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The Annotated Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant
With kaleidoscopic, trenchant, path-breaking insights, Elizabeth D. Samet has produced the most ambitious edition of Ulysses Grant’s Memoirs yet published. One hundred and thirty-three years after its 1885 publication by Mark Twain, Elizabeth Samet has annotated this lavish edition of Grant’s landmark memoir, and expands the Civil War backdrop against which this monumental American life is typically read. No previous edition combines such a sweep of historical and cultural contexts with the literary authority that Samet, an English professor obsessed with Grant for decades, brings to the table. Whether exploring novels Grant read at West Point or presenting majestic images culled from archives, Samet curates a richly annotated, highly collectible edition that will fascinate Civil War buffs. The edition also breaks new ground in its attack on the “Lost Cause” revisionism that still distorts our national conversation about the legacy of the Civil War. Never has Grant’s transformation from tanner’s son to military leader been more insightfully and passionately explained than in this timely edition, appearing on the 150th anniversary of Grant’s 1868 presidential election. 83 illustrations
1152 pages, Hardcover
Published November 27, 2018
About the author
Ulysses S. Grant
236 books114 followersUlysses Simpson Grant, originally Hiram Ulysses Grant, in Civil War victoriously campaigned at Vicksburg from 1862 to 1863, and, made commander in chief of the Army in 1864, accepted the surrender of Robert Edward Lee, general, at Appomattox in 1865; widespread graft and corruption marred his two-term presidency, the eighteenth of the United States, from 1869 to 1877.
Robert Edward Lee surrendered to Ulysses Simpson Grant at Appomattox in 1865.
Robert Edward Lee, Confederate general, surrendered to Ulysses Simpson Grant, Union general, at the hamlet of Appomattox Court House on 9 April 1865 to end effectively the Civil War.
The son of an Appalachian tanner of Ohio, Ulysses Simpson Grant of America entered the military academy at 17 years of age in 1839. The academy graduated him in 1843. In 1846, three years afterward, Grant served as a lieutenant in the Mexican War under Winfield Scott and Zachary Taylor. The conflict concluded in 1848.
Grant abruptly resigned in 1854. After struggling through the succeeding years as a real estate agent, a laborer, and a county engineer, Grant decided to join the northern effort.
Abraham Lincoln appointed Grant to brigadier of volunteers in 1861; he in 1862 claimed the first major capture of fort Henry and fort Donelson in Tennessee. A Confederate attack at the battle of Shiloh surprised him, who emerged, but the severe casualties prompted a public outcry. Following many long initial setbacks and his rescue of the besieged at Chattanooga, however, Grant subsequently established his reputation as most aggression and success to Lincoln. Named lieutenant in 1864, Grant implemented a coordinated strategy of simultaneous attacks, aimed at destroying ability of economy to sustain forces of the south. He mounted a successful attrition against his Confederate opponents to courthouse in 1865.
After Andrew Jackson, four decades earlier, people elected duly popular Grant as a Republican in 1868 and re-elected him in 1872 as the first to serve fully. Grant signed and enforced congressional rights legislation to lead Reconstruction.
Grant built a powerful, patronage-based Republican Party in the south and strained relations between the north and former Confederates. Sometimes, nepotism produced scandal of his Administration; people coined the neologism to describe his politics.
Grant left office in 1877 and embarked upon a two-year world tour. Unsuccessful in winning the nomination for a third in 1880, left destitute by a fraudulent investor, and near the brink of death, Grant wrote his Memoirs, which were enormously successful among veterans, the public, and critics. However, in 1884, Grant learned that he was suffering from terminal throat cancer and, two days after completing his writing, he died at the age of 63. Historians typically rank Grant in the lowest quartile for his tolerance, but in recent years his reputation has improved among some scholars impressed by his support for rights for African Americans.
Robert Edward Lee surrendered to Ulysses Simpson Grant at Appomattox in 1865.
Robert Edward Lee, Confederate general, surrendered to Ulysses Simpson Grant, Union general, at the hamlet of Appomattox Court House on 9 April 1865 to end effectively the Civil War.
The son of an Appalachian tanner of Ohio, Ulysses Simpson Grant of America entered the military academy at 17 years of age in 1839. The academy graduated him in 1843. In 1846, three years afterward, Grant served as a lieutenant in the Mexican War under Winfield Scott and Zachary Taylor. The conflict concluded in 1848.
Grant abruptly resigned in 1854. After struggling through the succeeding years as a real estate agent, a laborer, and a county engineer, Grant decided to join the northern effort.
Abraham Lincoln appointed Grant to brigadier of volunteers in 1861; he in 1862 claimed the first major capture of fort Henry and fort Donelson in Tennessee. A Confederate attack at the battle of Shiloh surprised him, who emerged, but the severe casualties prompted a public outcry. Following many long initial setbacks and his rescue of the besieged at Chattanooga, however, Grant subsequently established his reputation as most aggression and success to Lincoln. Named lieutenant in 1864, Grant implemented a coordinated strategy of simultaneous attacks, aimed at destroying ability of economy to sustain forces of the south. He mounted a successful attrition against his Confederate opponents to courthouse in 1865.
