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Grant #1
Captain Sam Grant
This biography covers Grant's youth and young manhood from 1822 to 1861. The narrative covers from Grant's birth, his days at West Point; his courtship and marriage, his experiences during the Mexican war, and his subsequent time as a civilian before his comeback as a soldier during the Civil War.
512 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1950
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About the author
Lloyd Lewis
59 books3 followersLloyd Downs Lewis was a journalist, historian, and major figure in a remarkable world of arts and letters that flourished in Chicago following World War I.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 7, 2009
This is a part of a trilogy. The first work, "Captain Sam Grant," was authored by Lloyd Lewis. Unfortunately, he died before he was able to complete the full biography (indeed, he died before this volume was actually published). As the publisher notes, though, Lewis had amassed a great deal of information. Finally, well-known historian Bruce Catton agreed to complete the trilogy (His two works are "Grant Moves South" and "Grant Takes Command"). The three works together provide a good biography of U. S. Grant.
However, Lewis' book is nicely wrought. It traces his life in some detail from birth to his sojourn in Galena, Illinois, after a checkered military career (his valor in the assault on Mexico City during the Mexican War was a high point of his early career) and failed business efforts in Missouri.
It provides an interesting view of Grant the person. As portrayed here, he is a modest, decent human being who sometimes made bad decisions, who experienced some poor luck, but who was dogged enough to continue. The book ends with his taking command of an Illinois regiment.
The next two volumes continue the story of Grant, with the end coming at the Grand Review of the Union armies in Washington, D. C. in 1865. But the first volume lays the groundwork, sets the stage for the older, more successful Grant.
Lewis' book is well worth reading for those interested in Grant.
However, Lewis' book is nicely wrought. It traces his life in some detail from birth to his sojourn in Galena, Illinois, after a checkered military career (his valor in the assault on Mexico City during the Mexican War was a high point of his early career) and failed business efforts in Missouri.
It provides an interesting view of Grant the person. As portrayed here, he is a modest, decent human being who sometimes made bad decisions, who experienced some poor luck, but who was dogged enough to continue. The book ends with his taking command of an Illinois regiment.
The next two volumes continue the story of Grant, with the end coming at the Grand Review of the Union armies in Washington, D. C. in 1865. But the first volume lays the groundwork, sets the stage for the older, more successful Grant.
Lewis' book is well worth reading for those interested in Grant.
February 6, 2021
Having read Ron Chernow’s Grant, I believed that was the definitive volume, but this definitely is a truly in depth examination. It sets the scene and the personalities in a complete fashion. Written in a narrative style, once I had read 2/3 of the volume it was hard to put down. I look forward to reading the next two volumes, hoping the style is similar even though by a different author. Lloyd Lewis was a great historical author, I am sorry that he died in 1950 before completing the trilogy.
May 2, 2018
This is a superb biography of the pre-war career of Ulysses S. Grant, the Union's foremost fighting general, by Lloyd Lewis, written with the assistance of his friend and colleague, noted Civil War historian, Bruce Catton, who would go on to write two more volumes covering Grant's wartime career, "Grant Moves South" and "Grant Takes Command," to complete a three-volume biography.
This volume covers the well-planned and executed career of Jesse Grant and his favorite son, Hiram Ulysses Grant, whose name, through a combination of circumstances involving military red-tape and an erroneous entry of the middle initial 'S' on his enrollment papers at West Point, lead Grant to adopt the middle name 'Sam', having been nicknamed 'Uncle Sam' Grant at the academy. Grant's early service career involved participating in every battle of the Mexican-American War, except the storming of Puebla, Mexico, followed by his promotion for valor and leadership, as were most of his West point classmates, who were a roster of future Civil War leaders on both sides.
