- General Ulysses S. Grantis probably best known

for winning the Civil War.

But in the new book,"To Rescue the Republic,

Ulysses S. Grant, The Fragile Union,

and the Crisis of 1876,"

Bret Baier points more

to the significance of his Presidency.

I think you were right tonote that many Americans

know about General Grant,

not so many know about President Grant.

How did Ulysses Grant view the presidency?

- We think about Grantas a Civil War general,

but in reality, another one of his

keeping the Union together moments

was as President of the United States,

even leaving the presidency,

and negotiating a solution toa contested election of 1876.

- Grant was at the end of his Presidency.

Democrat, Samuel Tilden,

and Republican, Rutherford B. Hayes,

faced off to replace him,

and their election was disputed

in a bitterly divided nation.

Sound familiar?

In the end, Baier writes,

"It was Grant who negotiated a bargain

that broke the stalemate.

Hayes became president,

federal troops left theSouth, reconstruction ended.

As you're learning moreabout President Grant,

you are covering thebreach at the US Capitol

on January 6th.

- Obviously, the concernsabout the election

from the Trump camp,

and from President Trump,

and all of the protests surrounding that

did harken back to

the election of 1876.

Obviously it's different,

but it was still a verydangerous time in our country,

in that the split was real.

Back in 1876, the concern was

that the country was goingto go back into civil war,

and that, having justcome out of the Civil War,

this was going to be the thing

that throws the country back into it.

- You know, as a journalist,

and I'm sure you do the same thing,

we cover the bitter divide that is today,

and we cover so many traumatic events.

But then you look at history,

and you think "My goodness,

is this even comparable?"

- Right, so you're right.

I mean, so when I was talkingabout the January 6th,

and then thinking about 1876,

1876, literally, thecountry could have been

thrown back into a giant split

where families arefighting families again.

That is not what January 6th was,

nor was the fallout from it.

Grant was walking into a country that,

really was on the brink, again.

And, because the Southernstates, run by Democrats,

and there was a lot of concern

about the treatment of Blacks,

and Black Americans,

and how they would fit into society.

Republicans, Lincoln, Grant, others,

felt like that was their duty

to bring in Black Americans into society,

and to make it whole.

There was a lot of pushbackin the South to that,

and Grant spent a lot of his time

fighting for African Americans,

and that is something that people forget

in the big sweep of history.

I mean, he fought the KKKmore than any other president,

and really set the table forBlack leaders in the South

before a lot of the '60's and '70's.

- When we look at President Grant,

what do you think we can cantake from his Presidency,

and apply the lessons learned to today?

- His biggest thing

was to make sure that thecountry was whole and not split.

He did some controversial things.

He did some things

that really made peoplein the South very upset.

But, in the end, by stitchingtogether this grand bargain,

he really holds the country together

through Rutherford B. Hayes,

and leads the way to themodern political presidency

that we see today.

I think historians aregonna look back at Grant,

and his time as president,

and say, "This was aconsequential presidency,"

much more than they had before.

- Congratulations again,

and thank you so much for your time.

- Thanks a lot, appreciate the time.