Ulysses S. Grant: Part One

Welcome to Civics and Coffee. My name is Alycia and I am a self-professed history nerd. Each week, I am going to chat about a topic on U.S history and give you both the highlights and occasionally break down some of the complexities in history; and share stories you may not remember learning in high school. All in the time it takes to enjoy a cup of coffee. 

INTRO MUSIC

Hey everyone, welcome back. 

We’ve covered a lot of ground thus far in our exploration of the Reconstruction era. From Andrew Johnson to the debates over the 14th and 15th amendments, we’ve looked at how the United States took varied approaches in trying to piece the nation back together. As I shared in my episodes on Andrew Johnson, there were many who felt that emancipating Black Americans was sufficient and that anything beyond that - education, job training, and owning property - would be the responsibility of the community. 

The 18th president of the United States, Ulysses S. Grant believed something different. He was not a political man. A graduate of the Military Academy at West Point, Grant found purpose in dedicating his life to serving the country through military service. Upon his election in 1869, Grant faced a still fractured nation and a newly freed people yearning to live a life of dignity and respect. But exactly how did a non-political man get to the highest office in the land? And how did his military experience color his world view? 

As you can imagine there is A LOT to cover about Grant and so this week, I am starting on the life and legacy of Ulysses S. Grant. How did he come to military service? What was his experience like in the Civil War? And how did he become the commander of the Union forces? 

Grab your cup of coffee, peeps. Let’s do this. 

Future military leader and president Hiram Ulysses Grant entered the world on April 27, 1822 in Point Pleasant, Ohio. He was the eldest of six children born to his parents Jesse Grant and Hannah Simpson Grant. Growing up, the matriarch of the household was quiet and reserved, showing very little emotion, including affection for her children. Many historians believe that the young Grant was heavily influenced by his mother as he too would be known for being a quiet and reserved man regardless of the situation in front of him. Grant’s father made a living as a tanner which required processing animal hides to process them into leather. Young Ulysses helped his father on occasion but greatly disliked the sights and smells associated with the work, telling his father that he would never perform the work as an adult. 

Grant was a quiet and sensitive child who faced a fair bit of teasing from his contemporaries. Having the initials H-U-G did not help matters and Grant had to face schoolyard taunts, such as being called “Useless” as a play on his middle name. While not overly fond of school, Grant displayed an early affinity for horses and his father put his young son in charge of taking care of the horses and other farm animals. While the Grant family made a decent living, they had very little saved for an extended education and so father Grant sought to get his son a spot at the United States Military Academy at West Point which gave Ulysses a shot at a college education in exchange for military service. When Grant’s congressman submitted the paperwork for his appointment to West Point, he accidentally submitted his name as Ulysses Simpson Grant, somehow grabbing his mother’s maiden name. Attempts to correct the error after his arrival at West Point were fruitless and so, thanks to a bureaucratic clerical error, Grant would furthermore be known as Ulysses S. Grant. 

Grant continued to be a lackluster student, graduating 21st out of a class of 39 but managed to impress others with his riding skills and was assigned to the infantry upon completion of his course work. He was stationed at Jefferson Barracks just outside of St. Louis, Missouri and it was while stationed at Jefferson that Grant met his future wife, Julia Dent, after visiting the Dent home with his West Point roommate and Julia’s brother, Frederick Dent. Grant became smitten with Julia almost immediately and professed his desire for marriage. The young Julia, who was just 18 at the time, was initially hesitant to take Ulysses up on his offer and the young couple were separated when Grant received orders to head south for the Mexican American war. After returning from Louisiana, the couple became engaged, much to the chagrin of both families. Dent’s father expressed hesitation that his daughter was built for the transient and lonely life that came from being a military spouse and the Grant family, who had long been supporters of the abolitionist movement, were dismayed that the Dent family enslaved others. Regardless of their parents unease, the young couple remained engaged while Grant went off to serve in the campaign against Mexico.  

During the Mexican American War, Grant served alongside future president Zachary Taylor, whom he greatly admired. The conflict he was participating in, however, was another matter entirely. Grant referred to the conflict with Mexico as quote “a political war” claiming that the administration in charge at the time was trying to quote “make party capital out of it,” end quote. Grant would later write that his experience in the war with Mexico was one of the low points in his military career and he carried a bit of shame for participating. 

