There are many quotes to describe a classic American author, but Ulysses S. Grant describes one particular true American author as “. . . the simple soldier, who, without knowing the silk phrase markers, linked the words together with an art surpassing the art of the schools and put there something which will make American ears hear, as long as America lasts , the rolling of his drums disappeared. and the line of his armies on the march. (American Experience, Grant's Memoirs) Mark Twain is that common soldier who is a true American author who expressed America with his writings. He fought for America in his writings as he did in the Civil War; the realistic literary period. And his cross-country travels and life-changing experiences inspired him to write so American readers could imagine what he was seeing. Twain is a true American author because of the events in his life that inspired him to share with his beloved readers. Samuel Langhorne Clemens (or Mark Twain if we can correct it) had dreams when he was a child, like any other young boy. After his father's death, he moved to Hannibal, Missouri, to work with his brother Orion for a newspaper called the Hannibal Gazette. He was only thirteen years old then. Of course, it wasn't his dream. Yet this is how he began to write. He wrote short, amusing stories about American tales in the newspapers he was obliged to publish. Clemens was later influenced by his own imagination to become a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River. He became a pilot, which gave rise to his story Life on the Mississippi. When the Civil War broke out in 1861, he was drafted as a Confederate soldier and served for two years. After...... middle of paper ...... wain, "Apparently, there is nothing that can't happen today." Works CitedPBS, "Biography: Samuel Langhorne Clemens" American Experience: The most watched historical television series. PBS.. the web. May 9, 2014. .PBS. “Naturalism from the 1890s to 1920” The American Novel. Internet. May 10, 2014. .PBS. “Mark Twain: Chronology” Mark Twain from A to Z. Web by R. Kent Rasmussen. May 9, 2014. “Mark Twain Quote.” BrainyQuote. Xplorer. Internet. May 15, 2014. Howells, William Dean. “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain” The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company. Internet. May 13 2014. .