The Relationship Of Ulysses S. Grant And General Orders No. 11

While I have been arguing that Ulysses S. Grant is undeserving of much of the criticism he has received, the man is not without flaws. Three clouds hovered over Grant’s reputation. The occasional bender, his highly trusted yet unscrupulous friends and family, and Order No. 11. Each of these cast a shadow on the man and his legacy, but in each you may find a little light as well. In Grant, acclaimed biographer Ron Chernow lays out the events of the infamous General Orders No. 11. He puts forth that Grant’s relationship with his father, Jesse Grant, was a difficult far beyond the scope of this argument. Suffice it to say that fathers and sons can have complicated relationships. One particular complication of Ulysses’ relationship with Jesse
11, which called for the removal of all Jews from his military district, which consisted of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi. This from a man known to be an abolitionist and religiously tolerant. As soon as word got to Lincoln, the president revoked the order. There was fallout over this, but with time Grant sought to make amends. As president, he worked hard for the cause of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. Critics claimed this was politically motivated and made use of the misstep in attempts to undermine Grant’s reputation. In the final chapters of Grant, Chernow argues that Rabbi E. B. M. Browne’s service as an honorary pallbearer at Grant’s funeral is evidence that Grant’s dedication to the interests of the Jewish community atoned for sins committed in 1862
Ask around and you will get a myriad of responses. Some believe that it is a medical condition where the drinker cannot help themselves. Others believe that it is a lack of moral fiber and that being a drunk is a decision. The latter was the widely-held belief during the 19th century and because of this, stories of Grant’s benders provided fuel for criticism. Chernow recounts drunken incidents throughout Grant. Such as when Grant himself admitted that his decision to resign his commission from the Army in 1854 was in a large part due to his “vice of intemperance” (Chernow, XX). During the Vicksburg campaign, there was the infamous “Yazoo River bender… an isolated case of Grant’s drinking in a dangerous war zone where enemy forces were concentrated” (276). And to many people, then and now, a drunk in a position of power should not be trusted to do the right thing, whether as a general or as a