Tucked away in a home in the more welcoming climate of the Adirondack Mountains, he was eventually forced to dictate some of the memoir to an assistant when he was unable to write. Comprised primarily of former Union soldiers (many dressed in their old uniforms), the agents traveled from door-to-door, using a 37-page sales pitch Twain himself wrote.Įarly sales predictions were promising, providing Grant with the mental fortitude to continue. Capitalizing on Grant’s continued popularity in the North, he recruited a 10,000-strong sales team. The book would be sold as a subscription of two volumes. While Grant raced to finish the book, Twain set about promoting it.
Wrapped in layers of clothing to keep his rapidly-shrinking frame warm, he churned out page after page, all while newspaper headlines blared the latest updates about his impending death.
Twain developed an ingenious marketing campaign for Grant’s bookĭespite constant pain that often left him unable to eat, drink or even sleep, Grant spent hours each day working on the book. The ever-loyal Grant was initially reluctant to renege on his deal with the Century and worried about the effects on his friendship with Twain if the book was a failure. He offered Grant a remarkably generous contract, including 70 percent of any possible royalties, an upfront advance and living expenses. Twain now saw an opportunity to help his friend - and himself.
Despite Twain’s literary fame, the business was on the brink of collapse. Like Grant, Twain had gone into business with a family member, starting a publishing company Charles L. Twain and Grant may have had very different personalities, but they both had experience as bad businessmen. When Twain learned of the deal, he was appalled at the low sum they had offered Grant. They offered him a standard 10 percent royalty on expected sales, and a contract was prepared. Grant told the Century editors that he would write the book after all. The diagnosis was a death sentence, and a despondent Grant was now left to worry about the future financial prospects of his beloved wife. After ignoring lingering throat pain for months, he was finally diagnosed with cancer, likely caused by his decades-long, constant cigar smoking. Just months after the collapse of Grant and Ward, Grant’s health worsened. The editors asked Grant to expand the articles into a memoir, but he remained reluctant.īut yet another blow forced Grant to reconsider. But he quickly improved, discovering a literary talent that few would have expected. His first articles were terse and unexciting. With no other source of income on the horizon, he reluctantly agreed, working out of the New Jersey home he and Julia were temporarily forced to move to due to lack of funds.
#Ulysses s grant book series
The editors of Century Magazine, one of America’s most-read journals, asked Grant to write a series of articles on the Civil War battles that had bought him fame. Twain wasn’t the only one who wanted Grant to write his autobiography. Although neither Grant was aware of the swindle scheme, the elder Grant was once again faced with the prospect of poverty. But the Grant family was financially ruined, forcing them to curtail the lavish lifestyle Ward’s trickery had funded. Ward was eventually sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role. But in 1884 Ward’s embezzlement was exposed and the company collapsed. Grant was forced to borrow $150,000 from friend William Henry Vanderbilt to prop up the company. He was able to keep up the pretense for several years, but an economic downturn worsened the company’s financial state. The company was little more than a Ponzi scheme, with Ward pocketing the capital while paying out dividends. Grant family members, as well as other prominent figures of the time, including artist Thomas Nast, followed his lead, and money soon poured into Grant and Ward’s coffers.īut Ward’s outer charm hid a dark secret.
Buck’s partner was a young, ingratiating financier named Ferdinand Ward, perceived to be so talented that he had earned the nickname the “Napoleon of finance.” Ward and the elder Grant quickly bonded, and Grant had soon invested the bulk of his money in the firm, taking an office in their New York headquarters.
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