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John Reeves

John Reeves

John Reeves is the author of Soldier of Destiny: Slavery, Secession and the Redemption of Ulysses S. Grant, A Fire in the Wilderness and The Lost Indictment of Robert E. Lee. He has taught European and American history at Lehman College, Bronx Community College and Southbank University in London. Website: john-reeves.com

At the beginning of the Civil War, Ulysses S. Grant wasn’t an abolitionist, admitting that his beliefs were “not even what could be called antislavery.” By August 1863, he had changed his mind, writing, “Slavery is already dead and cannot be resurrected.”

Unraveling Ulysses S. Grant’s Complex Relationship With Slavery

The Union general directly benefited from the brutal institution before and during the Civil War