[502] Many farmers and workingmen favored the bill, which would have added $64million in greenbacks to circulation, but some Eastern bankers opposed it because it would have weakened the dollar. "[274] Johnston's Tennessee army surrendered on April 26, 1865, Richard Taylor's Alabama army on May 4, and Kirby Smith's Texas army on May 26, ending the war. [118][l] Ready to fight, Grant recalled with satisfaction, "I never went into our leather store again. [116] On April 15, Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers. [539] On November 22, the jury convicted McDonald. [401] Grant and Fish had a reserved but cordial friendship. In 1848, he married Julia Dent, and together they had four children. [486] Grant lost in six former slave states that wanted to see an end to Reconstruction. [413], In 1869, Grant initiated his plan, later to become an obsession, to annex the Dominican Republic, then called Santo Domingo. [589] When the trades went bad, multiple loans came due, all backed up by the same collateral. However, his prized Caribbean Dominican Republic annexation was rejected by the Senate. [424] On December 31, Grant met with Sumner, unannounced, at Sumner's Washington D.C. home to gain his support for annexation. [491][ax] With Wilson's loss, Grant relied on Fish's guidance more than ever. [564] Grant's voyage abroad was funded by a Nevada-based mining company investment he made that earned him $25,000 ($636,172 in 2021 dollars). [517], In November 1871, Grant's appointed New York Collector, and Conkling ally, Thomas Murphy, resigned. [383] During the Civil War, Congress had authorized the Treasury to issue banknotes that, unlike the rest of the currency, were not backed by gold or silver. [381] As promised, Hayes withdrew federal troops from South Carolina and Louisiana, which marked the end of Reconstruction. [377] Grant signed it as the Civil Rights Act of 1875, but there was little enforcement and the Supreme Court ruled the law unconstitutional in 1883. At the time of his death, he was memorialized as a symbol of national unity. While Grant was in Panama, a cholera epidemic broke out and claimed the lives of many soldiers, civilians, and children. In 1863 he led the Vicksburg campaign, which gained control of the Mississippi River, dealing a serious strategic blow to the Confederacy, splitting it in two. [20] To others, including his own son, Grant appeared to be an agnostic. The collapse rippled through Wall Street, and other banks and brokerages that owned railroad stocks and bonds were also ruined. During quiet periods of the campaign, Grant would take to drinking on occasion. [45] Four years later on August 22, 1848, they were married at Julia's home in St. Louis. "[479] Concerning Southern policy, Greeley advocated that local government control be given to whites, while Grant advocated federal protection of blacks. "[638], Historians still debate how effective Grant was at halting corruption. [135] It also showed Lincoln that Grant was a general willing to fight. These included the prosecution of the Klan, treatment of Black people as both human and American, an innovative Native American policy, and the peaceful settlements of the Alabama Claims and controversial 1876 presidential election. Johnson demanded they be put on trial, but Grant insisted that they should not be tried, citing his Appomatox amnesty. [446][ap] Grant's Indian policy was undermined by Parker's resignation in 1871, denominational infighting among Grant's chosen religious agents, and entrenched economic interests. [155] Halleck ordered Grant not to advance more than one day's march from Pittsburg Landing, stopping the pursuit of the Confederate Army. [182] Compensated contraband freed slaves would be used to pick cotton that would be shipped north and sent to aid the Union war effort. On December 19, the day after the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment was announced in the Senate, Johnson's response used Grant's report, read aloud to the Senate, to undermine Schurz's final report and Radical opposition to Johnson's policies. [179] McClernand reached Sherman's army, assumed command, and independently of Grant led a campaign that captured Confederate Fort Hindman. [254], Grant would later meet with Lincoln and testify at a court of inquiry[255] against Generals Burnside and Ledlie for their incompetence. [199] The plan of attacking Vicksburg from downriver carried great risk because upon crossing the Mississippi River, his army would be beyond the reach of most of its supply lines. [171], The Union capture of Vicksburg, the last Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River, was vital, and would split the Confederacy in two. [412] Critics complained of Grant's reliance on military personnel to implement his policies. [12][b], In 1823, the family moved to Georgetown, Ohio, where