This multi-hour biography of Ulysses S. Grant paints a revealing portrait of one of America's most paradoxical leaders. The greatest hero of the Civil War, Grant was a brilliant military strategist who rose from obscurity to a rank held previously only by George Washington. But the strength of the Confederate resistance forced Grant into a hard war that destroyed the South and led to his being labeled a butcher.

Propelled into the White House by his battlefield success, Grant lacked the political skills to deal with the issues of the era: reconstructing the South and managing the nation's rapidly expanding economy. His two terms were rocked by bitter racial conflict and corruption scandals. Seven years after leaving office, Grant was financially ruined by the collapse of an investment house in which he had placed his assets. He spent his final days in a race against time as he battled cancer while finishing his epic war memoirs.

Film Description
A synopsis of the film, plus film credits.

Transcript
The program transcript.

Primary Sources
Personal accounts of the Battle of Shiloh, and Grant's Memoirs.

Further Reading
A list of books, articles, and Web sites relating to the program topic.

	AMERICAN EXPERIENCE is closed captioned for deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers by The Caption Center at WGBH.
	A special narration track is added to the series by Descriptive Video Service® (DVS®), a service of WGBH to provide access to people who are blind or visually impaired. The DVS narration is available on the SAP channel of stereo TVs and VCRs.