Grant comes off as a likeable, courageous, but unassuming man, whose main ambition to become an instructor of mathematics at West Point was diverted into a war of aggression and territorial acquisition which he believed to be fundamentally immoral. After the war, Grant's efforts to increase his peacetime pay, to be able to afford to move his wife and two boys west to join him at Fort Vancouver, Washington State, proved to be disastrous, but no more so than the moneymaking efforts of other fellow officers, in the volatile investment era associated with the California "Gold Rush." Dejected over his business failures and the separation from his family, the youngest of whom he had never seen, Grant took to drinking, despite his normally abstemious nature. He eventually resigned his commission, as many of his classmates had chosen to do, rejoined his family, and tried (unsuccessfully) to farm land owned by his father-in-law.
Grant's main moneymaking tasks were cutting and hauling firewood, just as he had before as a responsible boy of twelve, when he demonstrated how he never had any difficulty handling a horse or team of horses, all by himself. At ten, he had been the boy pushed forward by his friends to 'ride the pony' for five dollars whenever the circus came to town, despite its frantic lunges designed to unseat its rider, and even a monkey tossed onto his back by the ringmaster. He was acknowledged by the staff and his classmates to be the best-rider ever to attend West Point, setting an academy high-mark for fence jumping that stood for over 75 years.
When he chose to vote for Buchanan in the 1856 election, it was in an effort to delay the schism between slave states and the fire-brand Republicans. But he saw Buchanan's fecklessness lead to further antagonism between North and South. This in turn led to the election of Lincon in 1860, followed by the secession of one state after another, with Grant gloomily predicting the Southern states would fight, and that the North's vastly superior manpower, industry, and resources, would lead to a short bloody war to subdue them.
After the volunteers of the 21st Illinois volunteer regiment rejected their colonel and demanded a new one, specifically mentioning their mustering agent, Grant, as a possible successor, Governor Yates of Illinois offered Grant the job, but there was one snag, the men's 90-day enlistments were up in one month, and nearly 650 of the original 1250 recruits had already absconded. In one month Grant instilled discipline by disbanding the guards who were intended to keep the men in camp (which they had previously named Camp Grant, since even at that time they had recognized he as a civilian mustering agent was a better soldier than their original commander), and told the men they must report to every assembly without fail, and then posted the assembly schedule showing barely two hours between assemblies.
A pair of prominent local Democrat politicians offered to speak to the men to encourage them to sign up for 3-year enlistments after their first enlistments expired. The second speaker roused them, and concluded by saying, "Boys, you don't want to go home to Mary, and when she asks how far did you get? Be forced to reply, 'Mattoon.' " After that 603 of them, virtually to a man, re-enlisted for three years. When Grant was introduced officially as their new commander, they called out, "Speech! Speech!" and his response was, "Men, go to your quarters."
They were in the Army now.
This is of the best biographies I've ever read; and features an interesting two-page insight into the Dred Scott case. Dred Scott was the nickname soldiers had given to a slave named 'Sam,' who used to greet every news story about General Winfield Scott's campaign from Vera Cruz to Mexico City, by exclaiming, "Great Scott!", which his negro patois rendered as "Dret Scott!" Hence his nickname, which he later used in applying for a court decision to define his status as a free man, since his original owners had allowed his slave status to lapse, and didn't feel they had standing to grant him freedom as they had to their other slaves.
The court ruled that the Congress had no authority to declare any territory to be either "slave" or "free," thereby nullifying the Missouri Compromise and reinstating Sam's slave status. Two months later Sam's former owners officially granted him his freedom by deed of manumission, and four months after that Sam was dead of the tuberculosis which he had been suffering from throughout the case.
This volume covers the well-planned and executed career of Jesse Grant and his favorite son, Hiram Ulysses Grant, whose name, through a combination of circumstances involving military red-tape and an erroneous entry of the middle initial 'S' on his enrollment papers at West Point, lead Grant to adopt the middle name 'Sam', having been nicknamed 'Uncle Sam' Grant at the academy. Grant's early service career involved participating in every battle of the Mexican-American War, except the storming of Puebla, Mexico, followed by his promotion for valor and leadership, as were most of his West point classmates, who were a roster of future Civil War leaders on both sides.
