Ulysses S. Grant was not a person I thought much about. He was the General that won the Civil War for the Union, and he was elected President but had several scandals. Plus he liked to smoke cigars and was known for his stubbornness. That’s about all I knew about him.

But Charles Bracelen Flood’s new book Grant’s Final Victory: Ulysses S. Grant’s Heroic Last Year taught me a lot more than I could imagine. Grant was a fascinating person. He was overly trusting and was definitely a rough & tumble kind of guy, but he had a deep character that allowed him to persevere in the toughest of situations.

The book brings that out in insightful ways. The focus of the book is Grant’s last year of life. He had just been swindled out of his life savings by an unscrupulous Wall Street trader (sound familiar?) and found himself deep in debt. Then he was struck with throat cancer, likely the result of all those cigars he smoked. At a time when most men give up and retreat from life, Grant took it on with grace and dignity.

Writing his memoirs was a way to create an income stream for his wife after Grant’s death. He knew that he’d be leaving her broke and widowed if he didn’t do something, so he was convinced by the publishers to write the definitive story of the Civil War. As it turns out, Mark Twain was the publisher who pushed Grant toward the writing. It’s a fun story of overcoming obstacles and finishing well.

Grant died just a few days after the memoirs were done. They were such a big hit that they generated $600,000 in royalties for the widow. Quite a legacy to leave behind!

I enjoyed this book. The author may be a bit too pro-Grant, admiring even his weaker tendencies and apologizing for Grant’s continued mistakes. But that is easily overlooked as we find the fascinating man beneath the surface. A book worth reading.