Making Sense of the Enigmatic Figure that was Grant

The enigmatic figure of General Ulysses S. Grant has been the subject of much analysis over recent years, especially as the narrative of “Butcher Grant” has subsided alongside the “Lost Cause” myth. No one suits writing about such a complex figure in simple terms as Dr. Curt Fields, who has become the preeminent living historian of Grant, alongside Chris Mackowski, creator of the Emerging Civil War Series. Fields underscores the meteoric rise of Grant during the Civil War with the development of his already resolute character, and integrates his unique perspective as a living historian along the way.

Fields begins with an overview of Grant prior to the Civil War, a decorated military man, who, in times of peace, has been forced to return to the family leather business he always detested. From here, Fields sets the tone of how Grant is able to rise in prestige over the next four years: through luck and patience. In this case, Grant goes against his usual humility by calling favors from the connections he has, but to no avail. Eventually, it would be thanks to the resignation of Col. Pope that he would receive his first major command training troops.

When Grant and his troops eventually are sent to fight, the colonel’s heart “kept getting higher and higher until it felt to me as though it was in my throat”. Fields uses this moment to prove a point about Grant: he was still prone to his emotions, but, more importantly, so were his enemies. Despite his anxiety, Grant knew of the horrors of war. Before, back in Galena, Grant had turned a moment of blind nationalism into sober patriotism, and now, he had to do the same with his troops.

This moment would come at the Battle of Belmont, and, while it was a relatively minor battle, almost led to Grant’s capture or death. In addition to this first Civil War battlefield experience, Grant showed uncharacteristic political skill by acting against Confederate incursions in neutral Kentucky, helping to keep the state on the Union side. Grant would further show his skill by successfully cooperating with the navy to secure Forts Henry and Donelson, which were captured, not by a moment of decisive action, but by waiting out his enemies and helping to create the image of “Unconditional Surrender” Grant.

The next chapter interrupts Grant’s campaigns with a lull due to the political nature of the Army command, something that Grant had reluctantly meddled in to get a position in the first place. Grant would be forced to do the same meddling again, with the matter of his suspension being raised to Lincoln, who reinstated his command. Although his command was restored, Grant continued to have to deal with the politics of the army as he dealt with fellow commander Don Carlos Buell. Buell, reluctant to be under Grant’s command, moved slowly to link up with Grant, although this would prove to be essential in the upcoming Battle of Shiloh. When Union troops broke during the battle, Buell threatened to have these troops shot, but Grant, remaining calm throughout the battle, knew that letting them regather themselves would eventually lead to them rejoining the fight. The battle would prove Grant right: although the Confederates pushed the Union forces back greatly the first day, by the end of the second day, the Union lines had returned to where they were at the start of the battle.

Even after Grant’s victory at Shiloh, the politics of the army once again interrupted his rise to the top: Grant was sidelined by his superior, Halleck, who did little in the coming months, before Halleck’s own promotion led to Grant being reinstated. Following this, Grant started his Vicksburg campaign. The book does not focus on the strategy that Grant used or the specifics of the siege, but rather shows Grant’s approach to the war. Grant understood he was not fighting a hearts and minds campaign, and was more than willing to use the problem that the Emancipation Proclamation posed logistically to other commanders to his own benefit, by employing former slaves on the state’s now numerous abandoned plantations.

Following the decisive victory at Vicksburg, Grant’s focus shifted east to Chattanooga. Grant starts to show more involvement in officer politics as his notoriety increases, replacing Rosecrans, who had been disgraced at Chickamauga and often quarreled with Grant, with General Thomas. Grant then managed to win a surprising victory at Chattanooga, against a well-entrenched enemy on higher ground.

This great victory earned Grant a promotion to Lieutenant General, and saw him shift his focus to Virginia, leaving Sherman in command near Atlanta. This promotion did not represent an immediate turning point in the war, with Sherman remarking, “We have done much, but still much remains to be done.” Grant was unimposing to those who did not know him, as was seen by the clerk at the hotel he was staying in in D.C. not recognizing him. Despite this, in the final meeting with generals of the Army of the Potomac before embarking on the Overland Campaign, he was the final decision-maker.

Even though Lee understood the situation that Grant was forcing him into in the Overland Campaign, Grant’s determination throughout the campaign led to that result nevertheless, with Lee’s army being bottled up in Petersburg and the fall of Richmond inevitable. The high casualties sustained by the Union were crucial in achieving this, but mistakes like the one at Cold Harbor led to Grant’s later portrayal as “Butcher Grant”, something that would be consensus until the recent unraveling of the “Lost Cause” myth.

By the end of the campaign, Lincoln had grown to greatly trust Grant, and informed him about the peace proceedings with the Confederacy. Grant would return the favor, conferring with Lincoln before launching the final campaign that culminated at Appomattox Court House. Grant was unable to read Lee in their discussions at the Appomattox surrender, and, despite his ruthlessness, followed Lincoln’s orders to have a conciliatory agreement with Lee, with Confederate soldiers handing off their arms and going home. The book ends with Grant fatefully opting to go see his family and wife, Julia, in New Jersey rather than attend a play with Lincoln at Ford’s Theater.

Fields does an excellent job of making sense of the enigmatic figure that Grant was through the idea of “living history”. Each chapter begins with an image of Fields wherever Grant was in that chapter: from Galena to Appomattox, helping to give a sense of interaction. Fields’ deep understanding of Grant’s character makes this book a valuable resource for those interested in Grant’s character and life as well as his decision-making that allowed for his meteoric rise to Lieutenant General. Rather than focusing on the tactics of Civil War battles or overall strategy behind it, Fields instead focuses on Grant’s own character and decision making, especially as it comes to his interactions with his contemporaries. Through this meticulous study of Grant’s character and evolution throughout the Civil War, Fields and Mackowski successfully deliver a well-written, comprehensive narrative in the style of “living history” that does the frequently-tarnished figure of Grant justice.

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Our Reviewer: Alexei Ostasiewski is a student at Stuyvesant High School, in New York City, with an interest in strategy gaming.

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Note: Unconditional Surrender is also available in e-editions.

StrategyPage reviews are published in cooperation with The New York Military Affairs Symposium