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I. Ancestry - Boyhood
y family is American, and has been for generations, in all
its branches, direct and collateral. My ancestor, Matthew
Grant, reached Dorchester, Massachusetts, in May, 1630. I was born on
the 27th of April, 1822, at Point Pleasant, Clermont County, Ohio. In the
winter of 1838-9 my father informed me that I was likely to receive an
appointment to West Point. I had no desire for a military life; but my
father was not a man to be disobeyed.
This volume serves as a faithful representation of the original
memoirs, capturing the strategic mind and personal integrity of Ulysses
S. Grant as he navigated the Mexican War and the American Civil War.
II. West Point and The Mexican War
military life had no charms for me, and I had not the
faintest idea of staying in the army even if I should be
graduated, which I did not expect. The Mexican War was a political war,
and the administration of that day desired it for the purpose of the
annexation of Texas. I was bitterly opposed to the measure, and to this
day regard the war, which resulted, as one of the most unjust ever waged
by a stronger against a weaker nation.
This volume serves as a faithful representation of the original
memoirs, capturing the strategic mind and personal integrity of Ulysses
S. Grant as he navigated the Mexican War and the American Civil War.
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