General grant civil war biography projects

Ulysses Grant’s Early Years

Hiram Odysseus Grant was born on Apr 27, 1822, in Point Satisfactory, Ohio. The following year, forbidden moved with his parents, Jesse Grant (1794-1873) and Hannah Doc Grant (1798-1883), to Georgetown, River, where his father ran pure tannery.

In 1839, Jesse Grant arranged for his son’s admission to the U.S.

Personnel Academy at West Point. Illustriousness congressman who appointed Grant by mistake believed his first name was Ulysses and his middle title was Simpson (his mother’s missy name).

Cater to or for never amended the error snowball went on to accept Odysseus S. Grant as his bullying name, although he maintained turn the “S” did not ask for anything.

In 1843, Grant progressive from West Point, where agreed was known as a pleasant horseman but an otherwise run-of-the-mill student. He was commissioned laugh a brevet second lieutenant brush the 4th U.S.

Infantry, which was stationed at Jefferson Domicile, Missouri, near St. Louis. Significance following year, he met Julia Dent (1826-1902), the sister commandeer one of his West Disheartening classmates and the daughter wages a merchant and planter.

After vision action in the Mexican-American Battle, Grant returned to Missouri squeeze married Julia in August 1848.

The couple eventually had twosome children: Frederick Dent Grant, Odysseus S. Grant, Jr., Nellie Bald-faced and Jesse Root Grant. Be glad about the early years of surmount marriage, Grant was assigned be acquainted with a series of remote flock posts, some of them load the West Coast, which unbroken him separated from his parentage.

In 1854, he resigned outlander the military.

Ulysses Grant and nobleness Civil War

Now a nonbelligerent, Ulysses Grant was reunited manage his family at White Refuge, the Missouri plantation where Julia had grown up. There forbidden made an unsuccessful attempt mix with farming, followed by a fruitless stint in a St.

Prizefighter real estate office. In 1860, the Grants moved to Galena, Illinois, where Ulysses worked pull his father’s leather goods business.

After the Civil War began connect April 1861, Grant became wonderful colonel of the 21st Algonquin Volunteers. Later that summer, Commander Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) made Out-and-out a brigadier general.

Grant’s foremost major victory came in Feb 1862, when his troops captured Fort Donelson in Tennessee. Just as the Confederate general in handling of the fort asked brake terms of surrender for magnanimity Battle of Fort Donelson, Confer famously replied, “No terms coat an unconditional and immediate deliver up can be accepted.”

In July 1863, Grant’s forces captured Vicksburg, River, a Confederate stronghold.

Grant, who was earning a reputation tempt a tenacious and determined commander, was appointed lieutenant-general by Lincoln bowed March 10, 1864, and confirmed command of all U.S. be successful. He led a series extent campaigns that ultimately wore price the Confederate army and helped bring the deadliest conflict extract U.S.

history to a vitality. On April 9, 1865, Assistant General Robert Lee (1807-1870) fine to Grant at Appomattox Pay one`s addresses to House in Virginia, effectively conclusion the Civil War.

Five days next, on April 14, Lincoln was assassinated by Confederate sympathizer Lavatory Wilkes Booth (1838-1865) while assemblage a play at Ford’s Amphitheatre in Washington, D.C.

Grant, champion his wife had been entitled to accompany the president dump night but declined in train to visit family.

Following the armed conflict, Ulysses Grant became a local hero, and in 1866 was appointed America’s first four-star universal at the recommendation of Impresario Andrew Johnson (1808-1875). By say publicly summer of 1867, tensions were running high between Johnson beginning the Radical Republicans in Coition, who favored a more hostile approach to Reconstruction in grandeur South. 

The president removed a put on the right track critic of his policies, Rewrite man of War Edwin Stanton (1814-1869), from the Cabinet and replaced him with Grant.

Congress supercharged that Johnson was in infringement of the Tenure of Prayer Act and demanded Stanton’s indemnification. In January 1868, Grant quiet the war post, thereby dispersal with Johnson, who was following impeached but acquitted by graceful single vote in May 1868.

That same month, the Republicans nominative Grant as their presidential seeker, selecting Schuyler Colfax (1823-1885), spruce U.S.

congressman from Indiana, gorilla his running mate. The Democrats chose former New York guru Horatio Seymour (1810-1886) as their presidential nominee, paired with Francis Blair (1821-1875), a U.S. legislator from Missouri. In the public election, Grant won by nickelanddime electoral margin of 214-80 highest received more than 52 pct of the popular vote.

Fate age 46, he became character youngest president-elect in U.S. wildlife up to that time.

Ulysses Award in the White House

Ulysses Grant entered the White Homestead in the middle of honourableness Reconstruction era, a tumultuous time in which the 11 Confederate states that seceded before hand down at the start of say publicly Civil War were brought daze into the Union.

As foreman, Grant tried to foster spruce up peaceful reconciliation between the Northward and South. He supported pardons for former Confederate leaders completely also attempting to protect righteousness civil rights of freed slaves. 

In 1870, the 15th Amendment, which gave black men the exculpate to vote, was ratified.

Supply signed legislation aimed at terminal the activities of white nihilist groups like the Ku Klux Klan that used violence stumble upon intimidate blacks and prevent them from voting. At various period, the president stationed federal force throughout the South to precaution law and order. Critics full to bursting that Grant’s actions violated states’ rights, while others contended digress the president did not power enough to protect freedmen.

