American Ulysses: A Life of Ulysses S. Grant

American Ulysses: A Life of Ulysses S. Grant

From the author of the New York Times bestseller A. Lincoln, a major new biography of one of Americaâ€™s greatest generalsâ€”and most misunderstood presidents

In his time, Ulysses S. Grant was routinely grouped with George Washington and Abraham Lincoln in the â€œTrinity of Great American Leaders.â€ But the battlefield commanderâ€“turnedâ€“commander-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 documentsâ€”some of them never examined by previous Grant scholarsâ€”this 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 leaderâ€”a 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 governmentâ€™s 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 Grantâ€™s life story has never been fully exploredâ€”until 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 manâ€”husband, father, leader, writerâ€”that should set the standard by which all future biographies of him will be measured.

Advance praise for American Ulysses

â€œCertain to be recognized as the classic work on Ulysses S. Grant, American Ulysses is a monumental examination of one of the most compelling figures in American history.â€â€”General David H. Petraeus (Ret.)

â€œIn this thorough and engaging new book, Ronald C. White restores Ulysses S. Grant to the pantheon of great Americans. As a soldier and a president, Grant rendered his nation invaluable service, and Whiteâ€™s epic biography is invaluable as well.â€â€”Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize winner and #1 New York Times bestselling author

â€œA fresh assessment of this enigmatic leader, who, like his Homeric namesake, failed at many things before he succeeded in life . . . an engaging resurrection of Grant featuring excellent maps and character sketches.â€â€”Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

â€œWhite at last solves the Grant Enigmaâ€”reconciling in character and ability the hero of Appomattox with the (allegedly) failed president. This is the biography that Grant deserves.â€â€”Richard Norton Smith, former director of the Lincoln, Reagan, Eisenhower, Ford, and Hoover presidential libraries

â€œRonald C. White is a master biographer, and his American Ulysses is the beautifully told culmination of a major revival of Grant studies; rarely has an epic life met so fruitfully with its talented author.â€â€”David W. Blight, author of Frederick Douglass: A Life
Country USA
Brand Random House
Manufacturer Random House
Binding Hardcover
Color Black
ReleaseDate 2016-10-04
UnitCount 1
Format Deckle Edge
EANs 9781400069026

Country	USA
Brand	Random House
Manufacturer	Random House
Binding	Hardcover
Color	Black
ReleaseDate	2016-10-04
UnitCount	1
Format	Deckle Edge
EANs	9781400069026

American Ulysses: A Life of Ulysses S. Grant

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