Although the author arrives at just conclusions about much of Ulysses S. Grant's generalship and personality—he dares to challenge the standard view of Grant as a great commander with a firmly upright character—the book's grasp of the military aspects of the Civil War is sometimes lacking. It's very elegantly written, which is hardly surprising for a winner of the Pulitzer Prize. ( )

1906 Grant: A Biography, by William S. McFeeley (read 9 Feb 1985) (Pulitzer Biography prize for 1982) I found this book well worth reading. It is excellent on most of Grant's career. McFeeley says good things about Grant as a general, but has little good to say about him as a president. The book was very opinionated in regard to the failure of the Republicans to uphold the rights of blacks after the Civil War, but I can find the attitude understandable. It would have required an iron-fisted military rule to maintain the Reconstruction governments. ( )

This is McFeely's award winning biography of Grant. It is pretty evenly divided between his military and poltical career. A worthwhile read, though there are more recent biographies of this important military and political figure. ( )