Memoirs of the Union's Three Great Civil War Generals

by Ulysses S. (Ulysses Simpson) Grant

"Memoirs of the Union's Three Great Civil War Generals" by Ulysses S. Grant et al. is a historical account written in the late 19th century. The work consists largely of personal reflections and recollections by Ulysses S. Grant, as well as contributions from fellow generals William T. Sherman and Philip H. Sheridan. The memoirs cover significant events of their military careers, particularly during the tumultuous years of the American Civil War. The opening of the memoirs presents Grant's preface, where he reflects on the motivations and challenges he faced while writing his memoirs. He discusses his initial reluctance to enter into public writing, the circumstances that led him to change his mind—including a request from a magazine editor during a period of financial difficulty—and his concern about fairness to his fellow soldiers, both Union and Confederate. Grant emphasizes the importance of truthfulness in recounting his experiences and expresses a desire to avoid doing injustice to anyone, acknowledging the limits of his memory in narrating the vast complexities of the Civil War. The narrative begins with his ancestry and early life, setting the stage for his eventual rise to prominence as a key military figure.