Written while dying of cancer and racing to secure his family's future, Ulysses S. Grant's Personal Memoirs is one of the most remarkable books ever produced by an American. With quiet clarity and astonishing candor, Grant traces his journey from a modest Ohio boyhood through West Point, the Mexican-American War, and years of civilian failure, to the command decisions that helped end the Civil War — including the Vicksburg campaign and Lee's surrender at Appomattox. Praised by Mark Twain and admired by generations of writers, the Memoirs combine a soldier's directness with a statesman's perspective. This edition presents the complete, unabridged original text — every chapter, every campaign — accompanied by a new introduction and reader's notes that illuminate the historical context without intruding on Grant's own voice. Whether you are a student of history or a first-time reader, this is the definitive account of a life lived at the center of a nation's defining struggle. Part of The Founding Texts Library.