five more siblings were born: Simpson, Clara, Orvil, Jennie, and Mary. [530] In June, Grant and Congress abolished the moiety system. [431] Seeking retribution, in March 1871, Grant maneuvered to have Sumner deposed of Sumner's powerful Senate chairmanship, replaced by Grant ally Simon Cameron. Playing off his initials, they took to calling him "Unconditional Surrender Grant". [202] Grant's army captured Jackson, the state capital. [275], On April 14, 1865, five days after Grant's victory at Appomattox, he attended a cabinet meeting in Washington. [529] Congress severely condemned Richardson's permissive manner. Grant concluded his address with the words, "My efforts in the future will be directed towards the restoration of good feelings between the different sections of our common community". [406] Senator Charles Sumner, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee led the demand for reparations, with talk of British Columbia as payment. [556] Grant, by a public letter in 1875, chose not to run for a third term, while the Republicans chose Governor Rutherford B. Hayes of Ohio, a reformer, at their convention. 11, expelling "Jews, as a class", from his Union Army military district. Estimates vary considerably among historians as to the actual numbers of casualties at Cold Harbor. [356][ab] Using the powers of the Enforcement Acts, Grant crushed the Ku Klux Klan. "[599] In calm moments during the Civil War, he often spoke of his recent experiences, typically "in terse and often eloquent language. Bison were hunted almost to the point of extinction during the latter 1800s; Yellowstone National Park was the only remaining place in the country where free-roaming herds persisted. [344], Grant was considered an effective civil rights president, concerned about the plight of African Americans. Lee abandoned Petersburg and Richmond, while Grant's conquering Union troops easily took Petersburg and captured Richmond the next day. Although he was initially averse to the position, it prepared Grant in understanding military supply routes, transportation systems, and logistics, particularly with regard to "provisioning a large, mobile army operating in hostile territory," according to biographer Ronald White. I was raised in that school. [308], When the Republican Party met at the 1868 Republican National Convention in Chicago, the delegates unanimously nominated Grant for president and Speaker of the House Schuyler Colfax for vice president. [541] Instead, Grant remained in Washington and on February 12, 1876, gave a deposition in Babcock's defense, expressing that his confidence in his secretary was "unshaken". He would later write to a friend that among the happiest days of his life were the day he left the presidency and the day he left the academy. However, after Babcock was indicted in a frame up of a Washington reformer, called the Safe Burglary Conspiracy, [575], At the convention, Conkling nominated Grant with an eloquent speech, the most famous line being: "When asked which state he hails from, our sole reply shall be, he hails from Appomattox and its famous apple tree. When Sheridan suffered attacks by John S. Mosby's irregular Confederate cavalry, Grant recommended rounding up their families for imprisonment at Fort McHenry. [131], On November 2, 1861, Lincoln removed Frmont from command, freeing Grant to attack Confederate soldiers encamped in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. [52], After rising tensions with Mexico following the United States annexation of Texas, war broke out in 1846. Hearing the battle noise, Grant rode back and rallied his troop commanders, riding over seven miles of freezing roads and trenches, exchanging reports. [175] Grant's plan was to march south to Jackson, and attack Vicksburg overland, while Sherman would attack Vicksburg from Chickasaw Bayou. [609] To provide for his family, Grant worked intensely on his memoirs at his home in New York City. [2] His ancestors Matthew and Priscilla Grant arrived aboard the ship Mary and John at Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630. [104][j] Grant moved to St. Louis, taking on a partnership with Julia's cousin Harry Boggs working in the real estate business as a bill collector, again without success and with Julia's prompting ended the partnership. Grant was sympathetic to the plight of persecuted Jewish people. In December 1869, Grant appointed a Jewish journalist as Consul to Romania, to protect Jewish people from "severe oppression". Southern Reconstructed states were controlled locally by Republican (Radical). "[460] Previously, Custer had infuriated Grant when he testified against Grant's brother Orville during a House investigation into trading post graft on March1, 1876. To placate the South in 1870, Grant signed the. [433][434] This was done to protect American commerce and to keep peace with Spain. [66], Historians increasingly have pointed to the importance of Grant's experience as an assistant quartermaster during the war. [526][521], In 1872, Grant signed into law an act that ended private moiety (tax collection) contracts, but an attached rider allowed three more contracts. However, revisionist challenges to this narrative have received significant support in recent times. [162] Lincoln dismissed Grant's critics, saying "I can't spare this man; he fights.

