Knowledge Seeker
  • Home
  • Articles

General Ulysses S. Grant (1822 – 1885) Two Minutes to Read 

8/1/2016

 
General Grant was the 18th President of the United States and worked closely with President Lincoln to win the Civil War. He graduated from West Point in 1843 and immediately began serving during the Mexican American War where he built a reputation for aggressive offensive fighting. He was the type of man who would engage directly in fights not just sit on a horse behind the troops who were fighting. He was also a great military strategist who became the first person to become a four-star general.

Grant kept to himself pretty much but did have a couple of good friends who he kept in touch with throughout his life. He was known as a horse whisperer (a tremendous Cavalryman), and set an equestrian high-jump record that stood for almost 25 years. He was married to his wife (Julia), and they had two children, a boy (Frederick), and a girl (Ellen).  By the way, Frederick and Ellen were the names of Julia’s parents.

He retired from the Army in 1853 but civilian life wasn’t good for him as he struggled from occupation to occupation. He went to work at his father’s tannery for a while then gave it a shot as a farmer but went bankrupt. Although the Civil War was a terrible thing it was exactly what Grant needed so he joined the Union in 1861.

Grant was initially put in charge of armies from Kentucky and Tennessee (the Volunteers), it was with these men that he won the famous Battle of Shiloh which took place in Tennessee and was one of the deadliest battles in U.S. history. Grant's army had 1,513 killed, 6,601 wounded, and 2,830 missing or captured. Anyhow, right off the bat Grant won a huge battle and was gaining notoriety and praise from President Lincoln. 

General Grant was also known for bringing in African American slaves to help in the Union war effort. Even though it was the Union Army, fighting alongside blacks wasn’t popular with some Union soldiers. Grant ended up spending his entire military and political career trying to help free slaves and give them various rights.

Grant kept winning at every turn thus gaining him a great reputation and time with President Lincoln who eventually put him in charge of the entire Union Army. Both General Robert E. Lee and General Grant were the famous warriors during the Civil War and Grant got the better of Lee in Richmond, Virginia. Lee’s Army was being decimated so he finally surrendered to Grant in April of 1865.

Historians have hailed Grant's military genius and his strategies and tactics are still featured in history books and studied at various war colleges. The one issue that stuck with Grant though is that he had a drinking problem and didn’t always do things by the books. He got in trouble many times for not following military protocol but because he kept winning anywhere he went it was mostly overlooked.

After the war Grant was put in charge of reconstruction in the South. He worked to get African Americans engaged in politics and they became a part of the Republican Party. I wonder how many African Americans know this as it was the Republican Party who made sure they were freed. Then Grant brought in investors from the North (remember the Carpet Baggers), to help get businesses started and begin trade between the North and South. It was an extremely challenging yet successful endeavor overall and this is why along with being a military hero, that he was elected as President of the United States in 1868 and then re-elected in 1872.

In 1880, Grant was unsuccessful in obtaining a Republican presidential nomination for a third term. He was struggling financially again and dying of throat cancer when he completed his memoirs, which received rave critical reviews and turned into a financial success thus supporting his family after his death. When he died in 1885 at the age of 63, it prompted an outpouring of national unity. Some scholars rank his presidency below average due to economic problems (of course it was in shambles after the Civil War so I don’t agree with most of them), while admirers emphasize his concern for Native Americans and enforcement of civil and voting rights for African Americans.
​
General Grant wasn’t a perfect man but he certainly had more of a heart for people than most people know and he was absolutely instrumental in bringing the Union back together definitely deserving of his great place in history.


Comments are closed.

    Author: John Mann

    Picture

    Archives

    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly