He was a drunk. A butcher. A failed president whose only real skill was having more men to throw into the meat grinder than the other guy. Honestly, if you grew up reading standard history textbooks from the mid-20th century, that’s probably the version of Ulysses S. Grant you have rattling around in your head.
It’s also mostly wrong.
History is a fickle thing. For decades, the "Lost Cause" narrative—a revisionist effort by Southern sympathizers to romanticize the Confederacy—did a massive hatchet job on Grant’s reputation. They needed a villain to explain why the "gentlemanly" Robert E. Lee lost. Their answer? Grant was just a mindless brute who won by sheer math. But lately, historians like Ron Chernow and Brooks Simpson have been digging through the actual records, and the guy they’ve found is way more complex, way more brilliant, and frankly, way more modern than the caricatures suggest.
The "Butcher" Myth and the Reality of War
Let’s talk about the "butcher" label first. People point to the Overland Campaign of 1864, where the casualties were, admittedly, horrific. But here’s the thing: Grant was the first Union general who actually understood how to win a modern war. Before him, Union generals would fight a battle, get bloodied, and then retreat to reorganize. This gave the South time to breathe.
Grant didn't give them air.
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He realized that to end the war, he had to destroy the Confederate armies, not just occupy territory. At Vicksburg, he pulled off one of the most daring maneuvers in military history. He cut himself off from his own supply lines, moved deep into enemy territory, and won five battles in eighteen days. He didn't win because he had more men; he won because he was faster, smarter, and more willing to take calculated risks than anyone else in uniform.
If you look at the actual casualty percentages, Lee’s army often suffered higher proportional losses than Grant’s. It’s just that Grant’s losses were more visible because he was the one constantly on the offensive. He hated the sight of blood. Seriously. He couldn't stand the sight of a rare steak because it reminded him of the battlefield. Does that sound like a cold-blooded butcher to you?
What Really Happened With the Drinking?
You can't talk about Ulysses S. Grant without talking about the bottle. Yes, he drank. Yes, he likely struggled with what we would now call alcoholism. But the "drunkard" narrative was often weaponized by his political enemies to explain away his successes.
The pattern was usually this: Grant would drink when he was bored, lonely, or away from his wife, Julia. When he was in the heat of a campaign, he was laser-focused and sober as a judge. There is virtually no evidence that he was ever under the influence during a major battle. In fact, his calm under fire was legendary. While other officers were panicking, Grant would be sitting under a tree, calmly smoking a cigar and writing out clear, concise orders that couldn't be misunderstood.
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Why the Grant Presidency Still Matters
For a long time, Grant’s presidency was ranked near the bottom of the list. People focused on the "Whiskey Ring" and the "Credit Mobilier" scandals. And yeah, Grant was way too trusting. He had a blind spot for "friends" who turned out to be world-class grifters.
But look at what he actually did while in the White House.
He basically went to war with the Ku Klux Klan. In 1871, he signed the Enforcement Acts, which gave him the power to suspend habeas corpus and use federal troops to crush Klan violence in the South. He essentially broke the first iteration of the KKK. He also created the Department of Justice and was the first president to really try to implement a civil service reform to stop the "spoils system."
Grant’s Civil Rights Record:
- The Enforcement Acts: Used federal power to protect Black voters from domestic terrorism.
- The 15th Amendment: He pushed hard for its ratification, guaranteeing the right to vote regardless of race.
- Native American Policy: He tried (with mixed results) to move away from extermination toward a "Peace Policy," though the system remained deeply flawed and paternalistic.
Frederick Douglass once said of him, "To him, more than to any other man, the negro owes his enfranchisement." That’s high praise from someone who didn't hand it out lightly.
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The Final Act: A Race Against Death
The end of Grant’s life is basically a Hollywood movie. After his presidency, he got scammed (again) by a guy named Ferdinand Ward. He went from being the most famous man in the world to being literally penniless overnight. To make matters worse, he was diagnosed with terminal throat cancer—likely from the 20-odd cigars he smoked every day during the war.
He was broke and dying.
He had one goal left: leave enough money so his wife wouldn't be destitute. So, he sat down to write his Personal Memoirs. He wrote in agony, often with his throat so swollen he couldn't swallow. Mark Twain ended up publishing the book, and it was a massive hit.
The Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant is still considered one of the greatest pieces of non-fiction ever written by an American. It’s lean, honest, and completely devoid of the flowery, self-important prose common in the 19th century. He finished the manuscript just days before he died.
Actionable Insights: How to Learn More
If you want to get past the myths and understand the real man, don't just take my word for it. The scholarship has moved fast in the last decade.
- Read the Memoirs: Seriously, it’s not a dusty history book. It reads like a modern thriller in places. You can find it for free on Project Gutenberg since it's in the public domain.
- Visit the Sites: If you’re ever in New York, go to Grant’s Tomb. It’s the largest mausoleum in North America for a reason. Or head to Vicksburg to see the terrain he conquered.
- Check out the New Biographies: Ron Chernow’s Grant is the gold standard right now. It’s long, but it’s the most complete picture we have.
- Look at the Primary Sources: The Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library has digitized thousands of his letters. Reading his own words to Julia gives you a sense of his humanity that no historian can fully capture.
Grant wasn't a perfect man. He was a guy who failed at almost everything—farming, debt collection, tanning hides—until he found the one thing he was better at than anyone else: leadings armies to save a fracturing nation. He's the ultimate "second act" story in American history.