Perspective

The book was Grant's "personal memoirs". As such, it was written exclusively in first person. The perspective was entirely limited, as is appropriate for a memoir. Grant told the story of his life, relating incidents from his childhood through adulthood, including his term as leader of the Confederate Army. The fact that the perspective is so completely limited means the reader has to beware of Grant's personality and prejudices. The reader must also keep in mind that details were presented as Grant's memories. It's possible that some details were skewed because his memory was faulty. It's also important that the reader remember that details Grant placed great importance on may not really be that important. For example, he related the story of being ridiculed by other boys for making a poor deal in purchasing a horse. It seems possible that he remembered the teasing as more important than...