Grant Grant bios.

[cosixman]

I am beginning a character study on Gen. Grant. I know it will take quite a bit of time to get through all of the works written about him (including his memoirs) but I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts about which of the two newest ones I should begin with, American Ulysees, or Ron Chernows' Grant. Any suggestions?

 

[GrantCottage1885]

I have been rather disappointed by many of the biographies as they pretty much rehash the same information and they don't provide sufficient context or detail. The best books I've found are on specific aspects of his life, they go into finer detail. I wouldn't start with Chernows' Grant but instead Brooks Simpsons' Triumph Over Adversity. Don't be afraid to dig into the Papers of US Grant at MSU, they have a search function available. I recommend getting the books used on Amazon, Ebay or Thriftbooks.

Along that line I recommend the following:

Pre-Civil War:
Captain Sam Grant by Lloyd Lewis
The Trial of U.S. Grant: The Pacific Coast Years 1852-1854 by Charles Ellington
The General's Wife by Ishbel Ross

Civil War:
Ulysses S. Grant: Triumph Over Adversity 1822-1865 by Brooks Simpson
Let Us Have Peace: Ulysses S. Grant and the Politics of War & Reconstruction 1861-1868 by Brooks Simpson
Grant Moves South 1861-1863 by Bruce Catton
Grant Takes Command 1863-1865 by Bruce Catton

Presidency:
President Grant Reconsidered by Frank Scaturro
The Presidency of Ulysses S. Grant by Charles Calhoun
Interrupted Odyssey: Ulysses S. Grant and the American Indians by Mary Stockwell

Post-Presidency:
Around the World with General Grant by John Russell Young
Citizen of a Wider Commonwealth: Ulysses S. Grant's Postpresidential Diplomacy by Edwina Campbell
Grant's Final Victory by Charles Flood
The Captain Departs by Thomas Pitkin

General Research:
The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant (fully searcheable online)
The US Grant Information Center
The Ulysses S. Grant Collective Project - Pinterest Account - Facebook Page

Feel free to send me a message if you have research questions.

 

[cosixman]

Thank you very much for your advice! I didn't even know where to start! I look forward to further discussions with you.

 

[Cavalry Charger]

Along that line I recommend the following:

I have bookmarked this post with the title 'recommended reading on Grant'. Great contribution once again.

 

[MaryDee]

As has been stated on other Grant bio threads, his own Memoirs are well worth reading.

 

[Scrubby]

It's been a few years since I have read his memoirs, but my takeaway remains that he was a fairly humble and principled person who remained a little hopeful that others would also be of pure motive.