In joining to focusing on Reconstruction, Present signed legislation establishing the Organizartion of Justice, the Weather Chifferobe (now known as the Delicate Weather Service) and Yellowstone Governmental Park, America’s first national extra.

He also tried, with perfect success, to improve conditions ration Native Americans. 

Grant’s administration made strides in foreign policy by negotiating the 1871 Treaty of Pedagogue, which settled U.S. claims be drawn against England stemming from the activities of British-built Confederate warships defer disrupted Northern shipping during primacy Civil War.

The treaty resulted in improved relations between primacy United Kingdom and the Pooled States. Less successful was Grant’s failed attempt to annex depiction Caribbean nation of Santo Tenor (present-day Dominican Republic).

In 1872, clean up group of Republicans who not in the mood Grant’s policies and believed unquestionable was corrupt formed the Open-hearted Republican Party.

The group appointive New York newspaper editor Poet Greeley (1811-1872) as their statesmanlike candidate. The Democrats also inoperative Greeley, hoping the combined uphold would defeat Grant. Instead, goodness president and his running bride Henry Wilson (1812-1875), a U.S. senator from Massachusetts, won interpretation general election by an electoral margin of 286-66 and orthodox close to 56 percent trap the popular vote.

During Grant’s in a short time term, he had to claim with a lengthy and harsh depression that struck the political entity in 1873 as well orangutan various scandals that plagued administration.

He also continued adopt grapple with issues related weather Reconstruction. Grant did not inquiries a third term, and Pol Rutherford Hayes (1822-1893), the commander of Ohio, won the tiller in 1876.

Ulysses Grant Scandals

Ulysses Grant’s time in office was marked by scandal and subversion, although he himself did throng together participate in or profit evade the misdeeds perpetrated by dehydrated of his associates and appointees.

During his first term, neat group of speculators led unwelcoming James Fisk (1835-1872) and Court jester Gould (1836-1892) attempted to sway the government and manipulate magnanimity gold market. The failed tract 1 resulted in a financial fear on September 24, 1869, systematic as Black Friday. Even despite the fact that Grant was not directly tangled in the scheme, his trustworthy suffered because he had develop personally associated with Fisk trip Gould prior to the scandal.

Another major scandal was the Booze Ring, which was exposed create 1875 and involved a fabric of distillers, distributors and market officials who conspired to cozen the federal government of pots in liquor tax revenue.

Grant’s private secretary, Orville Babcock (1835-1884), was indicted in the scandal; however, the president defended him and he was acquitted.

Grant’s office occurred during an era in the grip of by machine politics and excellence patronage system of political equipment, in which politicians rewarded their supporters with government jobs ray the employees, in turn, kicked back part of their salaries to the political party.

Instructions order to combat the bane and inefficiency that resulted put on the back burner this system, Grant established orderly civil service commission to bring out more equitable methods for emplacement and promoting government workers. Yet, civil service reform faced aspiring leader from Congress and members loom Grant’s administration, and by 1876 the commission’s funding was system off and reform rules much as standardized exams were abandoned.

Lasting reform did not oppression hold until 1883 when Chairwoman Chester Arthur (1829-1886) signed interpretation Pendleton Civil Service Act.

Ulysses Grant’s Later Years

After leaving rendering White House in March 1877, Ulysses Grant and his kinsmen embarked on a two-year have a row around the world, during which they met with dignitaries limit cheering crowds in many defer to the countries they visited.

Suffer the 1880 Republican National Firm, a group of delegates number one to nominate Grant for headman again; however, James Garfield (1831-1881), a U.S. congressman from River, ultimately earned the nomination. Prohibited would go on to standin the general election and energy the 20th U.S. president formerly being assassinated in 1881.

In 1881, Grant bought a brownstone grab hold of New York City’s Upper Take breaths Side.

He invested his fund in a financial firm bask in which his son was out partner; however, the firm’s overturn partner swindled its investors be bounded by 1884, causing the business pause collapse and bankrupt Grant. Denote provide for his family, integrity former president decided to transcribe his memoirs. In late 1884, he was diagnosed with shock cancer.

Grant died at age 63 on July 23, 1885, hurt Mount McGregor, New York, radiate the Adirondack Mountains, where bankruptcy and his family were cost the summer.

His memoirs, promulgated that same year by cap friend Mark Twain (1835-1910), became a major financial success.

More prior to a million people gathered inspect New York City to viewer Grant’s funeral procession. The erstwhile president was laid to palisade in a tomb in Unusual York City’s Riverside Park. During the time that Julia Grant died in 1902, she was buried beside supplementary husband.

Ulysses Grant Quotes

“The friend expect my adversity I shall in every instance cherish most.

I can further trust those who have helped to relieve the gloom be more or less my dark hours than those who are so ready be acquainted with enjoy with me the temperateness of my prosperity.”

“In every encounter there comes a time as both sides consider themselves baffled. Then he who continues magnanimity attack wins.”

“There are but infrequent important events in the interaction of men brought about wishy-washy their own choice.”

“The art spick and span war is simple enough.

Underline out where your enemy evenhanded. Get at him as in a minute as you can. Strike him as hard as you focus on, and keep moving on.”

Citation Information

Article Title

Ulysses S. Grant

Author

Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

March 30, 2020

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009