Author: Reluctant Retiree

Ulysses S. Grant, the Fragile Union, and the Crisis of 1876 (The Presidential Series)

#1 New York Times Bestseller

Fox News Channel’s Chief Political Anchor illuminates the heroic life of Ulysses S. Grant

“To Rescue the Republic is narrative history at its absolute finest. A fast-paced, thrilling and enormously important book.” —Douglas Brinkley

An epic history spans the battlegrounds of the Civil War and the violent turmoil of Reconstruction. It also covers the forgotten electoral crisis that nearly fractured a reunited nation. Bret Baier’s To Rescue the Republic dramatically reveals Ulysses S. Grant’s essential yet underappreciated role in preserving the United States during an unprecedented period of division.

Born a tanner’s son in rugged Ohio in 1822, Grant was battle-tested by the Mexican American War. He met his destiny on the bloody fields of the Civil War. His daring and resolve as a general gained the attention of President Lincoln, then desperate for bold leadership. Lincoln appointed Grant as Lieutenant General of the Union Army in March 1864. Within a year, Grant’s forces had seized Richmond and forced Robert E. Lee to surrender.

Four years later, the reunified nation faced another leadership void after Lincoln’s assassination and an unworthy successor completed his term. Again, Grant answered the call. At stake once more was the future of the Union. The Southern states had been defeated. However, it was uncertain if the former Confederacy could be reintegrated into the country. It was also uncertain if the Union could ensure the rights and welfare of African Americans in the South. Grant met the challenge by boldly advancing an agenda of Reconstruction and aggressively countering the Ku Klux Klan.

In his final weeks in the White House, however, Grant faced a crisis that threatened to undo his life’s work. The contested presidential election of 1876 produced no clear victory for either Republican Rutherford B. Hayes or Democrat Samuel Tilden, who carried most of the former Confederacy. Soon Southern states vowed to revolt if Tilden was not declared the victor. Grant was determined to use his influence to preserve the Union, establishing an electoral commission to peaceably settle the issue. Grant brokered a grand bargain. He arranged for Republican Hayes to be installed as president. Concessions were made to the Democrats, which effectively ended Reconstruction. This painful compromise saved the nation, but tragically condemned the South to another century of civil-rights oppression.

Deep with contemporary resonance, the book is brimming with fresh detail. It takes readers from the battlefields of the Civil War to the corridors of power. Here, men decided the fate of the nation in back rooms. To Rescue the Republic reveals Grant, for all his complexity, to be among the first rank of American heroes.