[613] The Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant was a critical and commercial success. His next assignment sent him north to Vancouver Barracks in the Oregon Territory. Longacre, however, also suggests that not pushing religion may have been a form of simple parental neglect. Among those named to have taken Custom House kickbacks were Grant's personal secretaries. Grant said that respect "for human rights is the first duty for those set as rulers" over the nations. [205] Pemberton surrendered Vicksburg to Grant on July 4, 1863. When informed, Grant objected and went to the White House telling President Johnson that Lee was protected by Grant's surrender terms Grant had generously given Lee at Appomattox in April. [303] With the complete backing of his cabinet, Johnson personally accused Grant of lying and "duplicity" at a stormy cabinet meeting, while a shocked and disappointed Grant felt it was Johnson who was lying. [549] Among the most damaging scandal involved Secretary of War William W. Belknap, who took quarterly kickbacks from the Fort Sill tradership, which led to his resignation in February 1876. After Lee fled Petersburg, Grant defeated him at Appomattox. [287] On November 27, 1865, General Grant left Washington, sent by Johnson on a fact-finding mission to the South, to counter a pending less favorable report by Senator Carl Schurz. Grant's first assignment took him to the Jefferson Barracks near St. Louis, Missouri. [512] On October 3, 1870, Cox resigned office under a dispute with Grant over handling of a mining claim. [77], Promoted to captain on August 5, 1853, Grant was assigned to command Company F, 4th Infantry, at the newly constructed Fort Humboldt in California. [555] Mounting investigations into corruption by the House, controlled by the Democrats, politically discredited Grant's presidency. There were no foreign-policy disasters and no wars to engage in. "Lick 'em tomorrow, though. As Commanding General, he led the Union Army to victory in the American Civil War in 1865 and thereafter briefly served as Secretary of War. Grant told Buchanan he would "resign if I don't reform. Davis history professor Gregory Downs. An 1870 Congressional investigation chaired by. [458] Sheridan told Grant that the U.S. Army was undermanned and the territory involved was vast, requiring great numbers of soldiers to enforce the treaty. [231] On the morning of Wednesday, May 4, Grant dressed in full uniform, sword at his side, led the army out from his headquarters at Culpeper towards Germanna Ford. "[154], Bolstered by 18,000 fresh troops from the divisions of Major Generals Buell and Lew Wallace, Grant counterattacked at dawn the next day and regained the field, forcing the disorganized and demoralized rebels to retreat back to Corinth. Butterfield was to send coded messages to Gould and Fisk to secretly alert them of Treasury gold sales by Boutwell. Grant wanted the dispute settled by Congress. [346] On March 18, 1869, Grant signed into law equal rights for blacks, to serve on juries and hold office, in Washington D.C., and in 1870 he signed into law the Naturalization Act that gave foreign blacks citizenship. Before leaving the city he assured some wounded Americans he would send for help. The exception was Delano's effective oversight of Yellowstone. In May 1884, enough investments went bad to convince Ward that the firm would soon be bankrupt. [603][bh] Grant chose not to reveal the seriousness of his condition to his wife, who soon found out from Grant's doctor. The Century Magazine offered Grant a book contract with a 10 percent royalty, but Grant's friend Mark Twain, understanding how bad Grant's financial condition was, made him an offer for his memoirs that paid an unheard-of 70 percent royalty. [339], In October 1871, under the Morrill Act, Grant rounded up and prosecuted hundreds of Utah Territory Mormon polygamists, using federal marshals, including Mormon leader Brigham Young, indicted for "lewd and lascivious cohabitation". [276] Many, including Grant himself, thought that he had been a target in the plot, and during the subsequent trial, the government tried to prove that Grant had been stalked by Booth's conspirator Michael O'Laughlen. However, Grant and Meade did not give specific orders for the attack, leaving it up to the corps commanders to decide