Ulysses S. Grant: Memoirs & Selected Letters (LOA #50)

by Ulysses S. Grant, Mary Drake McFeely (Editor), William S. McFeely (Editor)

Overview

Twenty years after Appomattox, stricken by cancer and facing financial ruin, Ulysses S. Grant wrote his Personal Memoirs to secure his family’s future. in doing so, the Civil War’s greatest general won himself a unique place in American letters. His character, intelligence, sense of purpose, and simple compassion are evident throughout this vivid and deeply moving account, which has been acclaimed by readers as diverse asMark Twain, Matthew Arnold, Gertrude Stein, and Edmund Wilson. Annotated and complete with detailed maps, battle plans, and facsimiles reproduced from the original edition, this volume offers an unparalleled vantage on the most terrible, moving, and inexhaustibly fascinating event in American history. included are 174 letters, many of them to his wife, Julia, which offer an intimate view of their affectionate and enduring marriage.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781598531190
Publisher:	Library of America
Publication date:	10/01/1990
Series:	Library of America Civil War Memoirs Collection , #1
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	1199
Sales rank:	848,569
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885) was commanding general of the United States Army in the Civil War and the 18th president of the United States.

Mary Drake McFeely is editor of the Southern Literature Series and Georgia History and Culture Series.

William S. McFeely is professor emeritus of American history at the University of Georgia and author of Grant: A Biography.

Editorial Reviews

While the complete writings of this pair of Civil Warriors would fill several shelves, the material contained in this two-volume boxed set offers a good selection of their letters and personal reminiscences. Though both of these men are certainly not the most inspirational figures of American history, as two of the paladins of the Union Army, however, Grant and Sherman offer firsthand insights into the waging of the war that cannot be found elsewhere. As historical documents, the significance of these papers is obvious, but the texts also score high points for the quality of the writing itself; Sherman's reflections were hailed by Mark Twain as ``a model narrative that will last as long as the language lasts.'' The hub of the material, of course, focuses on the war years, but Sherman's volume also contains memoirs of his pre-Civil War life in California, and unique to this edition is the inclusion of 175 of Grant's personal letters. More than a reprint of readily available material, these volumes include the same scrupulously detailed notes on the text by recognized scholars that make the Library of America editions superior to their predecessors. This fine set belongs in most history collections. Highly recommended.-- Michael Rogers, ''Library Journal''

Library Journal