In the last year of his life, Ulysses S. Grant wrote his Memoirs.
The former President - dying from throat cancer and bankrupt after a Ponzi scheme - penned his account of his military experiences from the Mexican-American War through his role as the commanding Union general during the Civil War.
Grant’s last chapter is the starting point for “The General and Julia,” a new historical fiction novel by Jon Clinch - published by Simon & Schuster.
![Cover of “The General and Julia.”](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/3fb755e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2382x2382+0+0/resize/880x880!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F13%2F73%2F8f5584ec49f8850992a022ce5fea%2Fthe-general-and-julia.jpg)
Simon & Schuster
![Jon Clinch](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/cec5abc/2147483647/strip/true/crop/400x500+0+0/resize/880x1100!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F41%2Fbf%2Fcf3facf5457d901e42d7b6a9280e%2Fjon-clinch.jpg)
Christine Glade