14. U.S. Grant Was Terrified of Blood
Ulysses S. Grant earned an undeserved reputation during the Civil War as a butcher, who only won by swamping the Confederates with Yankees faster than they could be shot down. In reality, although Grant was a ruthless commander when need be, there was more to him than the caricature of a bull who only knew how to put his head down and charge straight ahead. His 1863 Vicksburg Campaign, for example, was a masterpiece of maneuver warfare, using elaborate demonstrations and diversions to fool the Confederates into letting him cross the Mississippi River unopposed. That was followed by a 17 day whirlwind during which Grant maneuvered his forces inland, captured Jackson, Mississippi, won 5 battles, and placed Vicksburg under a siege that eventually led to its capture.
Ironically, for a man reputed to be a bloody minded butcher, Grant had a major aversion to blood. As in he, would freak out at the sight of the red stuff. Seeing blood made Grant physically ill. Even the hint of blood or red juice on a rare steak was enough to nauseate and get him off his feed. As a result, he would only eat meat that was super well done. As in, cooked black until it was nearly charcoal well done, and there was not even the slightest possibility of his seeing anything red when he cut (or cracked) it open.
