Pete Grady of Marshalltown, Iowa, has acted with the town’s community theater group since 2005. Grady wrote and performs “Unconditional Surrender,” a conversation with General Grant looking over the highlights of his youth, Civil War command and presidency.
As an experienced actor, Grady gives an engaging performance that stands out from most dedicated Grant interpreters for its treatment of Reconstruction and civil rights, especially Grant’s work to crush the Ku Klux Klan. While Grady gives the basics on the most important battles, he also surveys the post-war politics that is often left out.