Dr. Chris Mackowski, professor of journalism and mass communication at St. Bonaventure University and the author and editor of more than two dozen books on the Civil War, has co-edited a new book on Ulysses S. Grant, who led Union armies to victory over the Confederacy in the Civil War and was later elected the nation鈥檚 18th president.
Dr. Chris Mackowski, professor of journalism and mass communication at St. Bonaventure University and the author and editor of more than two dozen books on the Civil War, has co-edited a new book on Ulysses S. Grant, who led Union armies to victory
over the Confederacy in the Civil War and was later elected the nation鈥檚 18th president.
鈥淕rant at 200: Reconsidering the Life and Legacy of Ulysses S. Grant鈥 (Savas Beatie, 2023), which Mackowski co-edited with Frank Scaturro, president of the Grant Monument Association, pulls together a collection of 16 essays from 12 of the
country鈥檚 greatest Grant experts.
Last year marked the bicentennial of Grant鈥檚 birth and the book serves as a capstone to a yearlong series of celebrations, events and symposia held across the nation by Grant scholars, historians and admirers.
Grant鈥檚 reputation has seen peaks and valleys since the Civil War, Mackowski said. In his day, Grant was the most famous American in the world and his 1885 funeral was the largest ever held in the country up to that point. But by the end of the
century, Grant the general was slandered by his former Southern foes as a drunk and a butcher, while the reputation of Grant the president was tarnished by rampant corruption in his administration.
鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 until well into the 20th century that historians began a reexamination of Grant鈥檚 presidency. Now that he鈥檚 been getting a fresh look, people are discovering all sorts of wonderful things to like about him,鈥 Mackowski
said. 鈥淚 like him because he was an excellent writer. As president, he did more for civil rights than anyone until Lyndon B. Johnson in the 1960s. And as general, of course, he won the war and saved the country.鈥
The book includes contributions from Frank J. Williams, past president of the Ulysses S. Grant Association; Ronald C. White, author of the bestselling Grant biography 鈥淎merican Ulysses;" Nicholas W. Sacco, historian at the Ulysses S. Grant Historic
Site in St. Louis; Curt Fields, the country鈥檚 leading living Grant historian; and eight other Grant scholars and historians.
The book includes two essays by Mackowski, 鈥淭he Myth of Grant鈥檚 Silence,鈥 about Grant as a writer, and 鈥淢oments of Contingency and the Rise of Grant;鈥 as well as a pair of essays by co-editor Scaturro.
It also includes original contributions from all six living U.S. presidents, as well as a contribution from Gen. Mark A. Milley, current chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; a never-before-published remembrance by the late Jack Kemp, former congressman
and vice presidential nominee; and a note to Scaturro about Grant from former Secretary of State Colin Powell.
James M. McPherson, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning 鈥淏attle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era,鈥 said the book offers 鈥渘ew information and astute insights about the personal life of this surprisingly complex and remarkable American.鈥
All proceeds from 鈥淕rant at 200鈥 go to support the Ulysses S. Grant Association and the Grant Monument Association.
Mackowski has taught writing in St. Bonaventure鈥檚 Jandoli School of Communication since the fall of 2000. He is editor-in-chief of Emerging Civil War (www.emergingcivilwar.com).
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About the University: The nation鈥檚 first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure University is a community committed to transforming the lives of our students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a lifelong commitment to service
and citizenship. St. Bonaventure was named the #5 regional university value in the North in U.S. News and World Report鈥檚 2022 college rankings edition.
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