Grant

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= = toc =__Ulysses S. Grant__= By: Charlie Peters

__Early Life__
Ulysses Simpson Grant was born in Point Pleasant, Ohio on April 27, 1822. He was raised in Georgetown, Ohio by his father, Jesse Root Grant, and his mother, Hannah Simpson Grant. While growing up in Georgetown, Grant became a skilled horse handler, but in 1839, his parents decided that it would be best if he began to attend West Point Military Academy. At the academy, Grant was nicknamed Uncle Sam Grant, which stuck through his career. He graduated 21st in his class and his horsemanship, along with his math skills were recognized. After graduation, Grant was immediatly placed in the Jefferson Barracks which resided in St. Louis, Missouri and in 1846, the Mexican War began. Grant served in Zachary Taylor's and Winfield Scott's armies and by the end of the war, he was promoted to first lieutenant. In 1854, he resigned from the army to take up farming and raise his two sons. His farming ended unsuccessfully, and he was forced to sell his farm. During the next few years him and his wife, Julia Boggs Dent, had two more children. Grant was forced to rejoin the army in 1861, at the begining of the Civil War.

__Civil War__
In 1861, Grant rejoined the military as a colonel of the 21st Illinois infantry, and even before his first battle, Grant was named Brigadier General by Elihu Washburne. Washburne was a U.S. congressman from Galena, where Grant was previously stationed. In 1862, he gained permission to go on an offensive campaign, and soon after gained his first major victory at Fort Donelson, where he instituted "Unconditional Surrender" and later became known for that tactic. After his victory, he was promoted to Major General, a position he lost after losing a heavy amount of troops in the Battle of Shiloh. Halleck took away his army out of jealousy, but later that year, Grant gained it back when Halleck was called to Washington. Directly after Grant gained control of his army, he began advancing towards Vicksburg, Mississippi, the last confederate base on the Mississippi River. Vicksburg surrendered on July 4, 1863, which successfully cut the Confederacy in half.

In early 1864, Grant was promoted to Lieutenant General, one of the highest positions in the Union army. The final stages of the war had begun, and Grant's goal was to take out the most important General in the Confederate army. Grant's goal was to immobilize Robert E. Lee's army in Virginia, while William Sherman lead his army through Georgia, the heart of the Confederacy. Grant pinned Lee in Petersburg, Virginia and on April 9, 1865 Lee surrendered. Lee's surrender signified the end of the Confederates and though Grant had basically just won the Civil War, he believed it wasn't fought for a good cause. He was deeply saddened at the end of the War, because he thought that the Confederates were a "Valiant Foe".

__Presidency__
Grant was elected into office on May 4, 1869. At the time of his election, he was only 46 years of age, making him the youngest president to have ever been elected. Once in office he appointed many "new faces" into high positions, which some called, "uneven in quality", and others called, "refreshing". His wife influenced who was picked, and claimed also to have influenced his decision on vetoing the Finance Bill in his first term of presidency. Julia was a women's rights activist, and believed that women had the same amount of power as men, though she did not typically involve herself in her husband's professions. During Grant's time in the White House, he and his family lived an ostentatious lifestyle. At meal time, they would be served up to twenty-nine courses in one sitting, while they drank an average of nine imported bottles of French wine. One of Grant's first major decisions in office was to redeem, in gold, the greenback currency (now the U.S. dollar) used in the war. He then started supporting the first Civil Service Commision, but when he was faced with congessional opposition he backed out. He then narrowly lost the battle to pass the Treaty of Annexation, a good strategic move, due to the Senate rejecting the idea. His next big event, the Treaty of Washington, settled the claims of British taking sides during the Civil War. Many thought Grant's first term of presidency was quite successful.

