain parts before and after the war rather dull. All in all a very good--solid account.

33 people found this helpful

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R Helen

A better look at Grant's Presidency

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 4, 2016

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I found this a commendable book, but having just read "Team of Rivals" I can see the difference between a good biography an a great one. The first half of the book is the better of the two as it focuses quite deeply on Grant's role in the Civil War. Smith does an excellent job recreating the famous battles and really explaining to the reader the different battle options available and why one course was chosen over another. For those with little military knowledge, this was very helpful.

The second half of the book, Grant's post-civil war career and his two terms as President, are not given the same deep attention. Grant seems to have been a noble, if somewhat flawed character, but not much is said about his personal life and not much of an analysis of the struggles he underwent as President is given The author clearly shows that Grant's did some very important things during his tenure and his Presidency has been vastly underrated, but at the same time it is obvious that his Presidency was filled with corruption, (not necessarily connected to him) and this is just brushed over. The impeachment of Andrew Johnson is not given enough attention and more background on reconstruction and the Indian Wars would have enhanced the book considerably, not just an explanation of Grant's role in them. The money issues were too confusing for me as I have little financial background. Smith should have spent the same amount of time explaining this battle as he did the military ones. The book has lots of details but not great depth. Narrative non-fiction is best when it reads like a novel with lots of character, setting, plot, and action. This book is a little too dry for my taste.

That said, I really enjoy books that change the way we view things. I'm glad that Smith has redeemed Grant's Presidency as I liked him as a character. I just wish more time had been spent delving into it. This was a good biography, but I think an even greater one may be waiting out there.

2 people found this helpful

Wheelnut

You are there with him

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 5, 2017

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On the cover of this book is a tribute which says "By far the best life of Grant ever written...". Well I am unqualified to say but having read it I can well believe it. Before choosing a Grant biography I did some research and was drawn towards this one by Jean Edward Smith. I had already read the FDR biography by Smith and liked it but this is even better. The depth of research is unbelievable and it is used to help take you to the battlefield, feeling the conditions and hearing the dialogue going on. An excellent read about an exceptional man

One person found this helpful

michael Billington

A true American Hero

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 22, 2011

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U.S Grant is an American hero. The general who led the union to victory in the civil war should be as revered today as he was during his lifetime. But unlike a general of a later era(Eisenhower) who also became President, Grants tenure in the White House is regarded by most historians as a failure. This combined with the reputation he gained for drinking has led to a tarnishing of his reputation. This book goes some way to correcting the record. The numerous scandals surrounding the Grant administration are not ignored nor are the failures Grant suffered in other areas of his life. But they are balanced alongside the great successes of Grant as both a soldier and President allowing for a more complete picture of Grants life to emerge.

2 people found this helpful

Denis ..

Cannot recommend this book too highly as it charts the political ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 13, 2015

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A superb book. Grant's influence on the future of the United States was in many ways more profound than Lincoln's. As commanding General he secured victory for the Union when stalemate could have led to division of the country and a far different picture today. What would have been the situation in Europe if a strong USA had not been on hand to pull freedom's chestnuts out of the fire in two World Wars and the Cold War in the next century?
Equally important was his resistance, with Lincoln dead in the immediate aftermath of the war, to the efforts of the racist President Andrew Johnson to turn the clock back and deny the freedoms won for the former slaves by much Northern blood.
Cannot recommend this book too highly as it charts the political and military events on the North American continent in the 1860s and which has affected World history ever since through the life of one of the principal figures.

One person found this helpful

Frances Lynch

5 stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 28, 2015

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Great book, it really expanded my knowledge on the American Civil War and its aftermath, all from the point of a great general .

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