Ulysses S Grant
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Ulysses S. Grant
Many historians believe Ulysses S. Grant was one of the great generals of the Civil War. He changed the course of the countrys history by leading the Union to a clear victory over the Confederacy during the Civil War. General Grant is proof that strength of character and belief in duty coupled with a determined military strategy led to Union victory. T. Harry Williams, a military historian, said about Grant, “No general could do what he did because of accident or luck or preponderance of numbers and weapons. He was a success because he was a complete general and a complete character” (Ulysses S. Grant Homepage). Ulysses S. Grants success as a soldier and general was a product of his strong and unwavering character paired with his genius as a military strategist.
Ulysses S. Grant was born Hiram Ulysses Grant on April 27, 1882, in Point Pleasant, Ohio. The eldest in his family, he had an ordinary childhood showing no particular talent or promise. He was an average student whose greatest skill was riding and managing horses. This skill ultimately served him well when he joined the army. Upon graduating from West Point in the middle of his class (Wilson 975), he joined the Fourth United States Infantry as a brevet second lieutenant, and served with distinction in the Mexican War from 1846 to 1848 (Wilson 975). Grant participated in all major battles which lead to the capture of Mexico City, earning a promotion to first lieutenant for his bravery. Geoffrey Perret, author of Ulysses S. Grant: Soldier & President, spoke about Grants first experience as a soldier in an interview with Brian Lamb:
Ðalthough he deplored the human cost of war, he was susceptible to the drama. And once he found a way to participate in a battle, feeling that he was doing his duty, that this death and destruction could be justified on moral grounds, I think he really discovered that he had a soldiers vocation (Perret, par. 11).
After the Mexican War, Grant married Julia Dent, the daughter of a slaveholding family, in 1848 (Wilson 975). He had four children, and was a devoted parent and husband. The center of Grants life was his family, and he was considered a hero in the eyes of his wife and children. Jesse Root Grant, his youngest son, said of his father, “In my memory of him, and his record, fathers uncompromising patriotism, his absolute, self-sacrificing loyalty, stand out as his dominant characteristics; right or wrong, his country came first and he supported it with all that he had” (Ulysses S. Grant Homepage). His children described Grant as an undemonstrative man, yet showing the greatest affection and gentleness with his family (Ulysses S. Grant Homepage).
In 1852, Grant was ordered to the Pacific Coast with his regiment. He and Julia had one child, and she was pregnant with the second. It was a long trip, and Grant could not afford to take his family with him, but he became very unhappy without them by his side. Many in the regiment died during the difficult voyage across the isthmus in Panama. The survivors remembered his calmness and cool demeanor in the face of adversity during this difficult trip. Grant spent two long years separated from his family, and took to drinking which eventually led to the armys request for his resignation. By 1854, Grant had returned to civilian life and tried his hand at farming. Although happy to be with his family, Grant was financially unsuccessful and was ultimately forced to move in with his father in Galena, Illinois.
It was at this time the Civil War broke out, and Grant was the only man living in Galena who had served in the Regular Army. Grants loyalty and patriotism to country made him offer his services by helping to train new volunteer recruits (Tracey 5). Grant and his volunteer recruits went to Springfield, Illinois to be inducted into the state regiment (Tracey 5), but Grant himself was not reinstated. He was finally given the opportunity to be a clerk in the adjutant generals office, and after proving himself, he was soon appointed colonel to a regiment of volunteers that quickly grew to nearly 20,000 men (Tracey 5).
Grant and his regiment spent the summer in Springfield, marching at the crack of dawn, and training throughout the day. His discipline caught the attention of the Galena congressman. The congressman requested that Grant receive recognition for the capable commander (Tracey 5), so President Lincoln gave Grant a gold star, appointing him a general.
Grant won several victories in Tennessee, launching attacks simultaneously by land and by water (Tracey 6). He first captured Fort Henry on the Tennessee River, and then Fort Donnelson, the gateway to Nashville. His regiment encircled a group of 15,000 rebels on the road to Donnelson, and forced them to lay down their arms with the following ultimatum, “No terms except unconditional and immediate surrender can be accepted. I propose to move immediately and unconditionally upon your works” (Tracey 6). The ultimatum of “Unconditional Surrender” captured the attention of the North. Grant was a man of few words, but he was a man who delivered results in the face of adversity. Within a year, he became a national hero, yet Grant remained the same. Shelby Foote was quoted as saying:
Grant the general had many qualities but he had a thing thats very necessary for a great general. He had what they call “four oclock in the morning courage.” You could wake him up at four oclock in the morning and tell him they had just turned his right flank and he would be as cool as a cucumber. (Ulysses S. Grant Homepage)
In April of 1862, in Tennessee, Grant and his regiment faced one of his toughest and bloodiest battles Ð- the battle of Shiloh. Grant was supposed to join forces with General Don Carlos Buells army in order to threaten the Confederate railroad center of Corinth, Mississippi (Tracey 6). Grant and his regiment were camped in Tennessee, waiting for General Buell and his army when the Confederate army, led by Commander Albert Sidney Johnston, decided to attack. Grants army endured heavy losses throughout the day and into the evening. When Buells troops finally arrived, they joined forces with the remainder of Grants regiment and managed to push the Confederates back. As noted by Tracey, “there were more casualties than there had been in all previous American wars combined” (Tracey 7). This bloody battle brought criticism against Grant due to the heavy losses, and he was removed from field command.
Grant was given the title of second-in-command without any assigned duties. During the remainder of 1862, Grant was in Virginia and Maryland, far from the battlefields.