After Andrew Jackson, four decades earlier, people elected duly popular Grant as a Republican in 1868 and re-elected him in 1872 as the first to serve fully. Grant signed and enforced congressional rights legislation to lead Reconstruction.
Grant built a powerful, patronage-based Republican Party in the south and strained relations between the north and former Confederates. Sometimes, nepotism produced scandal of his Administration; people coined the neologism to describe his politics.
Grant left office in 1877 and embarked upon a two-year world tour. Unsuccessful in winning the nomination for a third in 1880, left destitute by a fraudulent investor, and near the brink of death, Grant wrote his Memoirs, which were enormously successful among veterans, the public, and critics. However, in 1884, Grant learned that he was suffering from terminal throat cancer and, two days after completing his writing, he died at the age of 63. Historians typically rank Grant in the lowest quartile for his tolerance, but in recent years his reputation has improved among some scholars impressed by his support for rights for African Americans.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
July 29, 2019
Withdrawal from the Union would've been uncontestable between the original 13 states. While Grant can sympathize with the commitment of the brave butternut rank & file to the Southern cause, he cannot with the administration above them which turned the South into 'one vast military camp.
The annotations are rich beyond measure. Every newly introduced character gets a thrifty biography. If you know your MacPherson, these will tend to be familiar. Yet the crossovers to Chinese Poetry, lengthy quotations of Shakespeare & even Cortés on Mexico are the prerogative of Mrs. Samet, whose love of literature commendably surpasses the English sphere. She makes sure to use editions avaliable in the 1880s where possible to preserve the immersion.
A secondary salutary effect of such copious footnotes is to reinforce the modernity of Grant's unadorned prose. The eye tends to cross the line from the black to the blue lettering and back without notice, in spite of 150 years' worth of academic standards between them. Not many a military historian can better Grant's campaign chronicles, even from the Lieutenant level.
Thank God he was NOT at Gettysburg, because even seen from the sterile position of the Commander, he wets your appetite to learn more about the battles in the West that never got the same amount of attention from the newspapers in the East, on which the mass popularity of ACW battles remains built.
The annotations are rich beyond measure. Every newly introduced character gets a thrifty biography. If you know your MacPherson, these will tend to be familiar. Yet the crossovers to Chinese Poetry, lengthy quotations of Shakespeare & even Cortés on Mexico are the prerogative of Mrs. Samet, whose love of literature commendably surpasses the English sphere. She makes sure to use editions avaliable in the 1880s where possible to preserve the immersion.
A secondary salutary effect of such copious footnotes is to reinforce the modernity of Grant's unadorned prose. The eye tends to cross the line from the black to the blue lettering and back without notice, in spite of 150 years' worth of academic standards between them. Not many a military historian can better Grant's campaign chronicles, even from the Lieutenant level.
Thank God he was NOT at Gettysburg, because even seen from the sterile position of the Commander, he wets your appetite to learn more about the battles in the West that never got the same amount of attention from the newspapers in the East, on which the mass popularity of ACW battles remains built.
May 12, 2019
Nothing can match Grant's memoirs for straightforward clarity and directness. We wastes no time lamenting his errors, even at Shiloh and Cold Harbor, but he also lets his Union-saving accomplishments speak for themselves. He readily gives praise when it is merited, and obliquely gives criticism likewise. He enlivens the narrative with personal anecdotes, such as when he was scouting alone (to avoid attention) at Chattanooga and came across a lone soldier filling his canteen at a stream. On asking the soldier's unit, he discovered that he was a Confederate. The two had a pleasant chat and then went their separate ways. I wish the memoir could have continued through Grant's presidency, but Grant was dying of throat cancer as he finished it, alas.
This edition is annotated by a professor of English at the U.S. Military Academy, not by an historian. The pictures are more eclectic that the usual portraits, maps, and landscapes, though some of those are included too. The notes are equally diverse, covering such things as parallels in Shakespeare and the role of bicycles in war. Despite their charm, I found myself ignoring them as a distraction from Grant's admirable prose. An Afterword (nominally about Grant's tomb) rightly laments that slavery was replaced by another system of oppression, and that racial equality was not really pursued even in the North. It also grouses about the "stainless banner" revisionism that took hold in the South, which is perhaps worth no more than a condescending smile. It could have emphasized the reconciliation between North and South after the War, and the acceptance of the South back into the Union on terms of equality after they accepted the results of the War. This kind of healing is by no means common after bloody civil wars, and Grant contributed greatly to it. Three Confederate generals were among his pallbearers.
