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. He is often caricatured as a chronic loser and an inept businessman, or as the triumphant but brutal Union general of the Civil War. But these stereotypes don't capture 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. But during his administration 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 his presidency, he 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. Ron 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." Provided by publisher.

"Pulitzer Prize-winner and biographer of Alexander Hamilton, George Washington, and John D. Rockefeller, Ron Chernow returns with a sweeping and dramatic portrait of one of our most complicated generals and presidents, Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant's life has typically been misunderstood. All too often he is caricatured as a chronic loser and inept businessman, fond of drinking to excess; or as the triumphant but brutal Union general of the Civil War; or as a credulous and hapless president whose tenure came to symbolize the worst excesses of the Gilded Age. These stereotypes don't come close to capturing adequately his spirit and the sheer magnitude of his monumental accomplishments. A biographer at the height of his powers, Chernow has produced a portrait of Grant that is a masterpiece, the first to provide a complete understanding of the general and president whose fortunes rose and fell with dizzying speed and frequency"-- Provided by publisher.