Grant's first assignment took him to the Jefferson Barracks near St. Louis, Missouri. In 1843, he graduated 21st out of 39 and was glad to be out. [51], After rising tensions with Mexico following the United States' annexation of Texas, war broke out in 1846. [295] Grant won the popular vote by 300,000 votes out of 5,716,082 votes cast, receiving an Electoral College landslide of 214 votes to Seymour's 80.

Grant and General James B. McPherson planned to bypass Columbus and with a force of 25,000 troops, move against Fort Henry on the Tennessee River. Meade had followed Halleck's cautious approach to fighting, and Grant was there to give him direction and encouragement to be more aggressive.

Grant agreed and wired Halleck with their assessment. [321] Within a year, the three remaining states—Mississippi, Virginia, and Texas—adopted the new amendment—and were admitted to Congress. [315] Instruction of "religious, atheistic, or pagan tenets," would be banned, while funding "for the benefit or in aid, directly or indirectly, of any religious sect or denomination," would be prohibited. [54], Grant served as regimental quartermaster, but yearned for a combat role; when finally allowed, he led a charge at the Battle of Resaca de la Palma. After Grant's victory at Chattanooga, President Abraham Lincoln promoted him to Lieutenant General.

He tried to farm land that had been given to him by his father-in-law, but this venture proved to be unsuccessful after a few years. [271], Grant was initially optimistic about Johnson, saying he was satisfied the nation had "nothing to fear" from the Johnson administration. [175] Compensated contraband freed slaves would be used to pick cotton that would be shipped north and sent to aid the Union War effort. A year later, Spain paid a cash indemnity of $80,000 to the families of the executed Americans. Civil rights prosecutions continued but with fewer yearly cases and convictions.

Before the couple could wed, however, he was shipped off for duty. After seeing action in the Mexican-American War, Grant returned to Missouri and married Julia in August 1848. Attending Lincoln's funeral on April 19, Grant stood alone and wept openly; he later said Lincoln was "the greatest man I have ever known. When the Confederate general in charge of the fort asked about terms of surrender for the Battle of Fort Donelson, Grant famously replied, “No terms except an unconditional and immediate surrender can be accepted.”, EXPLORE: Ulysses S. Grant: An Interactive Map of His Key Civil War Battles.
"[294] The Democrats and their Klan supporters focused mainly on ending Reconstruction intimidating Blacks, and returning control of the South to the white Democrats and the planter class, alienating War Democrats in the North. Hiram Ulysses Grant was born on April 27, 1822, in Point Pleasant, Ohio. [373][ak], The most pressing diplomatic problem in 1869 was the settlement of the Alabama claims, depredations caused to the Union by the Confederate warship CSS Alabama, built in a British shipyard in violation of neutrality rules. Not wanting to be rejected by the school, he changed his name on the spot.

Silverites, who wanted more money in circulation to raise the prices that farmers received, denounced the move as the "Crime of 1873", claiming the deflation made debts more burdensome for farmers. [45] Grant was flanked by three fellow West Point graduates, all dressed in their blue uniforms, including Longstreet, Julia's cousin. "[588] Charles W. Calhoun's The Presidency of Ulysses S. Grant (2017) noted Grant's successes in office, but asked whether Grant's revived reputation was found in the "popular consciousness.

Ultimately, the work earned Grant's family nearly $450,000. [329] Grant's Attorney General, Amos T. Akerman, who replaced Hoar, was zealous to destroy the Klan. [607][608][bj], This article is about the 18th president of the United States. Instead, the president and his running mate Henry Wilson (1812-1875), a U.S. senator from Massachusetts, won the general election by an electoral margin of 286-66 and received close to 56 percent of the popular vote. Surveyor General Silas Reed had set up corrupt contracts that benefited Delano's son, John Delano. [99][i] Grant moved to St. Louis, taking on a partnership with Julia's cousin Harry Boggs working in the real estate business as a bill collector, again without success and with Julia's prompting ended the partnership. He was the first son of Jesse Root Grant, a tanner and businessman, and Hannah Simpson Grant. [343] Grant later regretted not issuing a proclamation to help Ames, having been told Republicans in Ohio would bolt the party if Grant intervened in Mississippi. Three days later, Halleck followed up with a postscript claiming "word has just reached me that ... Grant has resumed his bad habits (of drinking). Reinforcement finally arrived, and Grant was able to defeat the Confederates during the second day of battle.

