What is the author's tone in Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant by Ulysses S. Grant?

The overall tone of the book is one of neutrality. Grant seemed determine to set that tone, probably in an effort to make the reader accept this account of his life as true. It may also be that this tone accurately reflected Grant's personality as a military leader. The reading is dull and often monotonous, making it seem that Grant's life was also dull and uneventful. Even when there were battles raging, Grant's accounts were matter-of-fact with few emotional moments throughout the entire book. The writing was fairly straightforward. He began with his childhood, relating the details of his birth, his parentage and several events from his youth. The majority of the book was presented in chronological order which made it easier to understand. Grant has been touted as a very organized military leader and this organization was evident in the writing. In some cases, this organization led to extensive detailing of people, places and events that would really have been unnecessary to the storyline. From the tone, it is evident that Grant's purpose was the sharing of information rather than any effort to entertain or engage. The reader who is expecting constant action will be disappointed. The writing was typically easy to understand. Grant used few words and phrases that would not be understood by readers of the present day.