The price of fame can be expensive for any man; the cost can take an even higher toll if the fame is unsought and unwanted. For decades historians have been trying to discover the real Ulysses S. Grant. Unmistakably Grant was a hero and a man of integrity, yet rarely in history has any man been as misunderstood as was the Commander of the Union Army and the Eighteenth President of the United States. Read what follows to discover something about the true identity of this great American.

Shortly after the close of the Civil War, President Andrew Johnson's new administration sent an emissary to tour the southern states. His mission was to evaluate the feelings of the southern people. Everywhere he went, people honored him, old soldiers sought him out, mayors came to greet him, he was invited to sessions of government and was received with applause.

The South was just emerging from the most difficult of circumstances. It was astounding that the man being honored was greatly responsible for their condition. The man was General Ulysses S. Grant, Commander of the Union Army and hero of Appomattox.

Curiously, Grant was perhaps the only man the southerners trusted to aid them during the initial period of reconstruction. Sadly, the incorrect image he still carries today is often that of a drunkard, an incompetent, and a butcher of his own men.

It is remarkable that General Grant survived an army career amid the malicious rumors that surrounded him during the war. The saving factor seemed to be President Abraham Lincoln himself. Lincoln was an astute judge of character, and although he and Grant had not previously met, he sensed Grant's qualities and retained him over the protests of his own advisors.

The rumors that surrounded Grant from the beginning of the war were largely brought about by jealous fellow officers who were incensed by Grant's quick rise in rank. Grant's victory at Fort Donelson soon made him a household name. Promotion to Major General of Volunteers soon followed.

The Battle of Shiloh brought Grant more notoriety, although most of it was unfavorable. Soon after the battle, rumors of his drunkenness were rekindled largely by men of his own troops, some of whom ran and hid in fear under the initial fire of battle, along the bluffs of the Tennessee River. Grant's rumored drunkenness was a good cover for their own cowardice.

Grant's superior at this time was Major General Henry Wager Halleck. Halleck was a capable desk general and organizer, but was inferior in relations with subordinates. He also was jealous of Grant's popularity, and schemed to have him removed. President Lincoln stepped in and told Halleck to make good his charges or drop them. Grant, who had nothing to hide, asked for a court of inquiry, and Halleck, knowing the charges were false, dropped the issue.

Grant survived the jealousy and backbiting to go on to victories at Vicksburg, Chattanooga, The Wilderness, and finally Appomattox. Lincoln's assessment "I can't spare this man, he fights," had proved true.

Grant had been accused of needless slaughter of his men, particularly after the battle of Cold Harbor, but he knew that his persistency of purpose in fighting and winning would save more lives in the end. During the Civil War, for every soldier killed in battle, two soldiers died of disease.

The truth surrounding Grant's drinking has proved to be elusive. Scholars have found no truth to the rumors that Grant was a drunkard. That he drank occasionally is not disputed. Use of alcohol during the Civil War was extensive. Many high ranking generals drank more did Grant, but without the sobriquet of "bumbling drunk." The copious amounts of liquor attributed to Grant have been high exaggerated. During the War, Grant was 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighed 135 pounds. In his case, a little liquor could do a lot of damage. Grant told General Schofield, "I dare not touch it. Sometimes I can drink freely without any unpleasant effects; at others I could not take even a single glass of wine." Stories of Grant's drinking reached President Lincoln during the Vicksburg campaign. Lincoln sent an Assistant Secretary of War, Charles Dana, to check out the rumors. Dana not only reported the rumors false but immediately became an admirer of the general. Lincoln found no cause to worry about Grant, and in 1864 made him Lieutenant General of the Army.

Ulysses S. Grant's personality was not that of the stereotypical great general. His chief characteristic was his extreme modesty. He was totally free of conceit; a rare quality for a man who had advanced as far and as fast as Grant had. He was reserved with strangers, but would carry most of a conversation with people he knew. He was honest to a fault, and never swore or used abusive language. He had a kind heart, and several kindnesses to friends and foe alike were attributed to him. He was physically courageous, almost to the point of recklessness which caused his staff members great consternation. Perhaps the characteristic that served him best during the war was his coolness. Nothing could shake his composure nor alarm him. He was never awed by the enemy nor worried about what the enemy was doing. he worried more about what he was going to do to the enemy.

Hiram Ulysses Grant was born 1822 to an industrious leather tanner, Jesse Grant, and is wife Hannah. General Grant received many of his sterling qualities of character from his mother. He was appointed to West Point in 1839 by a congressman who mistakenly appointed him as Ulysses S. Grant. When Grant arrived there and discovered the mistake, he protested, but instead of forcing the issue, adopted the name. From then on history knew him as Ulysses S. Grant. He was graduated in 1843, twenty first in a class of thirty nine. His four years were generally undistinguished, but he did excel in mathematics and art, and was the best horseman at West Point.

After his graduation, Grant was stationed at Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis. This move proved valuable to him. There he met Julia Dent, the sister of a West Point roommate, whose family lived a few miles from the barracks. In time she became his wife, and they were devoted to each other. She was a frequent visitor to his headquarters during the Civil War and was a favorite with the officers and enlisted men.

Grant served with distinction in the Mexican War and was brevetted Captain for valor at Chapultepec. After the war with Mexico he moved with his family to various posts in the East. In 1852 he was sent to the west coast. He had to leave his beloved Julia at home because she was expecting their second child. This was a sad time for Grant. Communication was poor at best, and it was six months after his arrival before Grant heard that he had another son. Repeated efforts to raise enough money to bring his family west failed. After two years without leave, and with an insatiable desire to see his family, he resigned his newly commissioned grade of Captain and returned home. It was at this time that rumors of Grant's drinking commenced. There is no official documentation that he was asked to resign because of intemperance.

The following years were a struggle for Grant, and some biographers called it a time of poverty and despair, but neither he nor Julia saw it that way. These years seemed to be a time of character growth for him. He never lost faith in the future, nor in himself. This development of strength and determination would be useful later.

The beginning of the war found him working in his father's leather store in Galena, Illinois. He felt it was his duty to offer his services to the government that had educated him. It is noteworthy that during his entire military career he never asked for a promotion; all advancement that came to him was unsought.

Grant did not like politics, and did not wish to hold any office. He had few political skills and had no desire to cultivate any. The death of Abraham Lincoln changed his plans. The new president, Andrew Johnson, did not have the same magnanimous views toward the South as his predecessor, and it was soon clear that there was only one man who could heal the wounds of the nation.

Although the success that Grant enjoyed as a general did not come to him during his presidential years, he remained extremely popular. The corruption that riddled his presidency never attached itself to him personally, and he came close to being nominated for a third term in 1880.

Grant died in 1885 after an heroic battle with throat cancer. He won his last battle in a race with death to finish his personal memoirs and to provide for his family after being betrayed by a scheming business partner, Ferdinand Ward. Throughout his illness good wishes flooded in from both the North and South. Pallbearers at his funeral were both Union and Confederate generals. The words inscribed above the door of his tomb are fitting: "Let Us Have Peace."

Go back to the Grant for Students Page.

Go back to the Ulysses S. Grant Information Center Home Page.