This biography covers Grant's youth and young manhood from 1822 to 1861. The narrative covers from Grant's birth, his days at West Point; his courtship and marriage, his experiences during the Mexican war, and his subsequent time as a civilian before his comeback as a soldier during the Civil War.

Part one of the classic Civil War study of General Ulysses S. Grant, written by Pulitzer Prize-winner Bruce Catton, introduces General Grant as he undertakes his first Civil War command, and follows him as he leads his troops through a series of battles, including Belmont, Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Corinth, Chickasaw Bayou, Edwards Station, and Vicksburg.

A detailed and intimate portrait of U. S. Grant from this Pulitzer Prize winning historian reveals why Lincoln knew he was the one general who could win the war. This exhaustively researched biography gives us a new understanding of the man, the growing strength of his character, and the great war itself.