Ulysses S.

Grant
The words warrior, hero, and compassionate
soldier all describe the man who led the
Union army to victory. Ulysses S. Grant
did well in battle and was promoted near
the end of the war! Although a warrior,
Grant showed compassion when he wrote
the terms of surrender for the Confederacy.
He was considered a war hero and was later
elected President of the United States.

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 Table of Contents Who Was This Man?
Who Was This Man? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 His drive to finish a job helped him win the Civil War.
His fight to win battles made him a hero. He was president
Lyss, the Boy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4–5
of the United States even though he was not a good politician

Grant in Mexico . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6–7

(pol-uh-TISH-uhn). From a poor home to West Point, from
the battlefield to the White House, he did it all. He was
Beyond the War . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8–9 Ulysses S. Grant.

Signing Up for Service Again . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10–11

Serving Under General Halleck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12–13 Grant’s graduation

from West Point
Bloody Shiloh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14–15

Victory in Vicksburg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16–17

Commanding the Army . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18–19

The End in Sight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20–21

The Presidency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22–23

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

2 Ulysses S. Grant 3
 Lyss, the Boy To succeed in the military, young men went to West Point
Military Academy. It was hard to get into West Point. Each
Hiram Ulysses Grant was born in 1822 in a small town in student had to have a recommendation (rek-uh-men-DAY-
Ohio. Grant did not like his real name. Classmates teased shuhn) from a congressman. The congressman who wrote the
him because his initials (in-ISH-uhlz) spelled HUG. Other letter for Grant made a mistake. He called Grant, Ulysses
kids called him “Useless” instead of Ulysses. When he was a Simpson Grant. From then on, Grant was known as U.S.
boy, his friends and family nicknamed him Lyss. Grant or Ulysses S. Grant.
As a young man, he found work as a tanner in his father’s
Buildings at
shop. But the blood on the animal hides made him sick. So, West Point
his father hoped Grant would enter the military. Military
Academy

ense
No Business S
,
n G ra n t w a s eight years old This map shows the river that flows near West Point.
Whe s
a n te d to b u y his neighbor’
he w
ld the owner,
horse. Grant to
ay offer you
“Papa says I m u
colt. But if yo
$20.00 for the
t, I am to offer
won’t take tha ke
if you won’t ta
$22.50. And, he
ou $25.00.” T
that, to give y
to Grant for
horse was sold
$25.00.

Grant’s
birthplace
in Ohio

4 5
 Grant in Mexico Love and Mar
riage
After the war,
After graduating from West Point, the army sent Grant Grant married
his friend’s sist
er, Julia Dent.
to fight in Mexico. The United States was fighting a war with They both sha
red a love
Mexico. The two countries could not agree on the borders for horses. In
fact, Grant
was known fo
r his riding at
of Texas. West Point.
It did not take Grant long to understand the strategy
(STRAT-uh-gee) of war. In one attack, Grant rode through
heavy fighting to get more ammunition (am-yuh-NISH-uhn).
He made a shield by strapping himself to one side of his
horse. His horse protected him from the Mexican bullets.
Later, Grant faced a large group of Mexicans. He and his
men dragged a cannon into the bell tower of a church. They
aimed the cannon
at their enemy and
fired. This was a great
victory for Grant and
the Americans. Even
people in Washington,
D.C., heard about
Grant’s success. Julia Dent Grant

Grant firing a cannon Lieutenant Grant during

at the enemy the Mexican War
6 7
 Beyond the War
After the war, the army transferred Grant to the West
The In-between Years
Coast. He wanted to have his wife and children there with After failing as a farmer, Grant
him. So, he tried to make some quick money so they could returned to his father’s tannery
(TAN-uh-ree) for a job. His father
join him. He put all his cash into opening a store with a friend.
hired him as a clerk, but Grant
The friend took advantage of Grant and left him penniless. was not good at remembering
Next, Grant tried running a billiard (BIL-yuhrd) parlor, but prices. While on the job, Grant
spent most of his time studying
it also failed. Grant began drinking alcohol. He was sad and Napoleon’s war in France.
lonely.
When an officer discovered him drunk, Grant faced a
court-martial (MAR-shuhl). He resigned from the army. Jefferson Davis

Grant’s father was very upset about this. He asked the

secretary of war for help. Even the secretary of war, a man Grant studied the war strategies of Napoleon Bonaparte.

named Jefferson Davis, would not put Grant back in the army.

Grant’s family was very important to him.

