The magnanimous general -- A great soldier might be a baby politician -- The most famous living American -- Historian of the union cause -- Pageantry of woe: the funeral of U.S. Grant -- The nation's greatest hero should rest in the nation's greatest city -- Who's [really] buried in Grant's tomb?
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At the time of his death, Ulysses S. Grant was the most famous person in America, considered by most citizens to be equal in stature to George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Yet today his monuments are rarely visited, his military reputation is overshadowed by that of Robert E. Lee, and his presidency is permanently mired at the bottom of historical rankings. Joan Waugh uncovers the reasons behind the rise and fall of Grant's renown, underscoring as well the fluctuating memory of the Civil War itself.