grant's autobiography is well worth reading - quite funny at times. but when it gets into the battles it kind of loses me, having only a vague grasp of geography and topology. possibly why i am not a great general?
When Rosecrans were trapped by the Confederates after the battle of Chickamauga, Grant was assigned to take command and free the trapped Union army. Grant arrived and quickly saw that the Union troops were starving and that Confederates blocked the most direct supply routes and many mules and horses were driven to death in an attempt to feed the troops. Grant quickly launched a surprise attack to establish the “cracker line” a direct route to supply the troops with hard tack, a staple food of Union troops.
Once his troops were fed and recovered their strength, he went on the offensive. At the battle of Missionary Ridge, Grant’s troops charged up a mountain against Confederate canon and drove Braxton Bragg off the field. For several months Bragg thought he was close to destroying an entire Union army and suddenly Grant showed up and turned the tables on him.
One thing I found intriguing was how gentlemanly he was able to conduct himself in war, when dealing with his own men (who sometimes barely had any training at all) and when dealing with the enemy.
The manner in which he writes his memoirs, his manner of speaking, is much different than how I speak, but is pleasant to read. There are sections that I reread many times. If I recall correctly he had no confidence at all in his own writing ability, and only began writing to pay the bills (writing short stories about the war for the newspaper).
Yes. The part where he was put in charge of the "trained" (i.e., completely untrained) mules and the "teamsters", (many of whom had lied about their credentials because teamsters got to ride on the wagons rather than humping a heavy pack on foot) made me laugh out loud.
I believe it's on Project Gutenberg for free.