Video: 'Ulysses S. Grant: U.S President And Victor Of The American Civil War'
(Tuesday, July 23, 1885, 8:06 a.m. local time) — General Ulysses S. Grant, former President of the United States and victorious commander of Union forces in the American Civil War, died today at his cottage retreat upon Mount McGregor, after a long and painful battle with cancer of the throat. He was 63 years of age.
Born Hiram Ulysses Grant in Point Pleasant, Ohio, on April 27, 1822, the general entered the United States Military Academy at West Point and graduated in 1843. He served with distinction in the war with Mexico before resigning his commission in 1854 and living in relative obscurity and financial hardship until the outbreak of the Southern Rebellion in 1861.
Video: 'Gen. Grant's heroic last battle'
Grant swiftly rose through the ranks due to his steadfastness and military acumen, gaining national fame with victories at Fort Donelson, Vicksburg, and Chattanooga. In 1864, President Lincoln entrusted him with command of all Union armies. His relentless pursuit of General Robert E. Lee led to the Confederate surrender at Appomattox Courthouse on April 9, 1865, ending the great conflict and preserving the Union.
Following the war, Grant served as the nation’s 18th President from 1869 to 1877. Elected by a grateful country, he worked to stabilize the economy, protect the rights of newly freed African Americans, and enforce Reconstruction in the South. His administration, while marred by scandal in later years, nonetheless established important precedents, including the creation of the Department of Justice and the first Civil Service Commission.
General Grant traveled the world after leaving office, receiving honors from kings and statesmen abroad. In recent months, as he suffered from a grievous illness, he dedicated his remaining strength to the writing of his memoirs, determined to provide for his family. His manuscript is now complete and is said to be of high literary merit.
Video: 'Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant audiobook'
President Grover Cleveland has proclaimed a thirty-day period of national mourning, and flags will be flown at half-staff across the country. General Philip Sheridan, current Commanding General of the Army, has ordered a day-long tribute at all military posts, honoring the man who preserved the Union.
General Grant’s body will lie in state before being conveyed to its final resting place. Millions are expected to pay their respects. In this moment of national grief, the American people remember him not only as a soldier and statesman but as a symbol of unity, perseverance, and duty.
“Let us have peace,” he once said—and peace he leaves behind.
