Most of the major leaders in the American Civil War got their battlefield training in the little-known war with Mexico that began in 1846. This slim volume, written for the 150th anniversary of the conflict, focuses on Ulysses S. Grant and how the Mexican War shaped his future. Beginning with a short biography of Grant, the book moves through his West Point training, his love of his fiancee, Julia, his arrival in Mexico, and the battles of the war. There are ten sections with many photographs and maps. The pages are divided into three columns, so the effect is similar to reading a newspaper. A list of suggested readings and a chronology of the war are at the end. There is no index.