This edition is annotated by a professor of English at the U.S. Military Academy, not by an historian. The pictures are more eclectic that the usual portraits, maps, and landscapes, though some of those are included too. The notes are equally diverse, covering such things as parallels in Shakespeare and the role of bicycles in war. Despite their charm, I found myself ignoring them as a distraction from Grant's admirable prose. An Afterword (nominally about Grant's tomb) rightly laments that slavery was replaced by another system of oppression, and that racial equality was not really pursued even in the North. It also grouses about the "stainless banner" revisionism that took hold in the South, which is perhaps worth no more than a condescending smile. It could have emphasized the reconciliation between North and South after the War, and the acceptance of the South back into the Union on terms of equality after they accepted the results of the War. This kind of healing is by no means common after bloody civil wars, and Grant contributed greatly to it. Three Confederate generals were among his pallbearers.
July 7, 2020
Having seen the recent TV special on Grant, I was motivated to read his memoirs and decided to try the annotated version. Very smart choice! While the annotations make it a very long book (clocking in at 935 full pages), they are beautifully done and add immeasurably to what would otherwise have been a drier read. Not that the memoirs themselves aren't interesting; they are, but a good deal of the text is devoted to troop movements and the like. Ms. Samet's inclusions of anecdotes, bio data on generals and others, excerpts from other texts to illustrate and amplify Grant's points--all these and more--greatly enhance the story. There are also numerous photographs, and some maps (maybe could have used a few more of those, but that's a quibble). If you're going to read Grant's memoirs, this is an elegant way to do it--and being able to do it with benefit of Covid isolation time is very helpful.
July 31, 2021
This edition has extensive footnotes by Grant scholar Elizabeth Samet. She's a professor at West Point, which seems to qualify her well to talk about military matters. But as a scholar of literature rather than history, Samet brings a different perspective. Her notes, which probably add 20% to Grant's text, helping the narrative part alone come in at 935 pages, make comments on Grant's writing style and compare passages to others from literature of Grant's time and beyond. Outside of Grant's time, Samet draws especially on two other periods of war and literature, World War I and the wars of antiquity.
These notes generally enhanced the reading experience for me, though sometimes I skimmed them. But I also sometimes skimmed Grant's own text, for example, when he lists all the commanders with all the units who he's set up before a big battle. Or when he talks about a lot of little battles that take place in between the name brand contests. But I paid close attention to Grant's writing, and Samet's notes, on key events. Except to recount his role in and opinions of the Mexican War, Grant writes little about his life before the Civil War. And of course he ends the memoirs right after the Civil War.
So this is really a Civil War book. Or, a narrative, as he style it, of the War of the Rebellion. I especially appreciated the last 50 pages where Grant gets ready to end the war by closing the trap around Lee's army after Richmond is evacuated. If you're a Grant fan, you can get the story here, and many of Grant's most famous quotes and opinions, in any good Grant biography.
But if you want to go deeper and see the context for those quotes and thoughts, then Grant's memoirs is worth reading. And if you want to commune with the man himself by reading what he had to say about his life and times in hundreds of pages of his own words, then reading Grant's memoirs can become a kind of spiritual practice -- it takes patience, but you may just come out as a changed person after you're done.
These notes generally enhanced the reading experience for me, though sometimes I skimmed them. But I also sometimes skimmed Grant's own text, for example, when he lists all the commanders with all the units who he's set up before a big battle. Or when he talks about a lot of little battles that take place in between the name brand contests. But I paid close attention to Grant's writing, and Samet's notes, on key events. Except to recount his role in and opinions of the Mexican War, Grant writes little about his life before the Civil War. And of course he ends the memoirs right after the Civil War.
So this is really a Civil War book. Or, a narrative, as he style it, of the War of the Rebellion. I especially appreciated the last 50 pages where Grant gets ready to end the war by closing the trap around Lee's army after Richmond is evacuated. If you're a Grant fan, you can get the story here, and many of Grant's most famous quotes and opinions, in any good Grant biography.
But if you want to go deeper and see the context for those quotes and thoughts, then Grant's memoirs is worth reading. And if you want to commune with the man himself by reading what he had to say about his life and times in hundreds of pages of his own words, then reading Grant's memoirs can become a kind of spiritual practice -- it takes patience, but you may just come out as a changed person after you're done.
November 5, 2019
Mark Twain put a bug in my ear when I read the first volume of his autobiography a couple years ago:
"I tried very hard to get General Grant to write his personal memoirs for publication but he would not listen to the suggestion. His inborn diffidence made him shrink from voluntarily coming forward before the public and placing himself under criticism as an author. He had no confidence in his ability to write well, whereas I and everybody else in the world excepting himself are aware that he possesses an admirable literary gift and style."