Completing his tour of service, Grant and Dent married on August 22, 1848 at her parent’s home in St. Louis. As expected, Grant was given new orders reassigning him, first to Detroit and then New York. The young couple traveled together, but when the army ordered Grant to the Pacific Northwest, the new Mrs. Grant was not able to join. The separation from his family included his first son, Frederick. Grant struggled with alcoholism throughout his life, even helping organize a temperance group while in Sackets Harbor, New York. But Grant’s issue with alcohol seemed to get worse when separated from Julia and his family and so, while miles away from his family in the Oregon Territory and then California, Grant became depressed and took to drinking in excess. While out west, Grant tried to take advantage of several commodity schemes aimed at helping him get rich quickly, but his luck never seemed to pan out. In 1854, without any warning, Grant announced his resignation from the Army, which Grant biographer Ron Chernow attributes to Grant’s ongoing battle with alcohol. Whatever the motivation, Grant’s attempts at “get rich quick schemes” meant he had no money and only made it back to New York thanks to the kindness of others who paid his way. 

Reunited after an extended absence, the Grant family made their way west toward Missouri, where Grant’s father in law deeded the former soldier some land to farm. Grant built a modest home on the party, nick named Hardscrabble, but that was about the extent of his success as a farmer. Earning money proved elusive for Grant, resulting in his auctioning off farming equipment to help make ends meat. In 1860, desperate for a consistent way to support his family, Grant begrudgingly sought help from his father where he accepted a junior post at the leather shop in Galena, Illinois. The work at the leather shop did not last long, however, as southern states began seceding from the union and the Civil War began. 

The outbreak of war lifted Grant from his depression as he saw an opportunity to leverage his skillset to aid his country - who was in desperate need of experienced, capable military men. Writing in April of 1861, Grant said quote: “Whatever may have been my political opinions before I have but one sentiment now. That is we have a Government, and laws and a flag and they must all be sustained. There are but two parties now, Traitors and Patriots, and I want hereafter to be ranked with the latter,” end quote. Grant was successful in his quest as the governor of Illinois appointed Grant to command a rowdy volunteer regiment. Grant no doubt pulled from his training at West Point in instituting discipline among his men. The war seemed to reinvigorate Grant, giving him a new sense of purpose and giving him an opportunity to demonstrate everything he learned while at the Military Academy at West Point. 

As I covered in my episodes related to the Civil War, the Union initially struggled. The Confederate army had several advantages against the north, including a dedicated citizenry who believed in the cause - a touted fight for freedom - and better trained commanders. The south was also fighting largely on home territory, providing a sense of familiarity in battle. President Lincoln struggled with what he felt were ineffective military leaders whom he felt were unwilling to take the necessary risks to secure victory. For his part, Grant remained committed to his mission and worked diligently to ensure that his forces were in prime condition and ready to overtake the enemy and demonstrated his ability early in the war, when he led 3,000 troops into his first major engagement in 1861 in Belmont, Missouri. Grant had an uncanny ability to gauge his enemy’s intentions and tried to use that to his advantage, running into the fight when so many others played it safe. He racked up several victories before going through a devastating loss at the Battle of Shiloh in April 1862. 

Despite Grant’s ability to anticipate the enemy, he was caught off guard when the Confederate Army launched an early morning attack, capturing Union soldiers and forcing the army to retreat. However the commander refused to back down and launched a counterattack the next day, restoring the Union line to its previous position the day before. While several derided Grant’s actions due to the losses sustained, he considered Shiloh a personal victory. In the battle’s aftermath, there were some rumblings as to whether Grant may have fallen off the metaphorical wagon and was struggling with alcohol. Some used these suspicions to suggest that Lincoln replace Grant, but the president remained loyal to his fiercest commander. 

Lincoln’s trust was well placed as Grant led his troops to victory at the Battle of Vicksburg where his men successfully forced the surrender of more than 27,000 Confederate soldiers. The win calmed whispers about Grant’s potential drinking problem as the successful campaign also meant that the Union was able to gain control of the Mississippi River, a key transportation network. Grant’s good fortune continued as he secured a pivotal victory at Chattanooga in Tennessee. These victories helped Grant to be seen as a key member of the Union army and several individuals began to whisper about a potential Grant presidency in 1864. Despite the talk of future political ambitions, Grant seemed laser focused on the mission at hand - beating back the Confederate army and ensuring a lasting victory for the Union. As a reward for his military prowess - and to some, a strategic move to sideline Grant as a potential rival for the presidency - President Lincoln promoted Grant to Lieutenant Commander of all union forces. Lincoln also likely saw the benefit to promoting Grant for his re-election bid as the president no doubt understood that after four years of nonstop war, the country was likely growing tired of the conflict and in order to be successful in the election, Lincoln knew he needed to land some pretty significant victories - and quickly. Grant had thus far proven to be the one consistent commander Lincoln could rely on to be as aggressive as the president wanted.  

