Leaders & Notable People
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To Rescue the Republic: Ulysses S. Grant, the Fragile Union, and the Crisis of 1876
#1 New York Times Bestseller
Fox News Channel's Chief Political Anchor illuminates the heroic life of Ulysses S. Grant
"To Rescue the Republic is narrative history at its absolute finest. A fast-paced, thrilling and enormously important book." -Douglas Brinkley
An epic history spanning the battlegrounds of the Civil War and the violent turmoil of Reconstruction to the forgotten electoral crisis that nearly fractured a reunited nation, Bret Baier's To Rescue the Republic dramatically reveals Ulysses S. Grant's essential yet underappreciated role in preserving the United States during an unprecedented period of division.
Born a tanner's son in rugged Ohio in 1822 and battle-tested by the Mexican American War, Grant met his destiny on the bloody fields of the Civil War. His daring and resolve as a general gained the attention of President Lincoln, then desperate for bold leadership. Lincoln appointed Grant as Lieutenant General of the Union Army in March 1864. Within a year, Grant's forces had seized Richmond and forced Robert E. Lee to surrender.
Four years later, the reunified nation faced another leadership void after Lincoln's assassination and an unworthy successor completed his term. Again, Grant answered the call. At stake once more was the future of the Union, for though the Southern states had been defeated, it remained to be seen if the former Confederacy could be reintegrated into the country-and if the Union could ensure the rights and welfare of African Americans in the South. Grant met the challenge by boldly advancing an agenda of Reconstruction and aggressively countering the Ku Klux Klan.
In his final weeks in the White House, however, Grant faced a crisis that threatened to undo his life's work. The contested presidential election of 1876 produced no clear victory for either Republican Rutherford B. Hayes or Democrat Samuel Tilden, who carried most of the former Confederacy. Soon Southern states vowed to revolt if Tilden was not declared the victor. Grant was determined to use his influence to preserve the Union, establishing an electoral commission to peaceably settle the issue. Grant brokered a grand bargain: the installation of Republican Hayes to the presidency, with concessions to the Democrats that effectively ended Reconstruction. This painful compromise saved the nation, but tragically condemned the South to another century of civil-rights oppression.
Deep with contemporary resonance and brimming with fresh detail that takes readers from the battlefields of the Civil War to the corridors of power where men decided the fate of the nation in back rooms, To Rescue the Republic reveals Grant, for all his complexity, to be among the first rank of American heroes.
Fox News Channel's Chief Political Anchor illuminates the heroic life of Ulysses S. Grant
"To Rescue the Republic is narrative history at its absolute finest. A fast-paced, thrilling and enormously important book." -Douglas Brinkley
An epic history spanning the battlegrounds of the Civil War and the violent turmoil of Reconstruction to the forgotten electoral crisis that nearly fractured a reunited nation, Bret Baier's To Rescue the Republic dramatically reveals Ulysses S. Grant's essential yet underappreciated role in preserving the United States during an unprecedented period of division.
Born a tanner's son in rugged Ohio in 1822 and battle-tested by the Mexican American War, Grant met his destiny on the bloody fields of the Civil War. His daring and resolve as a general gained the attention of President Lincoln, then desperate for bold leadership. Lincoln appointed Grant as Lieutenant General of the Union Army in March 1864. Within a year, Grant's forces had seized Richmond and forced Robert E. Lee to surrender.
Four years later, the reunified nation faced another leadership void after Lincoln's assassination and an unworthy successor completed his term. Again, Grant answered the call. At stake once more was the future of the Union, for though the Southern states had been defeated, it remained to be seen if the former Confederacy could be reintegrated into the country-and if the Union could ensure the rights and welfare of African Americans in the South. Grant met the challenge by boldly advancing an agenda of Reconstruction and aggressively countering the Ku Klux Klan.
In his final weeks in the White House, however, Grant faced a crisis that threatened to undo his life's work. The contested presidential election of 1876 produced no clear victory for either Republican Rutherford B. Hayes or Democrat Samuel Tilden, who carried most of the former Confederacy. Soon Southern states vowed to revolt if Tilden was not declared the victor. Grant was determined to use his influence to preserve the Union, establishing an electoral commission to peaceably settle the issue. Grant brokered a grand bargain: the installation of Republican Hayes to the presidency, with concessions to the Democrats that effectively ended Reconstruction. This painful compromise saved the nation, but tragically condemned the South to another century of civil-rights oppression.
Deep with contemporary resonance and brimming with fresh detail that takes readers from the battlefields of the Civil War to the corridors of power where men decided the fate of the nation in back rooms, To Rescue the Republic reveals Grant, for all his complexity, to be among the first rank of American heroes.
Editorial Reviews
"Bret Baier's To Rescue the Republic is narrative history at its absolute finest. With great verve and a fair-and-balanced ethic, Baier brilliantly recounts the heroic life of Ulysses S. Grant - as Civil War general, U.S. President, Reconstruction Era leader and beloved national icon. His dramatic retelling of the election of 1876 which pitted Samuel J. Tilden against Rutherford B. Hayes is stupendous. A fast-paced, thrilling and enormously important book. Highly recommended!"
