Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant · Question
How does Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant develop the theme of The Horrors and Cost of War?
Answer
Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant by Ulysses S. Grant develops The Horrors and Cost of War across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.
The narrative recounts the immense suffering, loss of life, and destruction of the Civil War, including Grant's somber feelings at Lee's surrender and his reflections on the war's unjust origins.
Grant describes the brutal realities of battle and the immense human toll of the conflict.
Grant condemns the Mexican War as 'one of the most unjust ever waged by a stronger against a weaker nation.'
Grant reflects on the political expediency of war, noting that obstructing a war is unpopular and that the defeated rebel may be honored more than the Northern traitor who conspires against his government.
Evidence in the book
- Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant
Grant describes the brutal realities of battle and the immense human toll of the conflict.
- Army Life—Causes of the Mexican War—Camp Salubrity
Grant condemns the Mexican War as 'one of the most unjust ever waged by a stronger against a weaker nation.'
- Corpus Christi and the March to the Rio Grande
Grant reflects on the political expediency of war, noting that obstructing a war is unpopular and that the defeated rebel may be honored more than the Northern traitor who conspires against his government.
- Trip to Austin—Promotion to Full Second Lieutenant—Army of Occupation
The harsh treatment of mules and the loss of horses hint at the broader costs and brutalities of military life.
- Advance of the Army—Crossing the Colorado—The Rio Grande
The deaths of Lieutenant Porter and Major Cross, and the capture of American troops, foreshadow the human cost of the impending conflict.
- VII The Mexican War—The Battle of Palo Alto—The Battle of Resaca De La Palma—Army of Invasion—General Taylor—Movement on Camargo
Grant reflects on the fear and uncertainty of battle, the casualties at Fort Brown, and the sobering reality of combat for a young officer.
- The Battle of Monterey
Grant vividly describes the heavy casualties in Garland's charge, the death of Adjutant Hoskins, and the wounded soldiers left behind, emphasizing the human cost of battle.
- Political Intrigue—Buena Vista—Movement Against Vera Cruz—Siege and Capture of Vera Cruz
The siege of Vera Cruz resulted in casualties on both sides, including the decapitation of Major Albertis by a cannon shot, underscoring the human cost of war.
