Although A Soldier By Profession I

From Grant's Personal Memoirs (1885), written at Mount McGregor, New York, in the final months of his life while suffering from terminal throat cancer. The two-volume memoir, published by Mark Twain's firm just days after Grant's death in July 1885, became an immediate bestseller and provided financial security for Grant's family. This passage reflects a recurring theme: Grant's distinction between his professional duty as a soldier and his private moral views about the costs and purposes of war. He described the Mexican-American War — in which he served as a young officer — as "one of the most unjust wars ever waged," a candor remarkable for a former general-in-chief.