Grant wanted the dispute settled by Congress. [140] Meanwhile, Grant prepared for an attack on the Confederate army of roughly equal strength.

[216] Grant and Meade would make a direct frontal attack on Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, while Sherman—now chief of the western armies—was to destroy Joseph E. Johnston's Army of Tennessee and take Atlanta. [351], When Grant took office in 1869, the nation's policy towards Native Americans was in chaos, affecting more than 250,000 Native Americans being governed by 370 treaties. A war department investigation led to his reinstatement.

Noting President Grant's endorsement of the 15th Amendment and prosecution of the Klan, Downs said, "When the mob members tore down Grant’s bust, they unknowingly built upon a 150-year effort to erase and defame him.". [324][x], In 1870, to enforce Reconstruction, Congress and Grant created the Justice Department that allowed the Attorney General and the new Solicitor General to prosecute the Klan. [198] When Stanton suggested Grant be brought back east to run the Army of the Potomac, Grant demurred, writing that he knew the geography and resources of the West better and he did not want to upset the chain of command in the East. [90] The farm was not successful and to earn a living he sold firewood on St. Louis street corners. However, Lincoln ended this move when Illinois political leaders complained.

[272] By February 1866, the relationship began to break down. Despite Grant's efforts, the Senate defeated the treaties, on Thursday, June 30, by a 28–28 vote when a 2/3 majority was required. Thus far the Confederates were winning, but soon Union reinforcements arrived, giving Grant a total force of over 40,000 men. The following year, he moved with his parents, Jesse Grant (1794-1873) and Hannah Simpson Grant (1798-1883), to Georgetown, Ohio, where his father ran a tannery. [178][179] Smuggling of cotton was rampant, while the price of cotton skyrocketed. Grant was outraged, and on Friday, July 1, 1870, he removed his appointed Minister to Great Britain, John Lothrop Motley, Sumner's friend, knowing he could not pacify Sumner.

Grant told and retold his war stories so many times that writing his Memoirs was more a matter of repetition and polish rather than trying to recall his memories for the first time.

[225] On May 5, the Union army attacked Lee in the Wilderness, a three-day battle with estimated casualties of 17,666 Union and 11,125 Confederate. [272] Despite differing styles, Grant got along cordially with Johnson, and attended cabinet meetings concerning Reconstruction. [406] They controlled the Erie Railroad, and a high price of gold would allow foreign agriculture buyers to purchase exported crops, shipped east over the Erie's routes. Grant died on July 23, 1885 — just as his memoirs were being published — at the age of 63, in Mount McGregor, New York. [126] The Union army took the camp, but the reinforced Confederates under Brigadier Generals Frank Cheatham and Gideon J. Pillow forced a chaotic Union retreat. [352] He appointed Ely S. Parker, a Seneca and member of his wartime staff, Commissioner of Indian Affairs, the first Native American to serve in this position, surprising many around him.
Grant’s administration made strides in foreign policy by negotiating the 1871 Treaty of Washington, which settled U.S. claims against England stemming from the activities of British-built Confederate warships that disrupted Northern shipping during the Civil War. [89] Grant's father offered him a place in the Galena, Illinois, branch of the family's leather business, but demanded Julia and the children stay in Missouri, with the Dents, or with the Grants in Kentucky. After getting the opportunity to lead a company into combat, Grant was credited for his bravery under fire. Schools would be for all children "irrespective of sex, color, birthplace, or religions. [212] Grant developed a good working relationship with Lincoln, who allowed Grant to devise his own strategy. [494] Grant's testimony silenced all but his strongest critics. READ MORE: How Ulysses S. Grant Earned the Nickname "Unconditional Surrender Grant".

[429], The Republicans nominated Grant for reelection, with Senator Henry Wilson of Massachusetts replacing Colfax as the vice presidential nominee. [13] At the age of five, Ulysses began his formal education, starting at a subscription school and later in two private schools.

But Grant also appointed reformers, for example for the prosecution of the Whiskey Ring.