Which individual from the Civil War would be the most interesting to sit down and speak with over dinner or a tasty beverage? Ulysses S. Grant
By Emily Dickinson
The Cleveland Civil War Roundtable
Copyright © 2025, All Rights Reserved
Editor’s note: The subject of the annual Dick Crews Memorial Debate at the January 2025 Roundtable meeting was: “Which individual from the Civil War would be the most interesting to sit down and speak with over dinner or a tasty beverage?” Five members made presentations on the topic; the article below was one of those five presentations.
Out of respect for General Grant’s reputation, I asked him to join me for a steaming hot cup of London Fog rather than the Woodford Reserve or glass of wine I might normally offer a guest. After the pleasantries were dispensed, I told him I was most interested in hearing his thoughts on how the Mexican-American War influenced his decisions during the Civil War. How did it help shape a second lieutenant (and later acting captain) into the illustrious General of the Army of the United States? The general most graciously answered my musings by splitting his experiences into two sections: first, how his experiences shaped what would become “Grant the General” and second, how they gave him insight into the men he would fight beside and against.
To understand Grant, you have to understand his military mentor so to speak, General and later President Zachary Taylor. Grant spoke most highly of Taylor, saying, “General Taylor never made any great show or parade, either of uniform or retinue…he moved about the field in which he was operating to see through his own eyes the situation. Often he would be without staff officers, and when he was accompanied by them there was no prescribed order in which they followed. Taylor saw for himself, and gave orders to meet the emergency without reference to how they would read in history” (Grant, 1999, pp. 47,68).
His words about Taylor struck a chord, as that is, in many ways, how I remember Grant himself appearing in pictures. I think about him camping alongside his men with Meade at the Battles of the Wilderness and Spotsylvania Courthouse. While many other officers of similar rank would choose a more prestigious place, Grant was out in the field, despite the Ellwood Manor House, previously being used by Confederate command during Chancellorsville only the year before, conveniently located right down the road. Like Taylor before him, Grant was a man most comfortable with muddy boots in the field, getting the lay of the land for himself.
As he transitioned into talking about his experiences with the other generals, Grant related a story to me. He was watching a bullfight for the first time while he was in Mexico, and of it he said, “The sight to me was sickening, I could not see how human beings could enjoy the suffering of beasts, and often of men, as they seem to do on these occasions” (Grant, 1999, p. 88). He explained that his desire to end the war and suffering stemmed from a distaste of bloodshed, rather than the pleasure of suffering, as his moniker of “butcher” would later suggest in the press. However, he firmly believed in continuing a path once started, saying that “one of my superstitions had always been when I started anything, not to turn back, or stop until the thing intended was accomplished” (Grant, 1999, p. 21). He felt that “the Southern Rebellion was largely the outgrowth of the Mexican War. Nations, like individuals, are punished for their transgressions. We got our punishment in the most sanguinary and expensive war of modern times” (Grant, 1999, p. 24). The rebellion was started during the Mexican-American War, and now the nation must push forward and not retreat, especially when it came to meeting Lee and his army.
Grant served beside many future Confederate and Union leaders alike, which gave him hands-on knowledge of their individual personalities, even if it was from a distance. He told me that he did not necessarily customize his plans to suit a general he was up against one to one, although simply being friends or acquaintances, especially during previous wartime, allowed him to “appreciate of his enemies” (Grant, 1999, pp. 96-97). Of course, the most notable adversary was in the form of Robert E. Lee.
Lee’s reputation cast a long shadow on the whole of the Union Army. All previous generals in Grant’s commanding position were hesitant to follow Lee, but not Grant. When asked about this, he responded that “the natural disposition of most people is to clothe a commander of a larger army whom they do not know, with almost superhuman abilities. A large part of the National army, for instance, and most of the press of the country, clothed General Lee with just such qualities, but I had known him personally, and knew that he was mortal” (Grant, 1999, p. 97). Indeed, Lee was mortal, and although it came at great cost, the war would finally be mostly resolved with Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Courthouse on April 9, 1865.
Before our conversation, I had often passed over the Mexican-American War. It was a small asterisk in the greater narrative of the Civil War. But given the opportunity, I asked myself, what stories would General Grant have to tell about his younger self, before the hardships of civilian life or the triumph of military success? I was not disappointed by his answers. What I received was a picture of a humble man, not above following his troops into the fray, something he learned from General Taylor’s example. Someone who was astute enough to observe those around him, and allow that knowledge to inform his decisions in tough times ahead. I am grateful for the time he shared with me, and the insights into the past that make studying history forever enriching.
Reference (Click on the book title below to purchase from Amazon. Part of the proceeds from any book purchased from Amazon through the CCWRT website is returned to the CCWRT to support its education and preservation programs.)
Grant, U.S. (1999). Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant, Modern Library Paperback Edition
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