What Does the S in Ulysses S Grant Stand For?

Many are familiar with Ulysses S. Grant, a legendary Union general who helped to end the Civil War. But did you know about his troubled past?

Before the Civil War, Ulysses Grant struggled to find work. Eventually he was hired by his father’s store.

Ulysses S. Grant was born Hiram Ulysses Grant

Hiram Ulysses Grant was born in Point Pleasant, Ohio in 1822 to a tanner’s family and eventually rose to become both a general and president of the United States.

He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point and was commissioned as a captain in the US Army. During the Mexican War, he earned two citations for gallantry.

After his service in the Army, he was promoted to brigadier general. During the Civil War, he led a volunteer regiment and transformed it into an effective force.

Grant was in command of several major campaigns during the Civil War and ensured all Union armies were adequately manned and supplied. In March 1864, President Lincoln appointed Grant to command all Union armies in the Western Theater of the Civil War.

Grant was successful in this task, securing Chattanooga and Knoxville for the North with his leadership and bravery.

Grant was also successful at winning the Battle of Shiloh, a crucial victory for the Union. Subsequently, Grant was appointed commander-in-chief of all United States Army troops and led them in an effective campaign that brought peace to the conflict.

Grant earned numerous awards during his time in the Army for his leadership abilities and friendships. He became affectionately known as “Unconditional Surrender Grant” among fellow soldiers.

After the war, he was able to ascend to General of the Army of the United States and fight off the Ku Klux Klan, making sure there were laws in place which allowed African American citizens to vote.

Once elected as the 18th President of the United States, he was able to help bring together North and South America once more. Furthermore, he worked to restore economic stability and prevent another world war from breaking out.

In his years in office, he faced several scandals and an economic catastrophe. Additionally, he had to contend with the 15th Amendment, Reconstruction, and the Civil War. Though he was able to solve many problems during this period of his presidency, he ultimately succumbed to throat cancer in 1885.

He fought in the Civil War

In April 1861, Ulysses Grant was working in his father’s tannery and attending grade schools. Though he had no interest in joining the military, Jesse Grant persuaded him to join the Union Army against his will.

Grant graduated in the middle of his class and went on to serve in the Mexican War under General Zachary Taylor. Following the conflict, he worked at his brother’s leather shop in Galena, Illinois.

As a young soldier, Grant had studied the writings of other generals like Taylor and Scott and applied their lessons to his battles during the Civil War. These experiences enabled him to become one of America’s most powerful and successful commanders.

With Lincoln’s approval, Grant moved his army to the eastern front and quickly rose to become a major general and leader of Northern forces. His daring style of command earned him a reputation for successfully attacking Confederate positions even in difficult terrain.

Grant achieved a series of victories in Kentucky, including the capture of Richmond. On the Tennessee River he took Fort Henry and Fort Donelson – marking one of his earliest significant Union successes. Later he secured control over the Mississippi River – an important strategic turn that ultimately turned the tide of battle in his favor.

Grant was involved in numerous campaigns across the South during the Civil War. His feats of valor earned him widespread acclaim and made him a hero to millions across America.

He also played an instrumental role in the defeat of Confederate armies at Mobile, Alabama; Chattanooga, Tennessee; and Vicksburg, Mississippi. His unique ability to launch simultaneous offensives across multiple battlefields and his strategy of attrition proved successful – leading to numerous victories that brought an end to the Civil War.

Grant was able to achieve great success despite suffering from severe throat cancer in his later years, serving two terms as president of the United States. He defeated Andrew Johnson in 1868 and was reelected two years later; though his administration was marred by corruption and scandal, it helped keep America strong during the final years of the Civil War.

He was president of the United States

In 1861, President Abraham Lincoln nearly initiated war when Governor John Wood of Illinois appointed Ulysses S. Grant to command an unruly regiment causing havoc in his state. It wasn’t long before it became evident that young Grant had what it takes to reform this unit and make them into disciplined soldiers.

In March 1864, Abraham Lincoln appointed Grant commander of all Union armies and promoted him to lieutenant general – marking the first time a Civil War general had achieved that rank. Grant proved an outstanding battlefield commander, excelling at Fort Henry and Donelson, Shiloh, and Vicksburg.

His tactics and pursuit of Lee in Virginia brought the Civil War to a close, forcing his army to surrender at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865. To restore the United States, he offered generous terms of surrender that allowed the confederate troops to return home after they had surrendered their weapons.

After the war, Grant was inaugurated as President of the United States and worked to unite North and South while advocating for civil rights. His initiatives included African American rights, Native American policy, and civil service reform.

He served two terms in office, beginning his tenure in March 1869 and concluding it in March 1877. Throughout these tenures, he waged battle against the Ku Klux Klan and sought to expand and protect civil rights for enslaved African Americans.

Grant was renowned for his military successes, but he also led an administration whose economic policies unleashed productive capacities never imagined before the Civil War. As a champion of the transcontinental railroad, he ensured its completion during his first year in office.

Grant’s presidency was marked by scandals and the struggle over Reconstruction. He often ranks among the bottom three presidents in historical surveys.

Grant succumbed to throat cancer in 1885 and was buried in New York City; his tomb is now a National Memorial.

He died in 1885

People throughout history have often referred to Ulysses S. Grant as “The American Sphinx.” He was known as a hero, butcher, savior and drunkard all at once. During the Civil War he led the Union Army and helped unite North and South while advocating for African Americans’ and Native American’s rights.

He served as president of the United States from 1869 to 1877 and was one of its most influential figures. During Reconstruction after the Civil War, he championed equality for people of all races and colors by signing a bill allowing people of African descent to become citizens, in addition to founding the Department of Justice.

After graduating from West Point in 1843, Grant enjoyed an illustrious military career. He served in the Mexican-American War (1846-48) and was rewarded for his bravery with promotions; however, his drinking brought down his reputation. Resigning from the army in 1854, Grant struggled to support his family using land owned by his father-in-law as a farm in Missouri while trying other occupations and business ventures without success.

In 1860, Grant found employment as a clerk at his father’s tannery in Galena, Illinois. During the Civil War he served as an Union general, earning himself the title of General-in-Chief of all Union armies. His victories at Fort Donelson and Vicksburg provided much-needed encouragement to Union soldiers.

By the late 1860s, as more men returned from the Civil War to their homes, they began sharing their stories about their experiences in battle to a wider audience through published memoirs. Some of these writers, such as Mark Twain, even encouraged Grant to pen his own memoirs.

Grant was determined not to become a writer, yet his lack of talent ultimately cost him everything; ultimately, Grant became impoverished through an investment scam similar to Ponzi schemes and died of throat cancer in 1885, leaving his wife and children with little money.