Civil War Biography: Ulysses S. Grant

 Civil War Biography: Ulysses S. Grant

Along with being the Unites States’ eighteenth President, Ulysses S. Grant (Hiram Ulysses Grant is his official name) is also known as a great hero of the Civil War. At the start of the Civil War, Ulysses was working in his father’s leather store in Illinois; he was thirty-nine years old and generally regarded as a failure.

At the outbreak of the Civil War, Ulysses applied to serve as an officer when a call for troops went out to the people. Grant’s first duty in the Civil War was as a Colonel of the “Governor Gate’s Hellions”, which he fixed up. On June 17, 1861 after the success of the Hellions, Grant was appointed Colonel of the 21st Illinois Infantry and on August 7, 1861 he was later appointed as Brigadier General.  Grant wanted to win the Mississippi Valley and on February 1862, he captured Fort Henry and Donelson in Tennessee with the heavy assistance of the navy.  Fort Henry and Donelson were marked as the first major Union victories of the war. With the surrender of Confederate forces and victories claimed by Ulysses Grant, President Lincoln promoted him to Major General of Volunteers. In April of 1862, Grant started to move down the Tennessee River down to Shiloh. However, Grant was surprised by a Confederate attack at the Battle of Shiloh and fought one of the “bloodiest battles in the West”. Taken by surprise, Grants and his forces were almost defeated on the very first day although with reinforcements from General Don Carlos Buell, the battle at Shiloh turned around on the second day. Although Grant had emerged victory, the very severe casualties generated a public outcry; some called for Ulysses to be replaced but President Lincoln shook off the demands by saying, “ I can’t spare this man – he fights”. With president Lincoln’s support, Grant was determined to move ahead to victory. On October 25, 1862, Grant was back to a command post, with his appointment to the Army of Tennessee. Ulysses was the ordered to take Vicksburg, Mississippi, so in the spring of 1863, Grant executed an effective campaign and crossed the Mississippi, south of Vicksburg.  Ulysses Grant then defeated the forces of Pemberton, which lead to the surrender of twenty thousand troops. After a “fierce 42 day siege”, Vicksburg fell on July 4th 1863. Winning Vicksburg, “the key city of Mississippi, [Grant had] thus cut the Confederacy in two”. Grant’s success in the West boosted his confidence.  On October 22, 1863, Grant took command at Chattanooga, Tennessee, broke the Confederates’ hold on Chattanooga, and managed to win the Battle of Chattanooga, forcing the Confederates to retreat into West Tennessee. With the success of Vicksburg and Chattanooga, Grant had established his reputation as Lincoln’s most aggressive and successful general.