Hiram Ulysses Grant was born into an Ohio family of modest means. As a boy, he attended public school in Georgetown, Ohio. In 1843, Grant graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He entered the army and served in the U.S.-Mexican War. In 1854, Grant resigned from the military. He failed in several business ventures. He eventually became a clerk in his family's leather store in Galena, Illinois.
When the Civil War broke out in 1861, Grant enlisted in the military again. He was successful in his early command. He led an invasion of Kentucky. His troops captured Fort Henry and Fort Donelson in Tennessee. But Grant stumbled at Shiloh. His troops had to be rescued by reinforcements. Later, he won battles in Vicksburg, Mississippi and in Chattanooga, Tennessee. In 1864, President ABRAHAM LINCOLN promoted him to commander of the Union Army. Grant used his superior numbers and firepower to outlast the Confederates in the East.
In 1865, Grant met General Robert E. Lee at Appomattox Court House, Virginia. Lee had waged brilliant battles as the commander of the Confederate Army. He surrendered to Grant. The Civil War was over. In 1866, Grant became the first soldier since GEORGE WASHINGTON to achieve the rank of general in the U.S. Army.
As a young man, Grant had been a Democrat. But he supported President ABRAHAM LINCOLN's efforts to save the Union. In 1868, Grant accepted the Republican nomination for president. He won the election. He was reelected in 1872. He had come to office with an excellent military reputation. But his presidency would mostly be remembered for its scandals. At the end of his second term, Grant left the United States. With his wife and son Jesse, the former president toured the world.
The Grants stayed away from home for two and a half years. When they returned to America, they retired to Galena, Illinois. But Grant was not a wealthy man. His family needed money. In 1881, the former president and his wife moved to New York City. Grant joined the Wall Street firm of Grant and Ward. (Grant's son Ulysses, Jr. was a partner in the firm.) In 1884, Grant and Ward failed. Ferdinand Ward was one of the partners in the firm. He turned out be a swindler.
To avoid bankruptcy, Grant began writing articles for the Century magazine. Most of his articles were about military subjects. By 1884, he was seriously ill with cancer. He still needed money. To pay his debts, Grant wrote his famous book Personal Memoirs. He lived long enough to deliver the manuscript to his publisher. (The publisher was Mark Twain.) Ulysses Grant died at a vacation cottage in the Adirondacks in 1885. He is buried at Grant's Tomb in New York City.
