American Ulysses: A Life Of Ulysses S. Grant

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ò From the author of A. Lincoln, a major new biography of one of AmericaÆs greatest generalsùand most misunderstood presidents Winner of the William Henry Seward Award for Excellence in Civil War Biography ò Finalist for the Gilder-Lehrman Military History Book Prize In his time, Ulysses S. Grant was routinely grouped with George Washington and Abraham Lincoln in the ôTrinity of Great American Leaders.ö But the battlefield commanderûturnedûcommander-in-chief fell out of favor in the twentieth century. In American Ulysses, Ronald C. White argues that we need to once more revise our estimates of him in the twenty-first. Based on seven years of research with primary documentsùsome of them never examined by previous Grant scholarsùthis is destined to become the Grant biography of our time. White, a biographer exceptionally skilled at writing momentous history from the inside out, shows Grant to be a generous, curious, introspective man and leaderùa willing delegator with a natural gift for managing the rampaging egos of his fellow officers. His wife, Julia Dent Grant, long marginalized in the historic record, emerges in her own right as a spirited and influential partner. Grant was not only a brilliant general but also a passionate defender of equal rights in post-Civil War America. After winning election to the White House in 1868, he used the power of the federal government to battle the Ku Klux Klan. He was the first president to state that the governmentÆs policy toward American Indians was immoral, and the first ex-president to embark on a world tour, and he cemented his reputation for courage by racing against death to complete his Personal Memoirs. Published by Mark Twain, it is widely considered to be the greatest autobiography by an American leader, but its place in GrantÆs life story has never been fully exploredùuntil now. One of those rare books that successfully recast our impression of an iconic historical figure, American Ulysses gives us a finely honed, three-dimensional portrait of Grant the manùhusband, father, leader, writerùthat should set the standard by which all future biographies of him will be measured. Praise for American Ulysses ô[Ronald C. White] portrays a deeply introspective man of ideals, a man of measured thought and careful action who found himself in the crosshairs of American history at its most crucial moment.öùUSA Today ôWhite delineates GrantÆs virtues better than any author before. . . . By the end, readers will see how fortunate the nation was that Grant went into the worldùto save the Union, to lead it and, on his deathbed, to write one of the finest memoirs in all of American letters.öùThe New York Times Book Review ôRonald White has restored Ulysses S. Grant to his proper place in history with a biography whose breadth and tone suit the man perfectly. Like Grant himself, this book will have staying power.öùThe Wall Street Journal ôMagisterial . . . GrantÆs esteem in the eyes of historians has increased significantly in the last generation. . . . [American Ulysses] is the newest heavyweight champion in this movement.öùThe Boston Globe ôSuperb . . . illuminating, inspiring and deeply moving.öùChicago Tribune ôIn this sympathetic, rigorously sourced biography, White . . . conveys the essence of Grant the man and Grant the warrior.öùNewsday

• | Author: Ronald C. White
• | Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
• | Publication Date: Jun 06, 2017
• | Number of Pages: 864 pages
• | Language: English
• | Binding: Paperback/Biography & Autobiography
• | ISBN-10: 0812981251
• | ISBN-13: 9780812981254