Grant A Biography Part 2 of 2 Author:William S. McFeely Part Two Of Two Parts Ulysses Grant showed little aptitude for the common careers open to young men, so he went off to West Point. He showed no great scholastic aptitude, fared better during the Mexican War, but when that contest was over he returned home. It was all downhill -- from farmer to collector of rents to shop clerk. To such a ma... more »n the Civil War spelled opportunity. Grant reached out and took it. His early war years in the Mississippi theatre were brilliant. His ruthless pursuit of victory brought him to Linclon's notice. Grant never looked back. In war he was strong and decisive, but these virtues did not last. His years as president were a disgrace and only when he again found himself in battle, his last with cancer, did he summon his heroic energies.« less