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Ulysses S.

2026-06-21 · 16:31 UTC ·@CJHandmer ·1 min read

Brief

Ulysses S. Grant's Civil War memoir is now public domain, says CJHandmer, enabling LLMs to produce real-time Google Earth maps as you read. The thread recounts that in 1884 Grant, dying of throat cancer and financially ruined after a swindler stole his money, almost accepted a 10% royalty before Mark Twain offered 70%; Grant finished it days before his July 1885 death, leaving his widow nearly $500,000 (about $16M today).

Source evidence

Incredible book. Now in the public domain so your LLM can generate a real time map for Google Earth as you go along.

History With Jacob (@HistoryWJacob)

In 1884, Ulysses S. Grant was dying of throat cancer and was dead broke.

His money was wiped out by a swindler who stole his fortune.

Desperate to leave something for his wife, he agreed to write his Civil War memoirs and was close to signing a contract for a meager 10% royalty.

Mark Twain stepped in, called the deal robbery and offered Grant 70% of the profits through his own publishing company.

Grant raced death to finish the book, completing it just days before he died in July 1885.

It became one of the greatest memoirs ever written.

The royalties left his widow nearly half a million dollars, about $16 million today, and the book has never gone out of print.

— https://nitter.net/HistoryWJacob/status/2068484040525590801#m