>I think in President Grant's case it was not so much a matter of him being personally 'bad' but that he had essentially no oversight of those he placed in his administration and they were doozies.

I tend to think in his case that he drank to escape the horrors of the war he so successfully waged. The Civil War was awfully brutal. Not an excuse mind you but perhaps some understanding.

Nonetheless it was inexcuseable what happened. Kind of like Clinton. <g>

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Grant spent his last days as he was dying of cancer, almost penniless. He wrote his autobiography with the hope that it’s sale would be the means of support for his family after he died. Rather a sad end for an American who did much to help his country while he was in the Army.

An interesting note of history is that many of the famous Union Generals, who served during the Civil War, were at one time stationed at the Presidio in San Francisco, while they were junior grade officers (lieutenant) during the 1850’s. Being a fourth generation San Franciscan, such things interest me. My great great grandfather was a officer at that time also stationed at the Presidio. There was a very active movement from the Southern States to have California join the South. Many men were in San Francisco from the Southern States trying to make this a reality.

As I recall it is thought that Grant died of cancer due to cigar smoking.

Tom