Grant comes off as a likeable, courageous, but unassuming man, whose main ambition to become an instructor of mathematics at West Point was diverted into a war of aggression and territorial acquisition which he believed to be fundamentally immoral. After the war, Grant's efforts to increase his peacetime pay, to be able to afford to move his wife and two boys west to join him at Fort Vancouver, Washington State, proved to be disastrous, but no more so than the moneymaking efforts of other fellow officers, in the volatile investment era associated with the California "Gold Rush." Dejected over his business failures and the separation from his family, the youngest of whom he had never seen, Grant took to drinking, despite his normally abstemious nature. He eventually resigned his commission, as many of his classmates had chosen to do, rejoined his family, and tried (unsuccessfully) to farm land owned by his father-in-law.
Grant's main moneymaking tasks were cutting and hauling firewood, just as he had before as a responsible boy of twelve, when he demonstrated how he never had any difficulty handling a horse or team of horses, all by himself. At ten, he had been the boy pushed forward by his friends to 'ride the pony' for five dollars whenever the circus came to town, despite its frantic lunges designed to unseat its rider, and even a monkey tossed onto his back by the ringmaster. He was acknowledged by the staff and his classmates to be the best-rider ever to attend West Point, setting an academy high-mark for fence jumping that stood for over 75 years.
When he chose to vote for Buchanan in the 1856 election, it was in an effort to delay the schism between slave states and the fire-brand Republicans. But he saw Buchanan's fecklessness lead to further antagonism between North and South. This in turn led to the election of Lincon in 1860, followed by the secession of one state after another, with Grant gloomily predicting the Southern states would fight, and that the North's vastly superior manpower, industry, and resources, would lead to a short bloody war to subdue them.
After the volunteers of the 21st Illinois volunteer regiment rejected their colonel and demanded a new one, specifically mentioning their mustering agent, Grant, as a possible successor, Governor Yates of Illinois offered Grant the job, but there was one snag, the men's 90-day enlistments were up in one month, and nearly 650 of the original 1250 recruits had already absconded. In one month Grant instilled discipline by disbanding the guards who were intended to keep the men in camp (which they had previously named Camp Grant, since even at that time they had recognized he as a civilian mustering agent was a better soldier than their original commander), and told the men they must report to every assembly without fail, and then posted the assembly schedule showing barely two hours between assemblies.
A pair of prominent local Democrat politicians offered to speak to the men to encourage them to sign up for 3-year enlistments after their first enlistments expired. The second speaker roused them, and concluded by saying, "Boys, you don't want to go home to Mary, and when she asks how far did you get? Be forced to reply, 'Mattoon.' " After that 603 of them, virtually to a man, re-enlisted for three years. When Grant was introduced officially as their new commander, they called out, "Speech! Speech!" and his response was, "Men, go to your quarters."
They were in the Army now.
This is of the best biographies I've ever read; and features an interesting two-page insight into the Dred Scott case. Dred Scott was the nickname soldiers had given to a slave named 'Sam,' who used to greet every news story about General Winfield Scott's campaign from Vera Cruz to Mexico City, by exclaiming, "Great Scott!", which his negro patois rendered as "Dret Scott!" Hence his nickname, which he later used in applying for a court decision to define his status as a free man, since his original owners had allowed his slave status to lapse, and didn't feel they had standing to grant him freedom as they had to their other slaves.
The court ruled that the Congress had no authority to declare any territory to be either "slave" or "free," thereby nullifying the Missouri Compromise and reinstating Sam's slave status. Two months later Sam's former owners officially granted him his freedom by deed of manumission, and four months after that Sam was dead of the tuberculosis which he had been suffering from throughout the case.
November 5, 2017
Lloyd Lewis isn't a writer on par with Bruce Catton - however Lloyd's book is well worth the read - Grant's life is critically important to our nation's history - next up is GRANT by Jean Edward Smith (covers Grant's presidency) - my guess is that Grant has forever been defamed by those in thrall to an American aristocracy - Grant, a true hero of the common man.
