Ulysses S. Grant Bibliography Home Page
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Date Published: January 30, 2026
Date Modified: February 7, 2026 |
Ulysses S. Grant lived from April 27, 1822 to July 23, 1885. He, with the support of Abraham Lincoln, eventually led the Union Army to victory in the final phases of the American Civil War in 1865. He then served as the 18th president of the United States for two terms: 1869 to 1877. His two terms as President of the United States were filled with scandal and villainy conducted by politicians who surrounded him in office. When he died at the age of 63, he died vilified, bankrupt and penniless. He managed to provide for his wife by completing two memoirs of his life which sold into the hundreds of thousands when published after his death. As one author wrote, his death brought to mind how much this country owed him from his service to the Union and restored his good name.
This website serves as a central home page for distributing information this author discovers about Ulysses S. Grant from his readings about great Americans from the 19th and 20th Centuries. General Robert E. Lee is covered in several places in Grant's biographies and memoirs. A very moving speech was delivered on the surrender of Robert E. Lee to General Ulysses S. Grant and its implications for the United States of America. It was of great importance for the "United" States to realize a formal end to the Civil War as General Lee disregarded the desires of Jefferson Davis to "struggle on" in a rebellious state rather than surrender.
This speech about General Robert E. Lee is published here: [The Meaning of the Surrender of Robert E. Lee]
This website serves as a central home page for distributing information this author discovers about Ulysses S. Grant from his readings about great Americans from the 19th and 20th Centuries. General Robert E. Lee is covered in several places in Grant's biographies and memoirs. A very moving speech was delivered on the surrender of Robert E. Lee to General Ulysses S. Grant and its implications for the United States of America. It was of great importance for the "United" States to realize a formal end to the Civil War as General Lee disregarded the desires of Jefferson Davis to "struggle on" in a rebellious state rather than surrender.
This speech about General Robert E. Lee is published here: [The Meaning of the Surrender of Robert E. Lee]
Peter E. Greulich, January 2026
Ulysses S. Grant: A Civil War Major General and 18th U. S. President
- Biographies of Ulysses S. Grant
- The Beacon Biographies: "Ulysses S. Grant" by Owen Wister
- The Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant
- Volume I: The Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant
- Volume II: The Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant
Biographies of Ulysses S. Grant
They were positioned as “monographs.” These were works in which only the salient traits of an individual were brought out … almost in an outline form. The author was asked to capture his subject’s most identifying character traits much like an artist might produce a “sketch” of a person’s exterior traits—with emphasis placed on the most identifying characteristics.
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The Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant
In December 1885, Charles L. Webster & Company—the publisher of Grant’s memoirs, issued a statement carried in The New York Times that the General’s memoir had outsold every other book “ever issued, except for the Bible and Shakespeare.” The memoir accomplished this in a few months after the start of a subscription process.
Although General Grant didn’t live to see these final results, it would have been very satisfying for him to know that after being on the edge of dying penniless and “forced to borrow money to meet his daily necessities” because of unwise investments, he still provided for his family through this work. On July 24, 1885, one day after Grant’s death, the publisher announced that they would be issuing a check to Grant’s widow for between $300,000 and $500,000 dollars. This would be equivalent to between $10 – $16 million dollars in 2025. Although I have not found any written record of it, since this was a subscription model, it may be assumed that former General/President Grant probably knew that he was well on his way to providing for his family before his death.
My critic of both volumes of these memoirs is the same for each: “Unless you are an avid Civil War student—interested in battlefield blow by blows and troop and supply movements, these books can be very tedious reading. Every battle is covered with the arrangement of troops, battlefield opportunities missed, battlefield opportunities achieved, and documenting the number of dead, wounded and captured.”
If you wish to get a shorter and much better overview of the life of Ulysses S. Grant for this time period—through the end of the Civil War, I recommend Owen Wister’s short biography, “Ulysses S. Grant." [Link here and above in Biographies of U. S. Grant]
Some more individual information on each volume in these memoirs follows.
Although General Grant didn’t live to see these final results, it would have been very satisfying for him to know that after being on the edge of dying penniless and “forced to borrow money to meet his daily necessities” because of unwise investments, he still provided for his family through this work. On July 24, 1885, one day after Grant’s death, the publisher announced that they would be issuing a check to Grant’s widow for between $300,000 and $500,000 dollars. This would be equivalent to between $10 – $16 million dollars in 2025. Although I have not found any written record of it, since this was a subscription model, it may be assumed that former General/President Grant probably knew that he was well on his way to providing for his family before his death.
