Book Reviewer
I was going to review Stephen Crane's visionary war classic, "The Red Badge of Courage." However I misplaced the damn thing. I have started reading Ulysses S. Grant's, "Personal Memoirs." So instead, I will provide some reflections of what I have read so far.
The first seven chapters feature Grant's life from start till the Mexican War in 1846 where he served as a fledgling 2nd Lt. Grant does not merely start with himself, but starts by telling the reader who is ancestors are and where they are from. In fact, Grant starts the book with one line that sums it all up, succintly, and without irony; "My family is American, and has been for generations, in all its branches, direct and collateral." No sir, this man does not mince words and that is how the book has read so far.
Grant was born in Point Pleasant Ohio and grew up in Georgetown. His early life consisted of hard work and horses. His father was a tradesman with some land to farm and Grant learned to break, plough and harvest with horses at a young age. So far in the book, Grant seems especially fond of horses, recalling every horse he ever owned and providing details and anecdotes for every horse. This is unsurprising considering horses were the main source of transportation. If Grant lived in our period of time, he would be talking about driving his mom's '65 Fairlane and the first muscle car he ever bought.
The tone is self-deprecating and his humour is dry. He is not afraid to tell his most embarrassing moments. Early on in Grant's life, upon returning home from West Point, Grant
decide to ride about town in his new Officer's uniform. It seems the town idiot took to mimicing him causing townsfolk to laugh at Grant's expense. Remember this is the man who revolutionized tactics and led the North to victory during the Civil War.
He also has no bones about criticising the Mexican War where he experiences his first engagements. He distinguishes leaders he admires and fools he does not. It is no wonder he later becomes popular with his men during the Civil War. Prehaps it was Grant's early humilities, that he remembers so well, that helped form that great General he was to become.
I'm getting ahead of myself. So far the memoirs are infomaticve and entertaining. There are descriptions of Mexicans breaking horses and ship to ship transfers of troops at sea. There is an absence of pomp and pretension and many very funny moments. I hope it continues just the same.
The first seven chapters feature Grant's life from start till the Mexican War in 1846 where he served as a fledgling 2nd Lt. Grant does not merely start with himself, but starts by telling the reader who is ancestors are and where they are from. In fact, Grant starts the book with one line that sums it all up, succintly, and without irony; "My family is American, and has been for generations, in all its branches, direct and collateral." No sir, this man does not mince words and that is how the book has read so far.
Grant was born in Point Pleasant Ohio and grew up in Georgetown. His early life consisted of hard work and horses. His father was a tradesman with some land to farm and Grant learned to break, plough and harvest with horses at a young age. So far in the book, Grant seems especially fond of horses, recalling every horse he ever owned and providing details and anecdotes for every horse. This is unsurprising considering horses were the main source of transportation. If Grant lived in our period of time, he would be talking about driving his mom's '65 Fairlane and the first muscle car he ever bought.
The tone is self-deprecating and his humour is dry. He is not afraid to tell his most embarrassing moments. Early on in Grant's life, upon returning home from West Point, Grant
decide to ride about town in his new Officer's uniform. It seems the town idiot took to mimicing him causing townsfolk to laugh at Grant's expense. Remember this is the man who revolutionized tactics and led the North to victory during the Civil War.
He also has no bones about criticising the Mexican War where he experiences his first engagements. He distinguishes leaders he admires and fools he does not. It is no wonder he later becomes popular with his men during the Civil War. Prehaps it was Grant's early humilities, that he remembers so well, that helped form that great General he was to become.
I'm getting ahead of myself. So far the memoirs are infomaticve and entertaining. There are descriptions of Mexicans breaking horses and ship to ship transfers of troops at sea. There is an absence of pomp and pretension and many very funny moments. I hope it continues just the same.
posted by Matt at 20:15
2 Comments:
I've read his Civil War Memoirs and had read once that the the full memoirs weren't that good. Let me know what you think when your done the wole book.
PS - I was at Gettysburg this past August, my first Civil War battlefield. I highly recommend.
Will do. Have you read The Red Badge of Courage. I read it as a teenager but I think I appreciated more this time around. I'd like to read it again and write a proper review. Outstanding book. On a Civil War kick right now.
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