Lewis also managed to squeeze in the best lawyer joke ever - I'll have to visit Galena, IL - it's too close to pass up
Lewis also managed to squeeze in the best lawyer joke ever - I'll have to visit Galena, IL - it's too close to pass up
June 27, 2016
I found this book delightful. Since it's only volume 1 of a 3-part biography, and since volumes 2 and 3 were written by Bruce Catton, I wasn't expecting it to measure up to Catton's style. Lloyd Lewis doesn't write exactly like Catton, but his tale of Grant's early life is very readable. I highly recommend it!
September 23, 2016
This is a very good book. It adds depth to the stories and rumors regarding Ulysses S. Grant early life as well as reveal many facts not previously known.
August 25, 2014
This is the first book of a trilogy, Captain Sam Grant, Grant Moves South, and Grant Takes Command, covering the life of Ulysses S. Grant through the Civil War. Unfortunately, neither Lloyd Lewis, the first book's author, nor Bruce Catton, who penned the following two, covered Grant's presidency nor the unfortunate final years of his life. Lewis died after finishing Captain Sam Grant.
The narrative style is similar to Douglas S. Freeman's in his slightly earlier trilogy on Robert E. Lee; that is, Lewis will insert some suppositional history in for added flavor. For example, "Through the window of the inn where he roomed he could see the village stirring after the long winter night." This made me wonder how accurate the bio was going to be, but Lewis does footnote key facts.
He goes over conflicting information on Grant's drinking, but does not render a judgement on how bad his problem was. The book was published in 1950, before alcoholism was termed a "disease."
For a little while, Grant owned a slave and this is covered.
Grant's academic career at West Point and his participation in the Mexican War get detailed coverage. Grant served under both Taylor and Scott so the reader reads of both campaigns. Unfortunately, the book hasn't a single map, so it is difficult to follow campaigns and battles.
The sequence of events which brought Grant back into the military at the start of the Civil War are also well covered.
This is an easy, although big, read, and as thorough a study of young Grant as one is going to find. I'm not sure it's impartial; we read of Grant's achievements, but, if, outside of his drinking, he had faults(as if the drinking wasn't enough), we don't learn of them. Lewis is doing for Grant what Freeman did for Lee.
The narrative style is similar to Douglas S. Freeman's in his slightly earlier trilogy on Robert E. Lee; that is, Lewis will insert some suppositional history in for added flavor. For example, "Through the window of the inn where he roomed he could see the village stirring after the long winter night." This made me wonder how accurate the bio was going to be, but Lewis does footnote key facts.
He goes over conflicting information on Grant's drinking, but does not render a judgement on how bad his problem was. The book was published in 1950, before alcoholism was termed a "disease."
For a little while, Grant owned a slave and this is covered.
Grant's academic career at West Point and his participation in the Mexican War get detailed coverage. Grant served under both Taylor and Scott so the reader reads of both campaigns. Unfortunately, the book hasn't a single map, so it is difficult to follow campaigns and battles.
The sequence of events which brought Grant back into the military at the start of the Civil War are also well covered.
This is an easy, although big, read, and as thorough a study of young Grant as one is going to find. I'm not sure it's impartial; we read of Grant's achievements, but, if, outside of his drinking, he had faults(as if the drinking wasn't enough), we don't learn of them. Lewis is doing for Grant what Freeman did for Lee.
October 26, 2019
Very well researched biography of an often maligned President. The author handles Grant’s drinking problem deftly. Paints the future president as a firm, determined but loving gentle man. Unwilling to self promote, but a natural born leader. Flawed (likely depression)as we all are but the right man to lead the Union army and eventually the country. My only complaint he got a little bogged down in the Mexican War time and also tended to introduce too many players in Grant’s life. Looking forward to reading Chernow’s full biography now.
August 19, 2011
Best of choices for this period of his life
April 23, 2022
Readable, highly detailed account of Grant’s life up to his gaining a command at the start of the civil war.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews