Produced by PBS for the American Experience documentary program, it recounts Grant's life from his childhood in Ohio to his presidency, with narration by Liev Schreiber.
The film was released in two parts on May 5 and 6, 2002, with part one (titled "Warrior") written, produced, and directed by Adriana Bosch, and part two (titled "President") written, produced, and directed by Elizabeth Deane.
For the rebroadcast of Ulysses S. Grant: Warrior in 2011, Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times deemed it better than the more recent American Experience film Robert E. Lee, about the titular Confederate general during the American Civil War.
Genzlinger reasoned that Grant was a more interesting figure than Lee, and that Ulysses S. Grant's light use of reenactments made it a more engaging film than Robert E. Lee, which has none.
[3] Ulysses S. Grant was first released on VHS by PBS on August 27, 2002.