Grant was elected for a second term in 1872. During his second term, newspapers caught hold of information that prominant figures in the Republican Party were involved in Credit Mobilier, which was a buisness that stole profits from the Northern Railroad System. Later in his campaign, his Secretary of the Treasury, Benjamin Bristow, leaked an operation called the "Whiskey Ring". The scandal was used to divert tax revenues in order to make money from alchohol distillers. The Republican party made millions of dollars before caught. In later statement about these incidents, Grant claimed, "Failures have been errors of judgement, not intent". These scandals overwhelmed all good done in his two terms as president. The main issues that Grant had addressed while president, were clearing the names of all Confederate Generals, and gaining equal rights for slaves. Grant approved the 15th ammendment and won the KKK act of 1871. After his presidency he slowly began to retreat out of politics, and his last major political act, was settling the dispute between Rutherford B. Hayes and Samuel Tilden in the 1876 election.

__Later Life__
After his terms in office, Grant and his wife went on a trip around the world. Grant was treated like a hero wherever he went, and numerous prominant figures from other countries wanted to arrange meetings with him. Grant met Queen Victoria and Benjamin Disraeli of England, Otto van Bismarck of Germany, and the Emperor of Japan. His fellow Americans were pleased that their hero, was the world's hero. In 1879, some of the Republicans wanted to nominate Grant for a third term in presidency. Though he didn't want to serve a third term, he still received 300 votes on each of the thirty-six ballots for nomination. In the end, James Garfield was selected over Grant, which gave him much relief. In 1881, Grant and Julia purchased a house in New York City, and right after the move, Grant invested in his Son's firm called, Grant and Ward. In 1884, the firm collapsed, along with Grant's reputation. Losing money, and without a job, Grant commenced writing articles for Century Magazine. Since the articles became a success, Grant's friend Mark Twain offered him a contract to start writing memoirs about his life. Then later that year, Grant suffered a major blow... he was diagnosed with throat cancer. Despite the cancer, Grant was determined to finish his memoirs before his death, and he did. In 1885, Grant and Julia moved once again to a cottage in Mount McGregor, New York and Grant died one month later. Grant died a happy man, in a quiet place, knowing that he had given the necesary money to support his family and most of all, his wife.

__Funeral and Burial__
Grants Funeral cortege was among the biggest of his time. The original burial cortege was seven miles long, and this was the informal burial. In 1897, on Grant's seventy fifth anniversary, his remains were moved to an expensive granite tomb within the depths of New York City, where he had lived after the Civil War. His tomb was built with the help of over 100,000 contributions from all over the world. Almost one million people sent in dedications to Grant's family and friends, many from people in the South. Now both the remains of him and his wife Julia lay there. It is a national monument, and is the second largest monument in the Western Hemisphere. It is made of pure marble, and will keep his legacy through the generations.

__Characteristics and Facts__
Ulysses S. Grant had many important character traits. Though he was a simple man, women said he had a charming aspect to his persona, as well. Opposing soldiers were scared of him, and his own soldiers admired him. He was the most trustworthy person one could hope to have as a friend. Grant frequently claimed to pride himself on his generosity and kindness to others. The characteristic that defined him the most though, was his pure hatred of seeing other human beings suffer. This shined through at the battle of Shiloh, when many of the higher ranking generals stayed inside the warm camps, while Grant stayed out and fought with his men, enduring what they had to endure, and showing himself to be the true hero as he is described in history books today. His nobility and sense of good propelled him through his career as a general and as a president. Grant is thought of as a gallant man because he was determined never to lose, and he had the will power to stick with something stubbornly.

Grant's birth name was Hiram Ulysses Grant, but he changed it because when he entered the army, he didnt want his initials. H.U.G., to be stitched into all his belongings. Also, while in presidency, Grant got fined twenty dollars for speeding on his race horse on a public Washington D.C. street. Another fact about Grant is that he was the first president to have both parents alive when in office, and he was also the first president to have run against a female opponent. Grant's favorite hobby was swimming and his favorite breakfast was cucumbers soaked in vinegar (a.k.a. pickles).

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__Bibliography__
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