Review of To Rescue the Republic
Sometimes a book becomes more timely due to circumstance. And that’s exactly what happened with Fox News Correspondent Bret Baier’s new book, To Rescue the Republic: Ulysses S. Grant, the Fragile Union, and the Crisis of 1876. As Baier was putting the finishing touches on the book in January of 2021, thousands of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol to disrupt the counting of electoral votes, creating an election crisis of their own. The book highlights that the election dispute of 2021 was not the first to grip the country. The story of the 1876 election makes Trump’s claims of election fraud seem tame by comparison.
Cowritten with historian Catherine Whitney, Baier’s book details Grant’s life and the role he played in staving off the near 2nd Civil War that resulted from the 1876 election. Republican Rutherford B. Hayes was named President over Democrat Samuel B. Tilden, despite losing the popular vote (sound familiar?). Three states Louisiana, Florida, and South Carolina appeared to have voted for Tilden but their electoral votes ended up being cast in favor of Hayes. The behind-the-scenes maneuvering that resulted in the switch are laid out in fascinating detail in Baier’s book.
The conflict stemmed from the constitutional provision that allows states to appoint presidential electors in a manner as their legislatures shall direct. In 1876, no states had rules regarding faithless electors (31 states now require electors to cast their ballots based on the outcome of the popular vote). During Reconstruction, southern states were still under the grip of northern cartpetbaggers who came to the South to seek political glory or economic windfalls as speculators. These northern Republicans often captured election victories in governor’s races based on strong support from newly freed slaves. Not coincidentally, the three states with disputed electoral vote tallies had carpetbagger governors at the time of the election certification.
One state, South Carolina, had two acting governors. Republican Daniel Chamberlain and Democrat Wade Hampton were both sworn in by their respective parties. Hampton won by 1100 votes but Chamberlain protested that White militias had suppressed the Black Republican vote. Chamberlain’s grip on power was enforced by federal troops stationed in the state. Not surprisingly, the state certified two electoral vote slates for President, one for Hayes and one for Tilden.
The situation was equally tenuous in the other two disputed states. Claims of voter intimidation and voter fraud were rampant. Election returning boards run by Republicans in those states threw out just enough votes for Tilden, giving Hayes an equal number of electoral votes (184 to 184). A disputed electoral vote from Oregon preserved the tie for the time being. The election should’ve been decided at that point by the President of the Senate (the Vice President). But, as Baier points out, Grant’s Vice President had died the year before, and he had not replaced him. Rather than appoint another Republican in his place and face charges of illegitimacy, Grant appointed an Electoral Commission–composed of congressman and Supreme Court justices–to decide the election. The Commission voted early on not to wade through the vote discrepancies in each of the individual states. Ultimately, a bargain was reached whereby Hayes would be declared the victor, but federal troops would be withdrawn from the South, ending Reconstruction.
Baier does a good job of keeping the narrative focused, and the book moves quickly through Grant’s many successes and failures. Grant’s life is a fascinating tale. Grant was a reluctant soldier and leader. He portrays Grant as a flawed hero, but one of high character and principle. Unfortunately, Grant surrounded himself with friends and allies who often breached his trust. Scandal plagued his two terms as President. Baier skillfully highlights the key events in Grant’s life. Somewhat surprisingly, Grant led something of a roller coaster life. Prior to the Civil War, he was unceremoniously fired from his army post in northern California for drunkenness. After his 2 terms as President, Grant was swindled out of the personal fortune. But through it all he maintained a sense that country was more important than personal acclaim.
My one fault with the book is that it takes Baier 250 pages to get to the election controversy. I came away wanting to know more about the details leading up to the election fight and the workings of the election commission that decided it. I would have loved for Baier to have made more of the parallels between the 1876 election and Trump’s attempt at overturning the 2020 election. In the end, Baier does a credible job of covering the life of one of America’s great heroes. He gives us insight into Grant character and wry sense of humor that is often missing from other biographies.
