The Man Who Saved the Union

Ulysses Grant in War and Peace

By: H. W. Brands

Narrated by: Stephen Hoye

From New York Times bestselling author H. W. Brands, a masterful biography of the Civil War general and two-term president who saved the Union twice, on the battlefield and in the White House, holding the country together at two critical turning points in our history.

Ulysses Grant rose from obscurity to discover he had a genius for battle, and he propelled the Union to victory in the Civil War. After Abraham Lincoln's assassination and the disastrous brief presidency of Andrew Johnson, America turned to Grant again to unite the country, this time as president. In Brands's sweeping, majestic full biography, Grant emerges as a heroic figure who was fearlessly on the side of right. He was a beloved commander in the field but willing to make the troop sacrifices necessary to win the war, even in the face of storms of criticism. He worked valiantly to protect the rights of freedmen in the South; Brands calls him the last presidential defender of black civil rights for nearly a century. He played it straight with the American Indians, allowing them to shape their own fate even as the realities of Manifest Destiny meant the end of their way of life. He was an enormously popular president whose memoirs were a huge bestseller; yet within decades of his death his reputation was in tatters, the victim of Southerners who resented his policies on Reconstruction. In this page-turning biography, Brands now reconsiders Grant's legacy and provides a compelling and intimate portrait of a man who saved the Union on the battlefield and consolidated that victory as a resolute and principled political leader.

Look for H.W. Brands's other biographies: THE FIRST AMERICAN (Benjamin Franklin), ANDREW JACKSON, TRAITOR TO HIS CLASS (Franklin Roosevelt) and REAGAN.

OUTSTANDING HISTORICAL STORY

Would you listen to The Man Who Saved the Union again? Why?

NO.
TOO MANY AUDIBLE BOOKS YET TO HEAR.

What other book might you compare The Man Who Saved the Union to and why?

ALL OF H. W. BRANDS WORKS; HE LIVES AND TEACHES HERE IN AUSTIN.

What does Stephen Hoye bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

MAKES IT MORE INTERESTING.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

NO.
I DO A LOT OF WORK ON MY LAWNS AND GARDENS; WHILE I WORK, I LISTEN.

Any additional comments?

WAITING FOR THE NOVEMBER CROP OF NEW MYSTERY THRILLERS.

First-rate

Civil War buffs can fill in some necessarily tangential areas; those not as familiar will learn a great deal.

Economical yet superb treatment of his presidency.

Not written on a 5th grade level as one complained but rather sharply and mercifully written in plain English, free of jargon and bloated prose.

One of the best presidents

It is amazing how much he did for our nation during the war and after. He stopped the KKK but other presidents allowed to proposer again causing major harm to civil rights. A story of a real patriot American

Good biography overall.

Not as good as Chernow, but an easier read. goes into war issues outside of Grant.

The Man Who Saved the Union

It was tough going and I had to stop listening to it but after the war started it became very interesting. I enjoyed learning about the General and I do think his scandals where overblown and his accomplishments as President were undervalued. This biography helped me understand all of this, in detail. The performance was just fine. Not sure how it could have been improved but it did seem to "drone" on and on. It was the book that kept me listening and perhaps the performer was trying to accomplish this by his performance overshadowing the story.