Ulysses S. Grant
General of the Armies
"Find out where your enemy is. Get at him as soon as you can. Strike him as hard as you can and keep moving on."
Biography
A West Point graduate who had resigned from the army in disgrace before the war, Grant proved himself the Union's most aggressive and effective general. His captures of Forts Henry and Donelson, Vicksburg, and final Overland Campaign showed an iron will to press the enemy relentlessly. Lincoln said of him: 'I can't spare this man — he fights.'
Did you know?
Was a celebrated equestrian at West Point and set a high-jump record that stood for 25 years. His actual given name was Hiram Ulysses Grant — the 'U.S.' was a registration error by his congressman that stuck.
Key Battles
Battle of Shiloh
Union victoryApril 6–7, 1862 · 23,746 total casualties
One of the bloodiest battles to that point. Confederate General A.S. Johnston was killed — the highest-ranking officer killed in the war. Grant's reputation nearly collapsed before Lincoln famously said 'I can't spare this man — he fights.'
Siege of Vicksburg
Union victoryMay 18 – July 4, 1863 · 37,532 total casualties
Cut the Confederacy in half and gave the Union control of the Mississippi River. Grant's brilliant campaign made him Lincoln's top general. The South was truly divided.
Battle of the Wilderness
May 5–7, 1864 · 28,791 total casualties
Grant's refusal to retreat after a tactical defeat signaled a new kind of Union warfare. The psychological shift was enormous: the Army of the Potomac kept moving forward.
Battle of Cold Harbor
Confederacy victoryMay 31 – June 12, 1864 · 17,332 total casualties
Demonstrated the power of defensive entrenchments. Grant's casualties alarmed the North and nearly cost Lincoln the 1864 election, but Grant pivoted to Petersburg.
Appomattox Court House
Union victoryApril 9, 1865 · 700 total casualties
The end of four years of the bloodiest war in American history. Grant offered generous terms — Confederate soldiers could keep their horses and go home. The Union was preserved.
Life Journey
Timeline
April 27, 1822
🌅 Birth
Born in Point Pleasant, Ohio
1839–1843
📚 Education
West Point Military Academy, New York
1846–1848
⚔️ Battle
Mexican-American War service — Battle of Monterrey, Chapultepec
1853–1854
📍 Posting
Fort Humboldt, California — resigns army in disgrace, likely due to drinking
1854–1861
📍 Posting
Failed farming near St. Louis; clerking in Galena, Illinois
April 6–7, 1862
⚔️ Battle
Battle of Shiloh — breakthrough moment
July 4, 1863
⚔️ Battle
Vicksburg surrenders — controls Mississippi River
May 1864
⚔️ Battle
Overland Campaign — Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor
April 9, 1865
⚔️ Battle
Receives Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House
July 23, 1885
✝️ Death
Dies of throat cancer in Wilton, New York — finished his memoirs four days before