Welcome everybody. Im david, head of Public Policy at wells fargo. Im very pleased to be here with you today. We are still pleased to serve for the first year, and even prouder to what the book festival grow into the popular and impactful event its become. You wouldnt be surprised to see as move the needle on the best seller list. It is important to keep this free event. The library of Congress Real purpose is learning and opportunity, which matches our goal of allowing the community to succeed. Learning to love books and learning is part of what this session is about. If were lucky, certain other fanning font thirds will be discussed tonight. One thing that i learned from this story is how people can of all, and through persistence and hard work overcome their imperfections. Its an incredible story that reminded me that someone of goodwill can overcome their issues and realize great potential. The International Director of a break, and our moderator, the thank you. Welcome to the 18th National Book festival, im pleased to be joined on stage with ron. Hes a historian, and author. Hes won the pulitzer surprise for biography, in 2015 he won the National Humanities medal. His book by Alexander Hamilton was the inspiration for the Award Winning musical, the library of congress isnt it to have you here today at the National Book festival. To be its worth noting that the culture of the festival was supposed to conduct the interview today but due to scheduling changes he was unable to do so, but i have davids questions here today, and i happen to be a big admirer of his, bucks something will have a fantastic time at the festival. So we need to ask a question about Elizabeth Sander hamilton. So when miranda first approached you, and said he wanted to create a hiphop musical based upon your, what was your reaction . Did you ever think it would become a cultural phenomenon. Often people would say to me, when you are writing the biography did you have any idea it would turn into a hiphop musical . I always say i think the question answers itself. When i first wrote on miranda, lynn was still starting in the first musical, and it puts me on the spot to be the historical advisor on this nonexistent show so i left and said do you want me to tell you that something is wrong . He said yes i want history to take this seriously, which was music to my ears. I wasnt skeptical, i was intrigued, i thought nothing would be more delightful then to hear the revolution go of the foot. Lights being on the other foot lights was irresistible. It was a rocket right far beyond anything i could have anticipated. So you wrote the definitive biography of grant. I have to start with a question that has a good story behind it. Who is buried inside grants to . When i started writing this story into doesnt 11, i realized i was going to get that question. I got interested in the origins of the joke. I traced back a i and some of you might, be able to remember in the 19 fifties, he was dismayed that some of the contestants couldnt answer one of the questions, so he said he would ask questions that the contestants could answer. To his astonishment, half the guests got it wrong. Such as the staying power of a great community, and the line has become part of popular culture. Lets start at the beginning with grant. Where was he born . What were the conditions of his upbringing like . He grew up in a series of southwestern counts in ohio. You the significance of that was that it separated the free state of ohio with the sleeve owning state of ohio. Its very important in terms of thinking of grant later on really straddling the worlds of both the north and south, he came from a very well to do family. His father was a mayor of one of the three counts. His father was the bin of his life, very pushy character. We grant wanted to go to west point, his father wanted him to go. His father saw west point as a free form of vocational education. How did he do there . Fairly, well it was lackluster, he was 20 in a class of 30. Nine there was considerate attrition before that. He became famous for two things at the academy. He was probably the first, best sportsman in his century. He said the bar more than five feet, he cleared this record at the academy. He was also very good at drawing, it might send cease and in significant. It was important for generals to draw maps during battles. Grant was great at drawing. He had a uncanny ability to envision the battlefield, it comes down to this visual sense that was reflected in his capacity to. Draw after west point he has a number of assignments, and he ends up as a quartermaster in the mexican war, why do his services there and up to be important . Beating being quartermaster in mexico gave him the logistics of the army, grant would be in charge of four and five armies, so grants mastery of logistics and the telegraph enabled him to supervise his vast armies. It goes back to the quartermaster. As quartermaster, he wasnt obligated to, fight he could have stayed beyond the lines, he appointed someone to volunteer in every combat his troops were involved. In after the mexican war he marries julia dent, what was her family . Like he comes from a abolitionist family, he marries into a sleeve owning family. She becomes the dean on his, life and juliet was very outgoing and vivacious. She always had a vision of grants future that sometimes he didnt have for himself. During the 18 fifties he strength and feeling to establish himself as a farmer in st. Louis, he feels at a real estate venture. Julia dreams that her husband will be the president of the United States, and then she tells her friends and family about the dream and everyone laughed because nothing seems more preposterous, this man is struggling to support a wife and four children. You spent a fair amount of the book talking about grants struggle with alcohol. Did you conclude that he had a problem with drinking . What evidence did you used to draw those conclusions . The question of if he was a drunkard or, not i feel like drunkard is a moral list term, because it implies a man who