Conspiracy: Peter Thiel, Hulk Hogan, Gawker, and the Anatomy of Intrigue

by Ryan Holiday

Shiloh, Ulysses S. Grant had been caught by surprise. Flush off two victories, convinced he had superior resources and tactics, he was confident he would win. Yet he had thrown everything he had at the Confederates and been thrown back. It had begun to pour rain on the troops as they attempted to settle in for the night. Grant had seriously injured his leg in a fall a few weeks before. He is desperately short of reinforcements. Sherman finds him and begins to politely discuss plans for retreat. He says to him, “Well, Grant, we’ve had the devil’s own day, haven’t we?” Grant, backlit by the camp lantern, squints as he clamps down on the stub of his cigar, “Yes. Yes. Lick ’em tomorrow, though.” And this is precisely what happens. Napoleon, too, describes warfare in that simple way: Two armies are hurled at each other and both are thrown into confusion and disarray by the force of the collision. Victory is simple. It goes to whoever reassembles and redoubles first. If either party thinks this would be a chance to rest, they are wrong.