Personal Memoirs

“The foremost military memoir in the English language, written in a clear, supple style . . . a masterpiece.” —Ron Chernow, in Grant

Faced with cancer and financial ruin, Ulysses S. Grant wrote his personal memoirs to secure his family’s future—and won himself a unique place in American letters. Acclaimed by writers as diverse as Mark Twain and Gertrude Stein, Grant’s memoirs demonstrate the intelligence, intense determination, and laconic modesty that made him the Union’s foremost commander. Personal Memoirs is devoted almost entirely to his life as a soldier, tracing the trajectory of his extraordinary career from West Point cadet to general-in-chief of all Union armies. With their directness and clarity, his writings on war are without rival in American literature.

This edition of Grant’s Personal Memoirs includes an indispensable introduction and explanatory notes by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian James M. McPherson.