where they would coordinate and attack the Confederate lines, as no senior commander had yet reconnoitered the latest Confederate developments. [240] The recent bloody Wilderness campaign had severely diminished Confederate morale and hence Grant was now willing to advance on Lee's army once again. "[23], Grant's father wrote to Representative Thomas L. Hamer requesting that he nominate Ulysses to the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point, New York. [6] Jesse Grant moved to Point Pleasant in 1820 and found work as a foreman in a tannery. [122] Colonel Grant and his 21st Regiment were transferred to Missouri to dislodge Confederate forces. However, Lincoln ended this move when Illinois political leaders complained. [434], This fragile policy, however, was severely broken in October 1873, when a Spanish cruiser captured a merchant ship, Virginius, flying the U.S. flag, carrying supplies and men to aid the insurrection. [306] Although Grant had preferred to remain in the army, he accepted the Republican nomination, believing that he was the only one who could unify the nation. [412] The settlement ($15,500,000) of the Alabama Claims resolved troubled Anglo-American issues, ended the bullied demand to take over Canada, and turned Britain into America's strongest ally. The next day McClernand and Smith independently launched probing attacks on apparent weak spots but were forced to retreat by the Confederates. Without appealing to the American public, to his detriment, Grant submitted the treaties on January 10, 1870, to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, chaired by the stubborn and imperious Sumner, for ratification, but Sumner purposefully shelved the bills. [61] At San Cosm, Grant directed his men to drag a disassembled howitzer into a church steeple, then reassembled it and bombarded nearby Mexican troops. Grant was aware of the rumors, but had ruled out a political candidacy; the possibility would soon vanish with delays on the battlefield. [389] Gould bribed Assistant Treasurer Daniel Butterfield $10,000 to gain insider information into the Treasury. [385] This followed a policy of "hard currency, economy and gradual reduction of the national debt." [333] In March 1872, Grant signed legislation that established Yellowstone National Park, the first national park. [624] Grant's drinking was often exaggerated by the press and falsely stereotyped by many of his rivals and critics. Silverites, who wanted more money in circulation to raise the prices that farmers received, denounced the move as the "Crime of 1873", claiming the deflation made debts more burdensome for farmers. [32] While at the academy, his greatest interest was horses, and he earned a reputation as the "most proficient" horseman. "[142] Lincoln, regardless, promoted Grant to major general of volunteers and the Northern press treated Grant as a hero. [251][v] The poorly led Union troops under Major General Burnside and Brigadier General Ledlie, rather than encircling the crater, rushed forward and poured directly into it, which was widely deemed a mistake. [117] The next day, Grant attended a mass meeting to assess the crisis and encourage recruitment, and a speech by his father's attorney, John Aaron Rawlins, stirred Grant's patriotism. [225] Major General Franz Sigel was to capture granaries and rail lines in the fertile Shenandoah Valley. Louis. [440][441] At Grant's 1869 Inauguration, Grant said "the proper treatment of the original occupants of the land, the Indian, is one deserving of careful study. [448] On December 28, 1872, another setback took place to Grant's policy when General George Crook and the 5th Cavalry massacred about 75 Yavapai Apache Indians at Skeleton Cave, Arizona. He had thirty-five notable recommendations, but the position was given on the basis of political affiliation and Grant was passed over by the Free Soil and Republican county commissioners because he was believed to share his father-in-law's Democratic sentiments. [505] Grant later pressured Congress for a bill to further strengthen the dollar by gradually reducing the number of greenbacks in circulation. [399][ak], Grant had limited foreign policy experience, acquired during his service in the Mexican-American war. [452] Grant pocket-vetoed a bill in 1874 protecting bison, and instead supported Interior Secretary Columbus Delano, who correctly believed the killing of bison would force Plains Native Americans to abandon their nomadic lifestyle. Julia, eight months pregnant with Ulysses Jr., did not accompany him. [306] Johnson was saved from removal from office by one vote. [340][341][342]:301[343] Grant had called polygamy a "crime against decency and morality". "[477] Grant lowered customs duties, gave amnesty to former Confederates, and implemented a civil service merit system, neutralizing the opposition.