Who is Ulysses S. Grant

Ulysses S. Grant

Who is Ulysses S. Grant?

Ulysses S. Grant was the 18^th president of the United States. He served as president from 1869-1877. He was also the commander of the Union Army during the American Civil War.

Early Life

Ulysses S. Grant was born on April 27^th, 1822. He grew up in Georgetown, Ohio. Grant’s father was a tanner. This meant that he worked tanning animal hides. Ulysses did not like this work at all and instead chose to work on a farm that his father also owned. While he was working on the farm, Ulysses developed a supreme skill with horses. This skill would serve him for the rest of his life.

In 1839, Ulysses S. Grant was accepted into West Point Military Academy. He attended this famous military school from 1839 until 1943. He didn’t really have military ambitions before entering West Point, but he was a bright young man who wanted to continue his education and West Point was one of the only ways for him to do that. He ended up excelling in mathematics and horsemanship at West Point and graduated 21rst in a class of 39.

Following his graduation, Grant served in the Mexican American War with distinction and then married Julia Boggs Dent, the sister of his roommate at West Point. He resigned from the army in 1854 when he was 32 years old. He then went on to try a number of different business ventures and had very little success. In 1860, Grant moved his family to Galena, Illinois and started working for his family’s leather goods business.

Civil War  

When the Civil War broke out in 1861, Ulysses helped to train and equip troops in the Union Army. Soon, he joined the army and was quickly appointed colonel of the 21tst Illinois Volunteers. Very shortly after this, he was promoted to brigadier general. Grant’s first major victory in the Civil War as a general came when he and his troops forced the surrender of the Confederate troops at Fort Donaldson on the Cumberland River in Tennessee. 15,000 Confederate troops surrendered in this event. Grant was promoted to major general after taking Fort Donaldson.

In 1863, Grant and his troops went on to win a major battle at Vicksburg, which was the last major Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River. In March 1864, Grant was given command over the entire Union Army, thanks to his outstanding record of success in battle. By 1865, Grant had defeated what remained of the Confederate Army led by General Robert E. Lee. Lee surrendered to Grant on April 9^th, 1865, effectively ending the Civil War

Presidency

Following the Civil War, Grant was considered a national hero and he was admired by many people in the country. He was nominated for president and won the presidential election in 1860. Grant served two terms as a U.S. president, winning reelection in 1872. Grant’s presidency focused heavily around reconstruction, civil rights, It was marked mostly by a desire to restore the Union to peace and prosperity following a long, devastating civil war in which over 600,000 American citizens died. Grant has gone down in history as one of the best military leaders America has ever known and as a president who helped to bring the country together following its worst-ever internal conflict.