American 18th US President (1869-77), famous commander of the Union armies during the late years of the American Civil War. 1822-1885 Popularity:
“Everyone has his superstitions. One of mine has always been when I started to go anywhere, or to do anything, never to turn back or to stop until the thing intended was accomplished.”
“There are many men who would have done better than I did under the circumstances in which I found myself. If I had never held command; if I had fallen, there were 10,000 behind who would have followed the contest to the end and never surrendered the”
“I never held a council of war in my life. I heard what men had to say - the stream of talk at headquarters - but I made up my own mind, and from my written orders my staff got their first knowledge of what was to be done. No living man knew of plans”
“I have acted in every instance from a conscientious desire to do what was right, constitutional, within the law, and for the very best interests of the whole people. Failures have been errors of judgment, not of intent.”
“It has been my misfortune to be engaged in more battles than any other general on the other side of the Atlantic; but there was never a time during my command when I would not have chosen some settlement by reason rather than the sword.”