In accepting this promotion, Grant traveled to DC, meeting with the president and others at an event held at the White House. Hobnobbing with the DC elite was something that was completely outside of Grant’s comfort zone who was known to be quiet and reserved even in adulthood. Grant and Lincoln met frequently to discuss war plans, but despite the fact that Grant’s post was based in D.C., the commander did stay put for long, eventually joining his men in the field for the Overland Campaign. For six weeks, the Union army pushed forward in an effort to push the Confederacy into retreat, signifying a shift from prior Union strategy. 

For over 40 days, Grant executed a three-pronged attack in Virginia. It was a massive campaign that resulted in 55,000 casualties for the Union and 33,000 losses for the Confederate army. It was one of the bloodiest campaigns launched during the War and despite the fact that Grant lost a number of battles and had more casualties, it was still seen as a strategic victory as the Union onslaught prevented any southern effort at trying to send in reinforcements to other areas, allowing for Sherman’s march to the sea to move forward. 

While he was a successful military commander, war did not bring joy to Grant who later said the conflict provided a quote: “fearful lesson, and should teach us the necessity of avoiding wars in the future,” end quote. Grant also shared Lincoln’s belief that the conflict was a divine punishment of sorts for the country’s history of slavery. The Civil War continued for another several months before Grant secured Lee’s surrender in April, 1865. When the president and the first lady made plans to attend the theater, Grant was an invited guest, but Grant chose not to go due to family matters - a decision that likely saved his life. 

In the aftermath of Lincoln’s assassination, Andrew Johnson became commander in chief and Grant, who was promoted to the newly established rank of General of the Army of the United States, did his best to be of service to the new president. However, Johnson and Grant did not exactly see eye to eye on Reconstruction. Despite their differences, Grant tried his best to stay neutral and follow the president’s wishes, including touring the south to quote: “see what changes were necessary in the disposition of the military forces of the country, and how these forces could be reduced and expenses curtailed, etc., and to learn, as far as possible, the feelings and intentions of the citizens of the States toward the General Government,” end quote. While Grant was likely earnest in his desire to make a full assessment of the post-war conditions in the south, the former commander was not provided a full picture. His interviews were with white soldiers, all of whom claimed tensions were non-existent and that there was no cause for concern, leading Grant to share in his report that he felt quote “satisfied the mass thinking of men of the South accept the present situation of affairs in good faith,” end quote. Johnson seized upon this assessment from Grant, submitting it to Congress in December 1865 as evidence that Johnson’s approach toward Reconstruction was the appropriate path. 

But it was Johnson’s swing around the circle in 1867 that finally broke Grant’s sense of support. As a military man, Grant felt it was inappropriate for him to get involved in politics, but he made a point of avoiding the president as others began to court the General for a potential presidential run in 1868. Sensing that he’d lost favor with Grant, President Johnson tried to send him on a diplomatic mission to Mexico, something Grant ultimately declined. 

And of course, as you know from listening to the episodes on Andrew Johnson, he was ultimately unable to secure his party’s nomination for re-election and so the 1868 contest put former General of the United States Army and Civil War Union hero Ulysses S. Grant against Democratic former Governor of New York Horatio Seymour. In accepting the nomination from the Republicans, Grant said quote “let us have peace,” end quote - a phrase that turned into Grant’s campaign slogan. As was normal for the era, Grant did not campaign for office and on November 3, 1868, Ulysses S. Grant was elected the 18th president of the United States in an electoral landslide. 

Grant now had to prepare to assume the highest office in the country - at a time when the country was still widely divided in the aftermath of Civil War. How would Grant rise to the challenge? To learn about that, be sure to tune in next week as I wrap up my coverage of Ulysses S. Grant. 

Before I sign off for today I want to give a shout out to L.A. Young for the support through Buy Me A Coffee. Donations like these help pay for source material and upkeep on the website. If you would like to learn more about how you can support the show, be sure to head over to the website at www dot civics and coffee dot com. 

Thanks, peeps. I will see you next week.

Thanks for tuning and I hope you enjoyed this episode of Civics & Coffee. If you want to hear more small snippets from american history, be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening and I look forward to our next cup of coffee together. 

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