Granting Twain some usual leeway for telling the story "his way," it is difficult to disagree with his assessment of Grant as a writer. Through two volumes, 70 chapters, and nearly 1000 pages, Grant takes the reader from his boyhood to the war in Mexico, to leaving the army for civilian life, to his meteoric rise after rejoining for the preservation of the Union. His literary style is simple but never boring; each chapter is logically constructed, relating events as he observed them along with his intentions and considerations at the time. Along the way he remarks on the various generals he served under or commanded, or fought against, offering what seem to be fair assessments of their strengths and weaknesses. His memories of Lincoln, including several anecdotes relating the President's folksy charm and their budding friendship, further add interest. Having driven victories at some of the War's most famous battles, including Shiloh, Vicksburg, Chattanooga, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, and Petersburg/Richmond, and Sherman's March to the Sea, Grant never comes across as a braggart, instead describing these actions rather objectively, and lauding those individuals who rose to the occasion. Based on his appraisals, I would be interested to read the works of CSA Generals Longstreet and Mosby.
Samet's annotations just about make this two books in one. Her inclusion of various related materials, ranging from other period memoirs to ancient Greek works to Shakespeare, along with her own scholarly input, greatly enhance the memoirs, by providing context and hypercontext, connecting the War of the Rebellion, and in particular Grant's telling of it, within the grand scheme of human history, and indeed humanity. Beautiful full-color maps, illustrations, and period photographs further illuminate the work. If there's any criticism it's that Samet's annotations are sometimes intrusive, though I found I quickly adapted to the breaks in rhythm, and appreciated the color commentary, most of the time.
The Civil War continues to be profoundly relevant in American history and culture. This book therefore would seem to deserve a prominent position in American literature. Twain was on to something.
"I tried very hard to get General Grant to write his personal memoirs for publication but he would not listen to the suggestion. His inborn diffidence made him shrink from voluntarily coming forward before the public and placing himself under criticism as an author. He had no confidence in his ability to write well, whereas I and everybody else in the world excepting himself are aware that he possesses an admirable literary gift and style."
Granting Twain some usual leeway for telling the story "his way," it is difficult to disagree with his assessment of Grant as a writer. Through two volumes, 70 chapters, and nearly 1000 pages, Grant takes the reader from his boyhood to the war in Mexico, to leaving the army for civilian life, to his meteoric rise after rejoining for the preservation of the Union. His literary style is simple but never boring; each chapter is logically constructed, relating events as he observed them along with his intentions and considerations at the time. Along the way he remarks on the various generals he served under or commanded, or fought against, offering what seem to be fair assessments of their strengths and weaknesses. His memories of Lincoln, including several anecdotes relating the President's folksy charm and their budding friendship, further add interest. Having driven victories at some of the War's most famous battles, including Shiloh, Vicksburg, Chattanooga, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, and Petersburg/Richmond, and Sherman's March to the Sea, Grant never comes across as a braggart, instead describing these actions rather objectively, and lauding those individuals who rose to the occasion. Based on his appraisals, I would be interested to read the works of CSA Generals Longstreet and Mosby.
Samet's annotations just about make this two books in one. Her inclusion of various related materials, ranging from other period memoirs to ancient Greek works to Shakespeare, along with her own scholarly input, greatly enhance the memoirs, by providing context and hypercontext, connecting the War of the Rebellion, and in particular Grant's telling of it, within the grand scheme of human history, and indeed humanity. Beautiful full-color maps, illustrations, and period photographs further illuminate the work. If there's any criticism it's that Samet's annotations are sometimes intrusive, though I found I quickly adapted to the breaks in rhythm, and appreciated the color commentary, most of the time.
The Civil War continues to be profoundly relevant in American history and culture. This book therefore would seem to deserve a prominent position in American literature. Twain was on to something.
September 10, 2020
A great read that is relevant in today's hyper-partisan climate. In Ulysses S Grant's memoirs you do not get a sugar coated description of events. He gives respect where he felt it was deserved and the same with scorn. His thoughts should be regarded with respect today as he was not afraid to point out where politicians were in the wrong for issues like Slavery, (He had no respect for these politicians as far back as the annexation of Texas where it was being pushed merely to come into the union as a slave state) but gives respect to the fighting men who were pulled in to fight for a losing cause.
August 2, 2021
This book is very well done with one exception: the maps should be larger as the print was often difficult to read without a magnifying glass. Everything else was superb. I especially liked having Grant's final report to the Secretary of War as an appendix. The editor was very smart in using Grant's first sentence of his conclusion in framing her Editor's Afterward. That enabled her Afterward to have a greater impact on me than it otherwise would have and has left me thinking deeply. She reinforced it by including the exchange between Grenville Dodge and Sherman.
March 23, 2019
An amazing work. Samet's notes are excellent, providing historical context, biographical information about those Grant mentions, alternate views of similar events, and historical comparisons to Grant's discussions. Really fantastic.
September 28, 2020
A very good book. Big fan of Grant
April 30, 2019
I'm a history buff and have always been interested in the Civil War. I have a profound new appreciation for Grant, and a much better understanding of the dynamics, players, history, and overall story. I love that it is annotated to provide context and additional information. It's probably the longest book I've read; I would usually read a chapter each night, and it took me about 5 months. I do recommend it for any fan of the era and such an important part of American (and world) history, but obviously Civil War buffs will have the greatest appreciation of the huge cast of characters involved. An understanding of geography is helpful, which I have. Yet I still found myself referring to maps with some frequency. However, many places are referred to by older names, which can be a bit hard to follow.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 11, 2022
If you're going to tackle Ulysses Grant's memoirs, this is a good way to do it.
The annotations by West Point Academy instructor and Grant scholar Elizabeth Samet really enhance the narrative. She provides interesting biographical data on Civil War generals and other characters, as well as excerpts from other works that amplify or contrast with Grant's points. She also includes many photographs from historical archives, as well as maps (although some of the maps need a magnifying glass in order to really make out the text).
Grant's own writing style reflects his personality: simple, direct, and to the point (which was very different from the flowery, florid prose that most writers used in the 19th century). He gives praise when it's deserved, but also doesn't hesitate to give understated criticism when it's deserved.
He never comes across as an egotist or a braggart about his Civil War victories, but simply explains the reasons behind his strategy and lets the results speak for themselves.
My only quibble with this book is that sometimes the annotations do interrupt the rhythm of the narrative flow. You might prefer to just skip over them and then read all of the annotations in full at the end of each chapter.
Also, Grant's subject is not himself, but the American Civil War (or, as he called it, the War of the Rebellion) as he experienced it. He dwells very little on his background and ends his memoir as soon as the war ends, with no mention of his Presidency or his around-the-world trip.
So if you want personal information about Grant, read one of the many excellent biographies of Grant instead, which the editor helpfully lists in her bibliography.
The annotations by West Point Academy instructor and Grant scholar Elizabeth Samet really enhance the narrative. She provides interesting biographical data on Civil War generals and other characters, as well as excerpts from other works that amplify or contrast with Grant's points. She also includes many photographs from historical archives, as well as maps (although some of the maps need a magnifying glass in order to really make out the text).
Grant's own writing style reflects his personality: simple, direct, and to the point (which was very different from the flowery, florid prose that most writers used in the 19th century). He gives praise when it's deserved, but also doesn't hesitate to give understated criticism when it's deserved.
He never comes across as an egotist or a braggart about his Civil War victories, but simply explains the reasons behind his strategy and lets the results speak for themselves.
My only quibble with this book is that sometimes the annotations do interrupt the rhythm of the narrative flow. You might prefer to just skip over them and then read all of the annotations in full at the end of each chapter.
Also, Grant's subject is not himself, but the American Civil War (or, as he called it, the War of the Rebellion) as he experienced it. He dwells very little on his background and ends his memoir as soon as the war ends, with no mention of his Presidency or his around-the-world trip.
So if you want personal information about Grant, read one of the many excellent biographies of Grant instead, which the editor helpfully lists in her bibliography.
August 6, 2020
This was probably one of the longest books I've ever read. Grant has become quite a controversial figure in recent months. Regardless I find this book to a refreshing look at the Civil War though it doesn't fully capture the whole picture. For too long I've been taught about the so-called "grand victories of the south" and their"heroic generals" especially since I live in Florida. So it was relieving to see the Union's side of the story and their battles and victories. I got a better picture of the several battle strategies of the Union and the South became a lot less glorified. I also appreciated the afterword that talked about how the South became beautified and how their vile cause which was preserving Chattel Slavery was all but forgotten when Jim Crow came. While Grant does not capture the full scope of the US civil war it is a step in seeing the war different than how the rest of the country used to see it.
January 29, 2019
This is a remarkable achievement. Grant's memoirs have always been a special treat due to his clean writing style and even-handed treatment of both his colleagues and competitors.
But now with the copious footnotes provided by scholar Elizabeth Samet, this becomes one of a handful of essential books that should be read for an intelligent understanding of the Civil War.
Samet's explanatory notes are fascinating, sometimes quirky, endlessly entertaining, and never intrusive.
But now with the copious footnotes provided by scholar Elizabeth Samet, this becomes one of a handful of essential books that should be read for an intelligent understanding of the Civil War.
Samet's explanatory notes are fascinating, sometimes quirky, endlessly entertaining, and never intrusive.
August 15, 2019
Not as good as the biography. It does go into tremendous detail while omitting any reference to his drinking issues.
March 5, 2020
While Grant's writing style and memoirs are excellent on their own, the introduction, annotations, and additional images and maps really put this edition over the top.
April 1, 2020
This book, covering Grant’s life from his childhood to the close of the Civil War, is a genuinely great read. The bulk of the book is about the Mexican American and Civil Wars. I found it weirdly addictive, reading about one brigade marching to cut off the enemy’s supply lines here, another division threatening the enemy’s flank there, and so on. I guess I’ve played enough Total War to love that shit.
As the editor of this edition repeatedly reminds the reader, Grant’s style here is far more modern than that of his long-winded contemporaries. His style is much closer to Hemingway than Gilded Age gibberish. Grant describes writing his surrender terms for General Lee by saying: “When I put my pen to the paper I did not know the first word that I should make use of in writing the terms. I only knew what was in my mind, and I wished to express it clearly, so that there could be no mistaking it.” Grant obviously had the same philosophy in mind in writing his memoir. Short, declarative sentences are the order of the day, and the book is therefore extremely accessible to a reader in 2020.
The first half of the book is better than the second half. The first half almost has the feel of an RPG, as Grant rises from almost complete obscurity to become General over the armies of the West. Grant is personally present for all the events described in Part I of the book, and he sprinkles in many memorable anecdotes and descriptions of what he personally observes. After his stunningly successful Vicksburg campaign, Grant was promoted to command the Union’s entire force. From then on this book becomes a bit of a slog at times, as Grant relays his commands for other officers to put into practice and describes what his commanders actually do. It’s a bit like reading a chessmaster retell his moves in his greatest ever game without being able to see the board; it’s interesting, but it’s also hard to envision precisely what is going on. Still, there were more than enough gems in the second half of the book to keep me entertained, and I certainly learned a lot about the Civil War.
The footnotes in this edition are a mixed bag. Many of the footnotes provide invaluable historical context. Other footnotes are completely anachronistic, describing events from a completely different time period that the editor feels are similar to the ones described by Grant. Many of the anachronistic footnotes are entertaining or illuminating; many of the footnotes I skipped, finding them a distraction and a waste of time. I also wish this edition had more maps to illustrate the military dispositions that Grant describes.
I walk away from this book with a profound respect for “Uncle Sam” Grant. Grant exemplified the soldierly virtues of courage, honesty, directness and calculated risk-taking. His decisiveness was instrumental in ending the monstrosity of slavery and bringing the most bloody and destructive American war to a close. He deserves to be honored for the pivotal and positive role he played.
As the editor of this edition repeatedly reminds the reader, Grant’s style here is far more modern than that of his long-winded contemporaries. His style is much closer to Hemingway than Gilded Age gibberish. Grant describes writing his surrender terms for General Lee by saying: “When I put my pen to the paper I did not know the first word that I should make use of in writing the terms. I only knew what was in my mind, and I wished to express it clearly, so that there could be no mistaking it.” Grant obviously had the same philosophy in mind in writing his memoir. Short, declarative sentences are the order of the day, and the book is therefore extremely accessible to a reader in 2020.
The first half of the book is better than the second half. The first half almost has the feel of an RPG, as Grant rises from almost complete obscurity to become General over the armies of the West. Grant is personally present for all the events described in Part I of the book, and he sprinkles in many memorable anecdotes and descriptions of what he personally observes. After his stunningly successful Vicksburg campaign, Grant was promoted to command the Union’s entire force. From then on this book becomes a bit of a slog at times, as Grant relays his commands for other officers to put into practice and describes what his commanders actually do. It’s a bit like reading a chessmaster retell his moves in his greatest ever game without being able to see the board; it’s interesting, but it’s also hard to envision precisely what is going on. Still, there were more than enough gems in the second half of the book to keep me entertained, and I certainly learned a lot about the Civil War.
The footnotes in this edition are a mixed bag. Many of the footnotes provide invaluable historical context. Other footnotes are completely anachronistic, describing events from a completely different time period that the editor feels are similar to the ones described by Grant. Many of the anachronistic footnotes are entertaining or illuminating; many of the footnotes I skipped, finding them a distraction and a waste of time. I also wish this edition had more maps to illustrate the military dispositions that Grant describes.
I walk away from this book with a profound respect for “Uncle Sam” Grant. Grant exemplified the soldierly virtues of courage, honesty, directness and calculated risk-taking. His decisiveness was instrumental in ending the monstrosity of slavery and bringing the most bloody and destructive American war to a close. He deserves to be honored for the pivotal and positive role he played.
January 23, 2021
I learned a lot, A LOT from this book.
The author is a perennial favourite of military historians for good reasons n and is pithily insightful snd remarkably generous in a genre replete with back-biting self-serving accounts. In fact, he’s so not rococo in his sparse, unsentimental style that Grant will strike many modern readers as (1950s detective) Mike Hammer on the page.
This is especially so when he discusses his life prior to his military service in the Mexican-American War.
Also disappointingly lacking are his counter-insurgency and political work. After all, the recent hero of the Kennedy family, Andrew Johnson, refused to attend Grant’s inauguration (as has the infamously prickly Presidents Adams before him and Like Trump in 2021), and Grant doesn’t seem to have been terribly upset by it all.
The editor lends a lot of insight, but soft-pedals the partisan politics (she’s a hard-headed lefty snd a writer for The New Republic) and misses the religious aspects of the account even though she cites an author who grasped that thoroughly in a lengthy footnote. But for moderns educated out of an awareness of the classics and/or warfare, she adds significant value snd insight that the reasonably well-educated of prior generations would generally come to the book at least vaguely aware of. She is also blessedly uninterested in glossing over thee we nature of foraging upon the civilian population, though curiously she ignores the fates of loyalists in the South and up North. Similarly she doesn’t expand upon Grant’s contempt for reporters then, as now, eager to lionize the enemy or upon Southern censorship. Grant mentions that, but in an account this long, one could blink and miss it.
Still, well crafted, well done, and well in need of a magnifying glass for the maps.
The author is a perennial favourite of military historians for good reasons n and is pithily insightful snd remarkably generous in a genre replete with back-biting self-serving accounts. In fact, he’s so not rococo in his sparse, unsentimental style that Grant will strike many modern readers as (1950s detective) Mike Hammer on the page.
This is especially so when he discusses his life prior to his military service in the Mexican-American War.
Also disappointingly lacking are his counter-insurgency and political work. After all, the recent hero of the Kennedy family, Andrew Johnson, refused to attend Grant’s inauguration (as has the infamously prickly Presidents Adams before him and Like Trump in 2021), and Grant doesn’t seem to have been terribly upset by it all.
The editor lends a lot of insight, but soft-pedals the partisan politics (she’s a hard-headed lefty snd a writer for The New Republic) and misses the religious aspects of the account even though she cites an author who grasped that thoroughly in a lengthy footnote. But for moderns educated out of an awareness of the classics and/or warfare, she adds significant value snd insight that the reasonably well-educated of prior generations would generally come to the book at least vaguely aware of. She is also blessedly uninterested in glossing over thee we nature of foraging upon the civilian population, though curiously she ignores the fates of loyalists in the South and up North. Similarly she doesn’t expand upon Grant’s contempt for reporters then, as now, eager to lionize the enemy or upon Southern censorship. Grant mentions that, but in an account this long, one could blink and miss it.
Still, well crafted, well done, and well in need of a magnifying glass for the maps.
September 13, 2019
This is a new edition of Grant’s memoir, one of the best memoirs of the Civil War and probably the best literary production by any president. It is an attractive book with new maps and illustrations, but many of the maps in the original edition have been removed, and you will almost certainly need to read this with an atlas (I used Craig Symond’s A Battlefield Atlas of the Civil War). The editor’s notes are extensive and one must sometimes read the work as if Grant’s text and the notes are two parallel books. Many of the notes are very helpful, e.g. what others had to say about Grant during the times that he covers so briefly - such as his two years in Detroit, and stories about Grant that he or others had told, but which he did not include in his memoir. In one such note, Samet tells us that Grant once described a time when he was under the command of John Frémont,
[Frémont] sat in a room in full uniform, with his maps before him. When you went in, he would point out one line or another in a mysterious manner, never asking you to take a seat. You left without the least idea of what he meant or what he wanted you to do.
Since the editor’s theme is examination of the memoir as a literary, not an historical work, her notes sometimes go far afield. And, while reading Grant’s memoir, I was not always that interested in seeing notes with long quotations from Catch-22, the Odyssey, or Shakespeare. On the other hand, there were instances where Grant, in his usual fashion, did not describe certain details of battle, and the editor has found other historical accounts, e.g. from the writings of ancient Rome, that correspond closely to the Civil War battle.
[Frémont] sat in a room in full uniform, with his maps before him. When you went in, he would point out one line or another in a mysterious manner, never asking you to take a seat. You left without the least idea of what he meant or what he wanted you to do.
Since the editor’s theme is examination of the memoir as a literary, not an historical work, her notes sometimes go far afield. And, while reading Grant’s memoir, I was not always that interested in seeing notes with long quotations from Catch-22, the Odyssey, or Shakespeare. On the other hand, there were instances where Grant, in his usual fashion, did not describe certain details of battle, and the editor has found other historical accounts, e.g. from the writings of ancient Rome, that correspond closely to the Civil War battle.
October 6, 2020
Grant’s Memoirs rank as fully five stars, and stand in little need of further comment. My four here are for the combination with Prof. Samet, whose annotations often add considerable interest to the main text.
The annotations are in three broad categories, of descending interest for me:
Historical contextualization, with quotations, sometimes extensive, from other sources contemporary with Grant, presenting counterpoint to his presentation of events, with commentary of points of contention or omission. In some cases these move toward
Literary contextualization; for me, this is most interesting when it provides antecedants, including evidence of Grant’s own reading, or parallels to accounts of war contemporary with him. At its weakest, it veers into what feel like
Random observations, ranging from the germane, but oddly placed—why medical treatment of wounds here, burial details there?—to truly unexpected bits slightly suggested by the text. The oddest is the mention of Muscle Shoals’ later fame for musical production.
This was not my first journey through Grant’s work, but I found that Prof. Samet’s deepened the experience.
The production of the book is odd, combinining expensive printing with mediocre paper. Illustrations and maps are plentiful, but often too small for legibility.
The annotations are in three broad categories, of descending interest for me:
Historical contextualization, with quotations, sometimes extensive, from other sources contemporary with Grant, presenting counterpoint to his presentation of events, with commentary of points of contention or omission. In some cases these move toward
Literary contextualization; for me, this is most interesting when it provides antecedants, including evidence of Grant’s own reading, or parallels to accounts of war contemporary with him. At its weakest, it veers into what feel like
Random observations, ranging from the germane, but oddly placed—why medical treatment of wounds here, burial details there?—to truly unexpected bits slightly suggested by the text. The oddest is the mention of Muscle Shoals’ later fame for musical production.
This was not my first journey through Grant’s work, but I found that Prof. Samet’s deepened the experience.
The production of the book is odd, combinining expensive printing with mediocre paper. Illustrations and maps are plentiful, but often too small for legibility.
August 11, 2021
This is an impressive chronicle of many of the major military events of 19th-century America, told by a modest man writing with the sword of Damocles over his head--terminal cancer--with the main thought of wishing to provide for his beloved wife upon his death. I had originally planned to read the entire appendices, but they pretty much retold all that I had read, just in specific notes and personal dispatches by the author. The editor's annotations, for the most part, helped me to put the author's allusions to personnel in context.
April 16, 2023
After watching a TV mini-series about the civil war that mentioned Grant’s memoir, I was very interested in reading it. I’m glad I chose this edition as Samet does an excellent point annotating Grant’s writing and explaining things. Samet also adds in bits and pieces of information to help the reader understand the events surrounding what Grant is talking about. Grant is a very good writer in and of himself as well.
I had to put this book down and come back to it as I am currently in grad school. It is worth the read if you are a big fan of history.
I had to put this book down and come back to it as I am currently in grad school. It is worth the read if you are a big fan of history.
October 21, 2023
Glad to pick up the annotated copy, Grant’s devotion to sterile documentation of troop movements would be exceptionally painful to trudge through without Elizabeth Samet’s voice.
I admire him, I admire his sober outlook and his normalcy. Romanticism is a repulsive trait amongst generals, Grant clearly grasps the weight of human life and death.
Frankly would’ve been more interested in his exploits as president. Disappointed it ends with Lincoln’s death but I suppose Grant was battling against time to record even that far.
I admire him, I admire his sober outlook and his normalcy. Romanticism is a repulsive trait amongst generals, Grant clearly grasps the weight of human life and death.
Frankly would’ve been more interested in his exploits as president. Disappointed it ends with Lincoln’s death but I suppose Grant was battling against time to record even that far.
April 30, 2019
I read Grant's memoirs years ago and enjoyed them. I saw a review of this version and put it in my to read list and finally caught up with it. Prof. Samet's forward and afterward are worth the price of admission alone. Add to that the wonderful annotations, ranging from biographical to historical to literary, and you've got a great military history and memoir. Cannot recommend enough to those who read in these fields. BTW, Grant is a very modern writer, direct and unsentimental.
January 5, 2020
I'm glad for the opportunity to add to the praise for this wonderful book. I had read and loved Grant's book, and I came upon this edition by chance. Out of curiosity, I read Ms. Samet's introduction, and after that, I was all in. I read every footnote and her afterword (and re-read Grant's second appendix in this edition).
Thanks to Ms. Samet and everyone who worked on this. You should be so proud.
Thanks to Ms. Samet and everyone who worked on this. You should be so proud.
October 11, 2021
Extremely interesting. Grant was an excellent writer. His prose, published in 1885-1886 has a modern, unsentimental feel to it. Elizabeth Samet, a professor of English at West Point, has added substantial value and context in her generous annotations. The text runs to 935 pages, and that's before the appendices. On my first journey through -- and not, I hope, my last -- I made to page 300. I stopped because, to paraphrase a great poet, I have many (other) pages to read before I sleep.
March 5, 2020
Fascinating and engrossing - Grant’s clear and concise language reads more like modern prose than the typical memoir of his time, so much so that I found myself forgetting that I was reading a first hand account rather than a history. This annotated edition adds great depth for the modern reader not intimately familiar with the period.
December 22, 2021
An incredible read. What Grant and Lincoln endured and sacrificed to save the nation is remarkable. Grant's recall of detail is off the charts. The information provided by the annotations is fantastic.
Shelved as 'dnf'
January 2, 2023Definitely want to come back to this. High praise from Drew Faust, but I only made it to page xxix in the Editor’s Introduction, after the Editor’s Note, with still dozens of pages as well as the Preface, before getting to the 935 page memoir itself…
One of my favorite classes, for sure.
One of my favorite classes, for sure.
February 10, 2023
I found Grant's language direct and succinct. He provides a comprehensive view of the Civil War and his actions.
The annotations are insightful. I especially like the mini biographies of all the key players
The annotations are insightful. I especially like the mini biographies of all the key players
May 5, 2024
I’ve long wanted to read USG’s autobiography, but I only skimmed it. I was grateful for this annotated version as it filled in for context. Very little personal info, but great insight into the man himself. Overall glad I read what I did.
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