People of the Civil War · United States
Ulysses S. Grant
1822–1885
Background
United States Army officer who rose from western theater command to general-in-chief of all U.S. armies in 1864.
Early life
Born in Point Pleasant, Ohio, Grant graduated from West Point in 1843. He served in the Mexican–American War and married Julia Dent in 1848. After leaving the army in 1854, he tried farming and later worked in his family’s business in Galena, Illinois.
Military leadership
Grant returned to military service in 1861. His western victories brought him to national attention, and in March 1864 he became commanding general of all United States armies. He accepted Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox in April 1865.
Presidency and final years
As the eighteenth president, Grant supported Reconstruction and Black voting rights. After leaving office he traveled abroad, then lost his savings in a financial fraud. He completed his memoirs shortly before his death in 1885; their publication helped support his family.