The Quiet Man

Lessons on Leadership from U.S Grant.

I recently finished reading Grant, the biography of Ulysses S. Grant by Ron Chernow. Before reading the book, I have to admit I knew little about Grant, despite having grown up less than 25 miles away from where he was born in Point Pleasant, Ohio. In fact, I had no idea he was from Ohio (my AP U.S. History class left that part out when we studied the Civil War) until the summer after my senior year of high school. A friend invited me and a few others to go sport shooting at his family’s farm in Clermont County. We stopped at a convenience store on the way, and as I got out of the car to stretch, I noticed a historical marker across the street. The marker indicated that the small, white, wooden house across from the store—where we were stopping to buy Big Texas Cinnamon Rolls and chewing tobacco—was Grant’s birthplace.

My assumption is that many Americans learn the basics growing up: Grant was a general during the Civil War who eventually became President of the United States. Most people also perhaps that he had a drinking problem and was labeled an alcoholic. Unless you’ve taken advanced history courses in high school or college, that’s often the extent of what’s taught about Grant. His contributions are overshadowed by the great Abraham Lincoln’s presidency and other events during the Civil War. Grant was a deeply complex and imperfect man, but after reading his biography, you could easily argue that he was one of the greatest and most dynamic leaders in American history. He was an underdog in every sense of the word. In a time when the nation needed strong leaders to take on difficult challenges, he answered the call.

As a general, Grant was a brilliant tactician, motivator, and innovator—a master of total warfare. As President, he embraced emancipation, prosecuted the Ku Klux Klan, secured the passage of the 15th Amendment, and championed civil service reform. As a father and husband, he was loving, caring, and trusting.

Finishing Grant couldn’t have come at a better time—toward the end of the year, when many of us reflect on our accomplishments, setbacks, and goals for the future. Whether you’re looking for motivation or lessons for personal or professional development, here are a few insights I took from reading about Grant:

Greatness Can Come From Anywhere

Grant was not Lincoln’s first pick to lead the Union Army during the Civil War. He wasn’t the second, third, or even fourth choice. When Grant volunteered after Lincoln issued a call for 75,000 militiamen, the governor of Illinois refused to give him command of a regiment—even though he was a West Point graduate and a veteran of the Mexican-American War. At the time, Grant lacked political connections, had failed in several private ventures, and was so poor he sold firewood on street corners in St.Louis and worked for his younger brother in a family owned leather goods store in Galena, Illinois. Additionally, he carried the reputation of being a drunkard despite abstaining from alcohol since he resigned from his military career in 1854. Yet his quiet ambition, determination, fearlessness, and love of country eventually led him from obscurity to the highest levels of military and political leadership, where he saved and repaired the Union.

Fear is a Liar

At the start of the Civil War, Confederate generals were seen as almost godlike—unstoppable, intimidating, and unbeatable. This perception paralyzed many Union Army leaders, who spent more time speculating about the enemy’s plans than acting decisively. Grant was the first Union general to pierce this myth. He realized that Confederate generals feared him as much as he feared them. Refusing to dwell on their strengths, he focused on action, understanding their weaknesses, and projecting his strengths. His approach shifted the mindset of his troops and fellow officers, who began to fight to win instead of simply fighting to avoid defeat.

Momentum is Everything

Early in the war, Grant earned a reputation not for his mastery of military theory but for his relentless drive to take action. In contrast to other Union generals, who often hesitated to pursue retreating Confederate forces, Grant prioritized momentum. He understood that inaction allowed the enemy to regroup and counterattack, which frustrated President Lincoln and unnecessarily prolonged the war. Grant’s strategy was to keep the pressure on, improvising as needed and valuing progress over perfection. He knew the perfect plan only existed in theory; on the battlefield, movement was key to victory.

Simple Awareness Always Beats Intellectualism

Although Grant graduated from West Point, he didn’t concern himself with military theory as much as his peers, such as Sherman, McClellan, or Lee. As Sherman once said:

"I am a damned smarter man than Grant. I know more about military history, strategy, and grand tactics than he does. I know more about supply, administration, and everything else than he does. I'll tell you where he beats me though and where he beats the world: he doesn't give a damn about what the enemy does out of his sight, but it scares me like hell."

Grant’s strength was his clarity of thought and situational awareness. He didn’t overanalyze. He assessed the facts at hand and acted decisively, adjusting as necessary. His ability to remain present and execute swiftly made him a formidable leader that consistently produced results that turned the tide of the war.

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If you’re a fan of American or military history—or leadership in general—Grant is an excellent read. There are countless lessons to learn from his life. These are just a few that stood out to me. While Grant wasn’t perfect, he deserves more recognition for his role in saving the Union and his presidency. In a world filled with loud, arrogant, and petty leaders, Grant exemplifies the calm, composed, and quiet leadership that has the power to change history.