is dissipated and irresponsible, lethally indulging in this vice. I tried to approach it through which is what i hope is a more enlightened, attitude he was an alcoholic, he couldnt just have one drink, one drink changed his attitude. He was part of the Temperance Movement in his twenties. I think that other writers had trouble with grants drinking was because he was an episodic drinker. He could go for two or three months without drinking alcohol. Hed then have two or three date benders where people who were close to him wouldnt see him during those days. Its a problem that he struggles with him. But the time becomes president he largely congress it. That causes him to leave the military . Precipitates his exit from the military . In 1854 he was assigned to some bleak assignments, he couldnt bring his wife and children. He was lonely and started to start drinking. He showed up one day super drunk at service. The Peacetime Army was very small. There was a very active rumor mill. So all of these stories will follow him into the civil war and will color how people see him. I think were not for that all the stories about grants drinking, Abraham Lincoln might have brought grant into the war sooner to act as chief. You have a very poignant description of him. He ends up on the streets of st. Louis selling fire word to support the family. Julia has a wedding gift from her father, hes very industrious but he couldnt make a go at it. He ends up taking firewood ten miles into st. Louis, and he actually walks beside the wagon. People who saw him selling firewood on the streets of st. Louis said that he was, bearded disheveled, unkempt looking. One of his Old Army Buddies saw him and was surprised by his appearance. He said what are you doing . Grant set point in plea that he is solving the issue of poverty. He was so poor that he had to pawn his watched by Christmas Gifts for his family. This was an 1857. Civil war 1861. You write in your book grant joins the infantry in illinois and that gets a position in the army. You write that a change overcomes grant. What was the change . When the civil war breaks out there is a shortage of military men, most of them had to go to the confederacy. Grant still had all of that war from west point stored in his mind, he fought with great distinction in the mexican, war hed been assigned to four different garrisons during the civil war. So his military knowledge comes to the fore and his rise gives new meaning to the term meteoric, two months after the civil war hes a colonel. Four months later hes a general, 12 months after the outbreak of the civil war hes a meter general. By the end of the civil war, the man that was working as a clerk in his father store in illinois, this man that seemed like a certifiable failure in life had 1 million soldiers under his command in the Largest Military establishment in the country up until that time. He has some military victories that catches the eye of lincoln, right . Yes often theres a disproportionate focus on, virginia virginia seems to me winning battle after battle. S aggrant is winning one victory after another. In 1962 he has to embattled against turn forces. Henry and donaldson. There is significant for the following reason. Henry was on the tennessee river, sorry for donaldson on the cumbersome river. They penetrated deep into the confederacy. Donaldson was one of the first of three times they captured a entire Confederate Army. It also created a new nickname for grant. The he wanted to send a message to grant. He wanted commissioners appointed. Grant said no terms except for immediate surrender will be accepted. The Unconditional Surrender line became Unconditional Surrender grant. It was the first law scale victory for the north. In 1962 he, in 1862 he dispels the military from the south, because he believes there engaged in a illegal black market cotton ring. Is he antisemitic or did he regret his decision . He wasnt antisemitic. He said he regretted it immediately, it was an atrocious and inexcusable thing to do. What people dont know is that grant spent the rest of his life atoning for that action, he became the first president to speak out on human rights abuses abroad. In both cases it was because of persecution of the jews. One time in russia, another time in poland. During the last year of his second, term he was invited to the dedication of the synagogue. A tiny synagogue. Grant went with his son and a u. S. Senator, it was a three hour ceremony, this was a congregation of maybe 30 or 40 people. One hour into the dedication of the synagogue, the elders at the synagogue so to the president we are very touched that you would come to this humble function. You can leave now in good conscience. Grant insisted on staying the full three hours. To the synagogue he was, one of the pleasurable things about him was that he was not full of hatred. Blacks, native americans, ferocious things are often written about them in that period. If this was out of character for him, he apologized and tried to tone for this for the rest of his life. He has more man power and resources, then he has the vic, victory of vicksburg. Why is it so impressive . So in new orleans, baton rouge, there were forces, it set on one big bastion in the confederacy, vicksburg was located at the bend of mississippi that forced to slow down. It was seven, miles a impenetrable fortress. Grants had a strategy to take vicksburg, under cover of night he had things going down the river despite heavy shelling from confederates. They then crossed over south of vicksburg, to the only high dry land in that area. Then, grant has this campaign that he wins five major victories and a five week period. Surrounds vicksburg, leads siege to, it surrounds around the same time as the victory at gettysburg. And for a second time, grant is captured, and it entire Confederate Army of 1000 soldiers. At that point the union not only control mississippi, but it by sect in the confederacy because a lot of the resources came from the west of the mississippi, so the army was suddenly cut off from this major source