The Ulysses Roller Coaster
By Chris Webber (4034141)
American Public University System
July 10, 2015
HIST101: American History to 1877
Professor Gerlach

What do George Washington, Dwight Eisenhower and Andrew Jackson all have in common? They were all war proven generals that later became president. Another name that can go on this list is General Ulysses Simpson Grant. Grant is considered one of the most important men for the Union during the Civil War and he rode that fame into the White House. His roller coaster life had many lows that would have crushed the average man, which made is highs even grander. This is story of Ulysses S. Grant, his early life, early military career, Mexican War, Civil War and finally his presidency. Ulysses S. Grant was born on April 27th 1822 to the name of Hiram Ulysses Grant1. His father, Jesse Grant, was a tanner and mildly successful business man. Ulysses did not have the same knack for business or tanning as his father. As a matter of fact, he did not really have a knack for much of anything, other than horses. His small stature, poor family and lack of good business knowledge quickly made him the laughing stock of his community. He was known to have tried to haggle a deal to buy a colt. Instead of offering low, he offered his low price, middle price and high price all in the same offer. Needless to say the horses’ owner sold the colt for the highest price2. This lack of common business sense and the fact that Ulysses did not want to be a tanner left his father with few options. Jesse Grant did not want his son to fail at life so he enrolled him into West Point. He did not know if Ulysses would be a good soldier, but he did want him to have a good education. This decision would not only change Ulysses life, but also the fate of the Union. ________________________ 1. “Ulysses S. Grant Biography.” Biography, accessed July 9, 2015. http://www.biography.com/people/ulysses-s-grant-9318285.

2. Joan Waugh, U.S. Grant: American Hero, American Myth (North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press, 2009), 16. Due to a clerical error by the congressman that submitted Grants paperwork to West Point, Hiram Ulysses Grant was enrolled as Ulysses Simpson Grant. This change of name was embraced as Ulysses never liked the name Hiram. It did however lead to more teasing as Ulysses quickly picked up the nickname “Useless”. With average grades and more than a few reprimands Ulysses finally graduated West Point twenty first out of thirty-nine students3. He hated both school and being in the military and vowed at that point to do his obligated four years of service and then get out. This mindset started to change once he got to his first duty station and met Julia Dent, the sister of one of his fellow officers. She too had an affection for horses and soon they were engaged. Before Julia and Ulysses could get married he was ordered to serve in the Mexican War. Here is where Ulysses S. Grant first started to see his calling as a true military officer. He was fortunate enough to work for, and learn from, two of Americas’ greatest generals, General Zachary Taylor and General Winfield Scott. Both of these men were drastically different in their approach which gave Grant a broad understanding of the benefits and pitfalls of both. General Scott was known as a spit and polish leader. He instilled the importance of drill and ceremony upon young Ulysses. General Taylor did not care about these things. He had no concern about his appearance but was a tactical genius that thought outside of the box. He would take risks and showed Grant the benefits of unconventional warfare. These two great examples of leadership quickly molded Grant and he was served with distinction during this time. He was known to borrow horses and lead raids deep into enemy territory. His fearless style made him a favorite amongst his men. ________________________ 3. Waugh, U.S. Grant: American Hero, American Myth, 24. Coming off a very successful tour in the Mexican War, Ulysses was at a high point in his life. He returned to St Louis to marry Julia Dent and start a family. Just like every good rollercoaster however, once one is at a high point, they must come crashing down. This happened to Grant when he was stationed in Fort Vancouver, which is now the state of Washington. He was there for multiple years without his wife and children. Depressed from numerous failed attempts to get them out to him, he resorted to drinking. In 1853 after obtaining the rank of Captain, his drinking caught up to him and was forced to retire or risk being Court Marshalled for drunkenness on duty. After retiring Grant went back to St Louis were he quickly reestablished that he was not very good at anything other than war and horses. He failed at being a farmer, real estate agent, and firewood peddler before moving his family back up to Illinois to become a clerk in his father’s shop. This type of tumble would have destroyed the average man’s confidence in his self, but not Grants. He did what he had to do for his family. That was all that mattered to him. In 1861 everything changed. The Confederacy had just attacked Forts Sumter and officially started the Civil War. This attack reignited a flame inside of Grant and he decided to rejoin the military. With the help of his father and Illinois congressman he was given the command of the 21st Illinois Volunteers. This was an unruly bunch but Grant used the knowledge he had gained to turn them into a formidable force. This was apparent in February of 1862 when Grant led his troops in the sieges of Fort Henry and Fort Donelson. These victories are credited as being the first major victories for the Union during the Civil War. It was also the start of another nickname for Grant. A reporter used his initials and called him “Unconditional Surrender Grant”4 as these were the only terms that he ________________________ 4. James F. Muench, Five Stars: Missouri’s Most Famous Generals (Missouri: University of Missouri Press, 2006), 57. would accept. War is unpredictable, however, and even the best get caught in bad situations. This was the case for Grant during that battle of Shiloh. Grant and his men had made camp for the night in a location that they believed was far from the enemy. This was not the case and early they next morning they were ambushed. Most Generals would have surrendered, but not Grant. He kept his men fighting and lasted long enough for reinforcements to arrive. Even though he lost many men, he had taken a sure victory from the confederacy and turned it into yet another victory for the union. General Lee continued to use uncommon tactics to attack his enemy and gain the advantage. During the battle of Vicksburg he severed his ties with his own supply route in order to flank the enemy and in the battles in the wilderness he did not take over land like many of his time would. Instead he continued to chase the enemy wherever they were. These unconventional tactics and bullheaded determination made him popular among the American public and he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General, the first since George Washington5. On April 9th 1865 General Robert E Lee finally succumbed to Grants relentlessness and surrendered. This act effectively ended the Civil War. With the war over, Lieutenant General Ulysses S Grant was the most popular man in the United States. He was the war hero that saved the Union and ensured that slaves in the south would be free. This type of notoriety made him an easy candidate for the President. In 1869 he was elected as the 18th President of the United States. While Grants presidency was not atrocious, it just fell short of his military career. There were many scandals that took place under ________________________ 5. Jean Smith, “Let Us Have Peace: Remembering General Ulysses S. Grant,” Foreign Policy Research Institute, last modified May 2013, https://www.fpri.org/articles/2013/05/let-us-have-peace-remembering-general-ulysses-s-grant. his watch, involving his close friends and chosen staff that scarred everything good that he had hoped to accomplish. He was loyal to a fault and his legacy would suffer. Even so, he was reelected for a second term and offered a third, to which he denied. Ulysses S Grant would spend the rest of his life traveling around the world with his wife and writing his memoirs before he finally died of throat cancer in 1885. Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson and many others were all great men that left their mark on the United States but they have done so like General Ulysses S Grant. He was fighter that had many ups and downs on his roller coaster of a life. From his early life, to college, two major wars and then President of the United States, Grant left a legacy that is hard to match. Is it possible for him to have done more?

References

Muench, James F. Five Stars: Missouri’s Most Famous Generals. Missouri: University of
Missouri Press, 2006. PDF e-book.

Smith, Jean. “Let Us Have Peace: Remembering General Ulysses S. Grant.” Foreign Policy Research Institute. Last modified May 2013. https://www.fpri.org/articles/2013/05/let- us-have-peace-remembering-general-ulysses-s-grant. “Ulysses S. Grant Biography.” Biography. Accessed July 9, 2015. http://www.biography.com/people/ulysses-s-grant-9318285

Waugh, Joan. U.S. Grant: American Hero, American Myth. North Carolina: University of North
Carolina Press, 2009. PDF e-book