-- Douglas Brinkley, Katherine Tsanoff Brown Chair in Humanities and Professor of History at Rice University and author of American Moonshot
"With To Rescue The Republic, Bret Baier, the nation's leading reporter of history, has written a veritable tour de force. This remarkable book is history as it should be: magnificently composed, meticulously researched, and brimming with lessons for today's divided political arena. Baier has brought to life the riveting but too often forgotten story of how US Grant preserved the Republic at one of its moments of greatest peril. This is not just a tale for our age, but an absorbing tale for the ages. It belongs on the bookshelf of every lover of history." -- Jay Winik, New York Times best-selling author of April 1865 and 1944
"Yes, history can help light the way. Bret Baier's absorbing book shows us why Ulysses Grant was a far more important President than later generations gave him credit for, and how the crises of civil war, Reconstruction and the deadlock of 1876 resembled the turbulent period we are living through." -- Michael Beschloss, author of Presidents of War
"Throughout history, great men have stepped forward at just the right moment to save America at its most critical times. In To Rescue the Republic, Bret Baier brilliantly chronicles how Ulysses S. Grant was that great man multiple times. Perhaps you think you know the story, but Bret brings you back to the 1870s in a way I didn't think possible. A must read!" -- Brian Kilmeade, #1 New York Times bestselling author
"Bret Baier once again brings his wonderful journalistic storytelling skills to the task of examining a significant moment in American history. To Rescue the Republic is the richly detailed and often suspenseful story of Ulysses S. Grant, our 18th president. In particular Bret focuses on those dramatic moments when Grant rescues the Republic-first during the Civil War, then making the peace after the war, and finally in the bitterly contested election of 1876, when he devised a grand bargain to save the presidency and the nation. The paralle...
-- Douglas Brinkley, Katherine Tsanoff Brown Chair in Humanities and Professor of History at Rice University and author of American Moonshot
"With To Rescue The Republic, Bret Baier, the nation's leading reporter of history, has written a veritable tour de force. This remarkable book is history as it should be: magnificently composed, meticulously researched, and brimming with lessons for today's divided political arena. Baier has brought to life the riveting but too often forgotten story of how US Grant preserved the Republic at one of its moments of greatest peril. This is not just a tale for our age, but an absorbing tale for the ages. It belongs on the bookshelf of every lover of history." -- Jay Winik, New York Times best-selling author of April 1865 and 1944
"Yes, history can help light the way. Bret Baier's absorbing book shows us why Ulysses Grant was a far more important President than later generations gave him credit for, and how the crises of civil war, Reconstruction and the deadlock of 1876 resembled the turbulent period we are living through." -- Michael Beschloss, author of Presidents of War
"Throughout history, great men have stepped forward at just the right moment to save America at its most critical times. In To Rescue the Republic, Bret Baier brilliantly chronicles how Ulysses S. Grant was that great man multiple times. Perhaps you think you know the story, but Bret brings you back to the 1870s in a way I didn't think possible. A must read!" -- Brian Kilmeade, #1 New York Times bestselling author
"Bret Baier once again brings his wonderful journalistic storytelling skills to the task of examining a significant moment in American history. To Rescue the Republic is the richly detailed and often suspenseful story of Ulysses S. Grant, our 18th president. In particular Bret focuses on those dramatic moments when Grant rescues the Republic-first during the Civil War, then making the peace after the war, and finally in the bitterly contested election of 1876, when he devised a grand bargain to save the presidency and the nation. The paralle...
Readers Top Reviews
I enjoyed how the author described Grant and his family in very personal terms and not just all about the war. Easy to read .
JLStaceySusan
This is a decent book to read, however his comments pertaining to Donald Trump, his actions, Jan 6, and his so called knowledge of fraud are totally egregious and unnecessary to the Book unnecessary to the story of Grant. Baier is no Ron Chernow!
N. Scott Jones JLS
I was lucky to get my hands on an early copy of Bret Baier's latest installment, "To Rescue the Republic" and, as a lover of history, I could not put it down. While an unapologetic fan of Bret's books, I believe many will find this book a stand-out. First and foremost, Bret's drill down on the perils our nation faced post-Civil War come to life in this book. Grant's role in "saving the Republic" is often under-appreciated and overlooked. This book delivers on a greater appreciation of both his role in saving our country from another disaster, but also his role and accomplishments as both a General and our nation's 18th President. Bret brings his unique role in reporting on the news and history being made today, to reporting on our country's past, leading to a non-nonsense, fact-filled accounting of a crucial crossroad in US history. As someone who is highly selective in the books I read, To Rescue the Republic is recommended without reservation. I learned a lot from it. I think you will as well.
AdamjohnnyN. Scott J
The book opens with an absurd comparison between the Jan 6 "violent insurrection" and the dilemma the nation faced in the late nineteenth century. Nothing is said of real violence and chaos that transpired during 2020 by BLM and Antifa activist, but never-Trumper Baier hypes 1/6 as a crisis point in American history to manufacture a parallel. He further doesn't seem to comprehend the differences between the political parties and pretends the chasm in ideology is something we've seen before and can be overcome by our shared American ideology. The other irritating woke propaganda inherent in this book is the new grammar wokism, spelling "white" lowercase and "Black" uppercase, subtly giving prestige and preference to a class based on skin color. Once one gets through the initial tripe, it is a good read, but could have been a five-star book had it not been for the political nonsense.
