I recently dove into the Personal Memiors of Ulysses S. Grant. Written by the former President as he was near death, it was a challenging but enlightening read. Most of the book is Grant's recollections of his military service, both in the Mexican and Civil Wars. Very little is written about his childhood, and even less about his civilian life. It is also remarkable that none of the book is dedicated to his two terms as President of the United States.
Grant's style of writing is very simple and straightforward when describing military movements or actions of battle. He also gave credit to certain officers he found favor in. Describing a fellow officer Grant writes, "Warren was an able man; and he was beside thoroughly imbued with the solemnity and importance of the duty he had to perform." He is aslo complimentary of his foes from the Confederacy, even though he regarded their cause, "one of the worst for which a people ever fought."
Though a portion of the book was quite tedious, I would recommend the book to anyone with an interest in American history. I found value in exploring the perspective of such a great man during such an important event in our nations history.
No comments:
Post a Comment