Grant

 Every wargamer has his "military idols", generals and leaders they in someway look up unto, and they try to emulate their "fighting spirit" in their games, even fantasy or sci-fi ones.

 

 

Call it influencers before that became a hype...

 

Now, for me personally, ever since I took an intrest in military history over 3 decades ago, that have always been the Duke of Wellington, B. L. Montgomery and Ulysses S. Grant, the supreme commander of the Union forces in the ACW.

 

So when strolling some streaming documentaries, I came across this 3 episode mini-series (every episode running for about 1hr25) about Grant, and duly sat down to watch it in one go. The series follows the rise of the most unlikeliest stories in the American history, of how a simple, failed in life, son of a tanner becomes even president.

 

After being an underachieving student of West Point, and quartermaster in the Mexican-American War, he starts drinking at his stationing at Fort Humboldt, missing his wife and children, and leading to his resignation.  But when the Civil War breaks out, he is recruited into a local regiment, and proves his mettle at the Battle of Belmont.  He starts rising the ranks, and after capturing Fort Henry and Fort Donelson, leads the Union to victory at Shiloh.

 

At Vicksburg, he truly shows his tactical skills by crossing the Mississippi and when he later combines three armies into a single force at Chattanooga, Lincoln knows he finally has his man to combat Robert E. Lee, the genius general of the Confederate forces.  Grant is brought to the Eastern theatre, promoting him to the rank of Lieutenant General, the previous man to hold that was... George Washington.  Grant takes the battle to the South, with the bloody Wilderness Campaign, and pushes into the southern states as a result.  

 

While he suffers setbacks at Cold Harbor and the Battle of the Crater, his great plan starts to roll in motion.  Pinning Lee in Petersburg to strangle Richmond, his friend Sherman starts his march through the South, gutting it from the inside out, to take Atlanta.  Lee realises his army is spend, signing his surrender at Appomattox Courthouse.  But when Lincoln is assassinated and his successor Johnson makes a mess of things, Grant is elected president.  During his two terms he tries to enact the Reconstruction, only partially succeeding.  

 

After his terms, he travels the world, and while losing all his money, he writes his memoirs together with Mark Twain, securing the financial security for his family before succumbing to throat cancer three days after having finished the final page. 

A fine documentary series, which also looks into the aftermath of the war and what he accomplished then.  Though history often sees him as "The Butcher", a drunk and a corrupt president, these are things often coming forth from misconception and misinformation spread at the time to destable his name.  

A good series, and definitly worth the watch!