Includes bibliographical references (pages 1021-1031) and index.

Introduction: The Sphinx talks -- Part one: A life of struggle. Country bumpkin ; The darling young lieutenant ; Rough and ready ; The son of temperance ; Payday -- Part two: A life of war. The store clerk ; The quiet man ; Twin forts ; Dynamo ; A glittering lie ; Exodus ; Man of iron ; Citadel ; Deliverance ; Above the clouds ; Idol of the hour ; Ulysses the Silent ; Raging storm ; Heavens hung in black ; Caldron of hell ; Chew & choke ; Her satanic majesty ; Dirty boots ; A singular, indescribable vessel -- Part three: A life of peace. Soldierly good faith ; Swing around the circle ; Volcanic passion ; Trading places ; Spoils of war ; We are all Americans ; Sin against humanity ; The darkest blot ; A dance of blood ; Vindication ; A butchery of citizens ; The bravest battle ; Let no guilty man escape ; Saddest of the falls ; Redeemers -- Part four: A life of reflection. The wanderer ; Master spirit ; A miserable dirty reptile ; Taps.

"Ulysses S. Grant's life has typically been misunderstood. All too often he is caricatured as a chronic loser and inept businessman, or as the triumphant but brutal Union general of the Civil War. But these stereotypes don't come close to capturing him, as Ron Chernow shows in his biography of the general and president whose fortunes rose and fell with dizzying speed and frequency. Before the Civil War, Grant was flailing. His business ventures had ended dismally, and despite distinguished service in the Mexican War, he ended up resigning from the army in disgrace amid recurring accusations of drunkenness. But in war, Grant began to realize his remarkable potential, soaring through the ranks of the Union army, prevailing at the Battle of Shiloh and in the Vicksburg campaign, and ultimately defeating the legendary Confederate general Robert E. Lee. Along the way, Grant endeared himself to President Lincoln and became his most trusted general and the strategic genius of the war effort. Grant's military fame translated into a two-term presidency, but one plagued by corruption scandals involving his closest staff members. More important, he sought freedom and justice for black Americans, working to crush the Ku Klux Klan and earning the admiration of Frederick Douglass, who called him 'the vigilant, firm, impartial, and wise protector of my race.' After Grant's presidency, he was again brought low by a dashing young swindler on Wall Street, only to resuscitate his image by working with Mark Twain to publish his memoirs, which are recognized as a masterpiece of the genre. Chernow finds the threads that bind these disparate stories together, shedding new light on the man whom Walt Whitman described as 'nothing heroic... and yet the greatest hero.' Chernow's portrait of Grant's lifelong struggle with alcoholism transforms our understanding of the man at the deepest level. Ron Chernow is the author of The House of Morgan, Washington: A Life, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography, and Alexander Hamilton - the inspiration for the Broadway musical"--Provided by publisher.