What is the ultimate purpose of the book? In what ways does Ron Chernow support that purpose?

Chernow claims in his introduction that Ulysses S. Grant has been unfairly described “as a philistine, a boor, a drunk, and an incompetent” (xx). Did you find Chernow’s attempt to improve Grant’s historical reputation convincing? Why or why not?

In what ways might Grant be considered a “modern” general? What does Grant’s military career and his choice of tactics reveal about the American Civil War itself?