Ulysses S. Grant

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Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses Simpson Grant was born April 27, 1822 in Point Pleasant, Ohio to a very patriotic family who boasted American roots for generations. The son of Hannah Simpson, and Jesse Grant, the owner of a tannery, he was taken to nearby Georgetown at the age of one, and was educated in local boarding schools. In 1839, under the name of Ulysses Simpson instead of his original Hiram Ulysses, he was appointed to West Point. Grant was quoted later to saying, “A military life had no charms for me, to get through the course, secure a detail for a few years as assistant professor of mathematics at the Academy and afterwards obtain a permanent position as professor at some respectable college…” His record at West Point was not very good, regardless he graduated 21st in his class in 1843. After, he was commissioned to be the Second Lieutenant of the Fourth U.S. Infantry, he was sent to Jefferson Barracks, near St. Louis, Missouri. In St. Louis Grant met his future wife, Julia Dent.
In September 20, 1845 Grant was promoted to Full Second Lieutenant in the Mexican War. He participated in the battles of, Palo Alto, Resaca de la Palma and Monterrey. During the Mexican War, Grant served under both General Zachary Taylor and General Winfield Scott and distinguished himself, particularly at Molina del Ray and Chapultepec. After the Mexican War, Ulysses returned to Missouri to start a family. On August 22, 1848 he married Julia Dent. Together they had four children.


After his return and tours of duty in the North, he was sent to the Far West. In 1854, while stationed at Fort Humboldt, California, “Grant resigned his commission because of loneliness and drinking problems, and in the following years he engaged in generally unsuccessful farming and business ventures in Missouri.”(Grant Moves South, 18) He moved to Galena, Illinois, in 1860, where he became a clerk in his father's leather store.
At the outbreak of the ...