Posted on 12/25/2022 2:16:48 PM PST by DFG
I read a biography of Grant. He was flawed but I think his formation of the Justice Department to prosecute the klan and similar groups and other Confederate insurgents after the Civil War was a great idea. It was far better than continued military action in terms of establishing rule of law and restoring civil government after the war.
His way of winning the Civil War was horribly deadly, but you win wars with what you have, and logistics and lots of cannon fodder was what he had.
As to his alcoholism, people back then did not get it that complete abstinence was imperative. His doctors told him to just cut back on the hard stuff, and stick to champagne with dinner.
The times make the men. He was a man, the time required to win the war. There still isn’t enough stuff named after the dude.
You sure? He was a slave owner to boot, I doubt he wins ‘woke’ points among progressives today.
> How many stars is General of the Armies? <
There is no official ruling on this. When Pershing was promoted to General of the Armies, he was allowed to choose his own rank insignia. He eventually chose four gold stars (a general’s stars are usually silver).
So, you are in favor of demoting Pershing.
Yes
Why, Biden talked it over with Ulysses just last week!
Not too difficult to be the greatest American general of all time when you have an a endless supply of men and material against an enemy who has neither. Grant was indeed a great general, but there are others who did more with less.
Grant was out provisioned and outmanned during the Vicksburg camping and he won in the most brilliant campaign of the war. He Used whatever he had during the war to great effect.
And the Civil Service. But...his wife owned a slave.
When was he pardoned for making war on American citizens? I must have missed that.
I suppose that he could have pardoned himself. Technically, I think he made war on the CSA.
I strongly encourage you to read Ron Chernow’s exhaustive biography called “Grant”. He was a very effective President who carried on reconstruction, put down the KKK and had other very prominent successes.
His mistake was being Republican with a hostile press who shredded him daily. Yes, he had some scandals from people he trusted. But he was an honest and popular President asked to run for a third term. His successor allowed the KKK to come back from near extinction.
After his term ended the media, of course, began to sing his praises for his European tour and then over his autobiography at his death.
Was he a “great” president? No. But he was a good one. A very good one.
6 - General of the Armies
(next question: did Grant have authority over Meade,
Sherman, et al.? I think Washington did have authority
over other generals and I’m guessing Pershing did too).
5 - General of the Army
4 - General
I’ve always thought that Mark Twain was very much involved in the writing of his book. I have the two volume first edition of his autobiography. Got them at a yard sale. The home were I got them was an older home where a civil war veteran once lived.
Twain was heavily involved in the marketing of the book, and getting the landmark contract for Grant. I believe, at the time, it was the largest book deal ever.
It’s unfortunate that the end of the book was somewhat rushed and nothing of great note was included for post-war life, but the ‘memoirs’ aspect was important for it’s wild popularity and sales records.
His account of life as a boy, and his Mexican War experiences is worth the read alone.
I learned so much about Grant that I did not previously know. Especially how awful his father and father-in-law was to him. They were cutting him down almost his entire adult life.
Glad they lived long enough to see Ulysses become a historical figure.
Great points.
I live in Clermont County (just East of Cincinnati) where USG was born. I’ve visited his birthplace and his childhood home in Georgetown one county over (Brown).
I’ve walked along the White Oak Creek where he rode and trained on horses as a youth. I clerked for the Prosecutor in Batavia where USG would ride his horse to visit his first girlfriend who lived there.
The house in Newport, Kentucky where his parents lived while he was General and POTUS still stands facing the Ohio River and downtown Cincinnati. Almost directly across from the Reds Great American Ballpark.
That book gave me much more respect for the man.
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