Civil War Roundtable of the Merrimack November Meeting
Wed. Nov. 8th, 7:30 to 9:30 PM
Hilton Senior Center, 43 Lafayette Road, Salisbury, MA
“Grant and Twain:
Authors and Friends”
Ulysses S. Grant met many famous individuals during his life, but one of them in particular would play a pivotal role in his final endeavors. Join Ben Kemp, a staff member at U.S. Grant Cottage State Historic Site, as he explores the similarities and differences between the lives of U.S. Grant and his friend and fellow author Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain). From an awkward first encounter at the White House to a major publishing partnership, find out what brought these two men together into a special relationship that produced one of the best-selling works of 19th-century literature. Kemp will share amusing incidents between these two celebrities as well as intimate details of the encouragement that Twain provided and their touching final meeting. Discover the legacy of preservation that has sustained Grant’s final mountaintop home as a Literary and National Landmark for 138 years and the exciting future of the Historic Site.”
“Speaker bio: Ben Kemp was born and raised in the Saratoga region of New York. He is a living historian, speaker, and researcher who has been featured by C-Span, PBS, the National Park Service, and the 2020 History Channel documentary Grant. Ben has been a staff member at Grant Cottage State Historic Site since 2014. He has published numerous online articles on U.S. Grant and is a contributing author to Grant at 200: Reconsidering the Life and Legacy of Ulysses S. Grant (2023). His research into Grant has been primarily focused on the lesser-known private life of U.S. Grant, especially his family life.
