Sunday, February 17, 2013

Grant, an author?




You've heard about Ulysses S. Grant the general and president but did you know he also wrote a two volume memoir?  Neither did I.

In May of 1884, Grant found out, as did other investors, that monies they had invested were taken by Ferdinand Ward in a ponzi type scam. This wiped out Grant's finances.  The editors from Century Magazine  had approached him, in the past, about writing articles about the different battles he participated in. Now needing  a source of income, he finally agreed and  wrote about the battle at Shiloh. 

After the success of his article and finding out he had throat cancer, Grant needed to make sure his family would be provided for.   He  decided he could write a book of all the battles and presented the idea to Century (editor's note: some sources say it was Grant's idea, others say it was Century Magazine's).   The editors offered Grant ten percent royalties on a suspected sale of twenty five thousand sets.  He almost signed the contract until his friend, Mark Twain, offered him a better deal,  seventy-five percent royalties or net profit, depending on who you read.


In the beginning, Grant dictated most of the words for his memoirs.  It is reported that he could dictate up to ten thousand words at one sitting.  As a writer, I can only dream of doing so well. As time went on the cancer spread to his tongue and mouth making it hard for him to talk, breath and eat.  And yet, despite the pain,  he continued.

 In June of 1885, the Grant family moved to Mount McGregor, New York, in the Adirondacks, to get away from a terrible heat spell that had gripped New York City , hoping Grant would be more comfortable.   There Grant finished volume two.  On July 23, 1885, a couple of days after completion, Grant passed away.  If that's not dedication to complete something, I don't know what is.  Sadly, he never saw his work published.  Julia, Grant's wife, eventually received  approximately $450,000 from sales.  The  Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant went on to be acclaimed as one of the best military histories ever written,


Did you know about the memoirs?  Did you know he also drew and painted mostly in his younger years?  Have you ever visited Grant's Tomb in New York City?   

Thanks for joining me today.



Sources: granthomepage.com, wikipedia,      
http://faculty.css.edu/mkelsey/usgrant/lastyears.html,   
 http://faculty.css.edu/mkelsey/usgrant/lastyears.html,
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50141210n - reccomend watching
http://clevelandcivilwarroundtable.com/articles/biography/grant_lion.htm

8 comments:

  1. This is amazing. I had no idea about anything beyond Grant's military and presidential careers. Our history is filled with rounded and inspiring people like him. It's a shame we're not as aware of them as we could - or rather, should - be. Thank you for sharing this.

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    1. I didn't either until I saw a segment on Sunday Morning. Truthfully, I didn't know what I was going to write about, then I saw it and was like "wow that's interesting". Well at least to me it was.

      What I found to truly amazing was his determination to complete it and his ability to write so much despite the agony of his illness.

      Thanks for coming by, Debbie.

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  2. Dictating 10 thousand words in one sitting, I feel for his secretary. But it is an impressive stint for a writer. I've never read Grant's writings, but now my interest is piqued. Thanks for the fine post!

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    1. I wonder if his secretary ever thought will he just shut up? : ) You can find the writings on the internet. Where else, right?

      I don't know if I'd read all of them but I might check out one or two to get a glimpse of how he thought.

      Glad you found this interesting and appreciate you cmmenting.

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  3. Now that's love. He spent his dying days painfully sharing his memories so his family would be taken care of after he passed. Thanks for telling his story beyond the politics, Donna.

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    1. From what I see, from my brief research, he was very much the family man, playing with his children and dedicated to his wife. I found it kind of amusing that this hardened general, of some many battles, was sort of a push over when it came to his kids. Julia was the disciplinarian, not him.

      Thanks for popping in.

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  4. Wow, I had no idea he had throat cancer. It's amazing to know the disease is that old. I wonder how far cancer dates back to...

    ~Tuere

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    1. I didn't either. It's probably been around for a long, long long time. Maybe since the first complex animals came into being in some form or another.

      I'm happy you came by. Thanks

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