My critic of both volumes of these memoirs is the same for each: “Unless you are an avid Civil War student—interested in battlefield blow by blows and troop and supply movements, these books can be very tedious reading. Every battle is covered with the arrangement of troops, battlefield opportunities missed, battlefield opportunities achieved, and documenting the number of dead, wounded and captured.”
If you wish to get a shorter and much better overview of the life of Ulysses S. Grant for this time period—through the end of the Civil War, I recommend Owen Wister’s short biography, “Ulysses S. Grant." [Link here and above in Biographies of U. S. Grant]
Some more individual information on each volume in these memoirs follows.
Peter E. Greulich, Author and Publisher
One Insight from the “Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant” by Ulysses S. Grant
General Ulysses S. Grant’s perspective on the United States' War with Mexico and its political agenda/propaganda was clearly expressed and forceful:
“We were sent to provoke a fight, but it was essential that Mexico should commence it.
“It was very doubtful whether Congress would declare war; but if Mexico should attack our troops, the President could announce, ‘Whereas war exists by the act of aggression …;’ he could then prosecute the contest—the war, with vigor.
“Once initiated there were but few public men who would have the courage to oppose a war. Experience proves that the man who obstructs a war in which his nation is engaged, no matter whether right or wrong, occupies no enviable place in life or history.
“It is better for him, individually to advocate ‘war, pestilence, and famine,’ than to act as obstructionist to a war already begun.”
“We were sent to provoke a fight, but it was essential that Mexico should commence it.
“It was very doubtful whether Congress would declare war; but if Mexico should attack our troops, the President could announce, ‘Whereas war exists by the act of aggression …;’ he could then prosecute the contest—the war, with vigor.
“Once initiated there were but few public men who would have the courage to oppose a war. Experience proves that the man who obstructs a war in which his nation is engaged, no matter whether right or wrong, occupies no enviable place in life or history.
“It is better for him, individually to advocate ‘war, pestilence, and famine,’ than to act as obstructionist to a war already begun.”
Volume I: "Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant" by Ulysses S. Grant
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The first volume consists of 584 pages and covers the timeframe from U. S. Grant’s youth—notable events of his boyhood with an account of his ancestry, through the preparations for and eventual capture of Vicksburg. Between these times, Grant shares information about his West Point attendance and meeting those in the Mexican War that he would eventually fight with and against in the Civil War.
A review in the Illustrated London News wrote that “There is a soldier’s brevity in the narrative, … a soldier’s attention to military details, … and no indications of prejudice against the Confederates.” In this author's opinion though, the book covers so many battles that even Grant’s “brevity in narrative” feels a little overdone for a reader who wants insights into Grant rather than insights into the fighting of the war. I feel that both volumes are "not ornate" as one reviewer wrote but they are too lengthy in coverage of the war movements for a casual reader in the 21st Century. |
A high-quality, black-and-white portrait from Volume I of Second Lieutenant Ulysses S. Grant at age of 21.
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Volume II: "Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant" by Ulysses S. Grant
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The second volume consists of 647 pages and includes the timeframe immediately after the Battle of Vicksburg through the grand review conducted in Washington after the end of the war.
This volume closes with a subchapter with the heading: “Estimate of the Different Corps Commanders.” This is a personal look by General Ulysses S. Grant at those he served with during the Civil War including: General Sherman, General Burnside, General Hooker, General Alfred H. Terry, Hancock, Sedgwick, Griffin, Humphreys and Mackenzie. This offers some rarely given opinions by Grant on his peers’ performances, integrity, and their work and fighting ethics. The "Preface" in the first volume and the "Conclusion" in this second volume were the best chapters from my perspective as they served my purpose for reading the book. They are short chapters with a conclusion of only thirteen pages. A link to this "Conclusion" is included below as an example of Grant’s thinking and integrity exposed in this book on all too few occasions. Personally, I wish I had not waded through 1,218 pages to read the final thirteen pages. C’est la vie … always read the preface and the last chapter … first: [download here]. Cheers, Peter E. Greulich |
A high-quality, black-and-white portrait from Volume II of Lieutenant-General Ulysses S. Grant by William E. Marshall.
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