of supplies. That was grant. When did president lincoln bring grant east to lead the army . In 1864 Congress Passes a bill reinstating the title of the general, the only other person who held that title was george w. Washington. Its a wonderful story because in march of 1864 he comes to washington, although lincoln loved grant he never sat eyes on him before. Grant happened to arrive on the same day that he was having a reception in the blue, room and grant goes in, lincoln warmly embraces him. There was so much pandemonium in the room because of everything going, on he was relatively short, he stands up on the sofa, perspiring profusely, grant was always a little socially awkward. Grant later said that one of the hottest campaigns that hes dead was standing on the sofa and that white house. Grant was impressive on a tactical, strategic, and operational level. How rare is it to find all three qualities in a general . How did he compare to robert e. Lee in that regard . So one person said that grants strategy embraced a continent, these strategy encompassed a. State lee had to inflict so much pain on union forces where he decided to give up the, war grant had to capture and destroy these army. He had a Strategic Mission because the various burmese had been operating independently of each other. Grant coordinated his movements so he turned it into a single fighting force. He found that the weed to win the confederacy is to have different can veterans see armies attacks so they couldnt switch from one to another. He finally pins robert e. Lee down. Another wonderful comment from sherman. He says robert e. Lee, he said i dont know what he meant about attacking the money the kitchen. In terms of attacking the kitchen, this goes back to the quartermaster, he began systematically cutting off every railway line and canal feeding supplies to the army. Starving it out and forcing them to flee the courthouse were grant and sheridan overtake lease army, and forces surrender. That was the third Confederate Army captured. How does grant conduct himself in mathematics . Its like the most touching part of the story. He doesnt allow gloating. He uses rations to feed the starving, and i think the most beautiful passage in grants memoirs is about half a mattocks. Grant says that he was sad and depressed when he met leave, and he writes i felt like anything, rather than rejoicing over the downfall of a faux who had fought and suffered such hardship for a cause, although that cross was the worst that any army could have sought fought for. Grant in a way shows the way because on the hunt, on the one hand in the passage he pays homage to the bravery of the confederate soldiers. They were extraordinary and many battles. At the same time, the cars that they were fighting, the perpetuation of slavery is one of the best houses that they fight for. So you brought a lot of fairness and balance to the subject. It should stay with us. Grant doesnt expect president lincolns invitation, would have a history and for the differently if he did accept the invitation . So Abraham Lincoln goes down to the headquarters, lincoln was showing increasing signs of mental instability. Mayor lincoln shows a jealous fit, she thinks that her husband is being floated with by someone else. She couldnt figure out whats going on. Burst into tears. Julie grant intervened to try to protect her. We all know what happens when you try to enter vine in a fight. She turned on her so angrily that the night that the lincolns went to the theater, lincoln thought it was important that he they all leave the venue at the same time. Lincoln is going to be there as what they thought. They went off to burlington, new jersey, where they had a house, one of the great what ifs of history, bought the box with lincoln we are with his military instincts he could have sensed the military entering, or its possible that he could have killed when lincoln and grant . We dont know . We did he show a aptitude for politics previously . Its a good guessing game in terms of what grants political affiliation was. He came from week families but only voted for James Buchanan as president. No one knew where he stood. He had a certains symbolic standing. Also in terms of the reconciliation between the north and south. In 68 there was a impeachment, the president was not convicted, ones vote off. Members of the Republican Party had this immense proceed from the war. He didnt campaign openly, for grant had a funny kind of way of not campaigning for things but putting them in a position where things happen to take place. The 13th amendment is ratified and there is backlash in the south, violence escalates, and theres strengthening of the clew clucks clan. You handle this very well in your, book what did grant do to combat the klan . In 1866 it starts out as a socialist club of confederates, they wear their own uniforms, and then it becomes a myth silhouettes stick secret organization. Then they start wearing hoods, this is prompted by the 13th amendment. It was only black men voting. The terror was very much directed against blacks registering to vote. There was no southern sheriff that would convict or arrest a ku klux klan. No one will testify against them. There were hundreds or maybe thousands of deaths of black people that went and prosecuted. Grant had a crusading District Attorney from georgia. He brought 3000 indictments that got more than 1000 convictions against the klan. It was his greatest achievement as president. The claim that we know is really from the resurgence of the clan from the 19 teens and 19 twenties, the claim that is still with us. Theyve borrowed a lot of the ideas and techniques of the original clam. Why were there so many scandals in his time wall in office . Was he just oblivious or was there more going on . When he was a boy his father wanted to buy a horse so he was told to go to a farm. He gave grant instructions, if he doesnt take the offer off or 20 to 60, if not offer a little more. My father says the if you dont take this a law for 25 dollars, if you dont take this i will offer 30 d