8 9
 Signing Up for When the men saw Grant
in his worn-out clothes, they
Who Fought
Service Again made fun of him. They could the War?
not believe he would be their The Civil War
was fought be
Grant wanted to serve in the army again. This time, he the North and tween
commander. In no time at all, the South were
the South. So
ldiers in
wanted to be in command. He wrote a letter to leaders in Grant had them in shape and or rebels. Nort
called Confed
erates
herners were
Washington, D.C. But, they ignored his letter. Then, he tried Yankees or Un called
practicing drills. The Civil War ion soldiers.
to meet with military leaders. These men knew that Grant had had begun. These men were
a drinking problem. They would not even talk with him. ready to go to war.
Finally, the governor of Illinois told Grant to report
Grant was very comfortable on horseback.
for duty. He ordered Grant to command the 21st Illinois
Volunteers. These volunteers were rowdy men. Grant knew
he had his work cut out for him.
Grant drilling the 21st Illinois Volunteers

10 11
 Serving Under
General Halleck
At the beginning of the Civil War, Grant served for the
Union under General Henry Halleck. Before each battle,
Grant had to get his plans approved. General Halleck did not
like the way Grant ignored orders while in battle. So, Halleck
made Grant’s army wait around for months. Halleck ignored
or denied every plan that Grant
had.
In February 1862, Halleck let
Grant attack Fort Donelson in
Tennessee. Southern soldiers held
Battle of Fort Donelson U. S. Grant
Grant’s words
this fort. At first, the Confederates The Confederate general to the Confed
erate
general spread
throughout th
(kuhn-FED-uhr-uhtz) were asked Grant about terms of North. Northe e
rners took his
surrender (suh-REN-duhr). initials and ch
winning the battle. Then, the anged his nam
“Unconditiona e to
Grant replied, “No terms except l Surrender” G
Confederates got confused about Grant was pro rant.
moted to majo
general becau r
their orders. Grant attacked and an unconditional (uhn-kuhn- se of this victo
ry.
recovered the lost ground. DISH-uh-nuhl) and immediate
surrender can be accepted!” This meant Grant
wanted the Confederates to completely give up the battlefield.

General Henry Halleck

The enemy surrendered and Grant captured 15,000
prisoners and 4,000 horses. This was the first big victory for
the North in the Civil War.

12 13
 The next day, new troops arrived to help the Union. But
a Confederate attack from the side surprised them again.
Grant yelled, “Advance and recapture our original camp!”
His men followed him and pushed back their enemy.
The armies of the North and the South lost more than
10,000 men each. The Battle of Shiloh was one of the worst
battles in United States history.

Fighting at the Battle of Shiloh

Bloody Shiloh
In April 1862, Grant’s army was still in Tennessee. Grant
and his men were camped near Shiloh. They were there
drilling to prepare new recruits for the war. Unknown to
Grant, the southern army was very close. They were planning
a surprise attack on the Union army.
When the battle broke out, Union men ran for their lives. Grant and his officers
They were scared and tried to get away from the gunfire.
That Jealous Halleck! on horseback
Grant’s problems with General Halleck
General Grant mounted his horse and rode among his troops. were not over yet. After the bloody
He rallied them to continue fighting. They fought all day and battle at Shiloh, Halleck spoke with
President Abraham Lincoln. Halleck
into the night. By the end of the first day of the battle, Grant’s blamed the large loss of northern lives
men were exhausted. on Grant’s drinking problem.
14 15
 Victory in Vicksburg Instead, Grant’s army dug trenches
around Vicksburg. The Union army
Mule for Dinn
Beginning in April 1863, Grant moved toward cut Vicksburg off from supplies and er
The people an
communicating with the rest of the d soldiers
Vicksburg, Mississippi. Vicksburg was very important to the in Vicksburg w
ere so
country. The siege (SEEJ) was hungry, they
South. Forces at Vicksburg controlled the Mississippi River. ate their
mules and ho
successful. People in the city almost rses.
President Abraham Lincoln believed that Vicksburg was
the key to winning the war. starved. After 47 days, the city
Attacking Vicksburg was not an easy task. The surrendered. This victory divided the South and
Confederates had many soldiers throughout Mississippi. gave the North control of the Mississippi River.
Their job was to keep the Union soldiers away from Fighting near Vicksburg, Mississippi
Vicksburg. Throughout April and May, Grant’s army faced
Confederate troops.
On May 19, Grant finally reached Vicksburg. He tried
two assaults on the forces at Vicksburg. After losing 4,000
men, Grant realized attacking the city would not work. It
was too well protected.

Grant’s army used pontoon bridges to cross the rivers in Mississippi.

16 17
 Commanding the Army
In March 1864, President Lincoln put Grant in charge
of the entire northern army. Grant did not want the war to
continue much longer. The longer it went, the more lives
would be lost.
One of the first things he did was stop prisoner exchanges
between the North and South. The South’s army was much
smaller than the Union army. There were many southern
Passing Notes
Grant and Lee
prisoners in northern prisons. The South could not afford to sometimes
exchanged no
tes. They
fight much longer because they did not have enough men. told each oth
er that they
knew what th
e other had fo
breakfast or d r
inner. This wa
their way of sa s
President Lincoln named Grant the The armies fought the Battle of the Wilderness ying they had
spies in each
commander of the Union army in 1864. as the Northerners got close to Richmond, Virginia. other’s camps.

Lincoln promoted Grant

to lieutenant general in Grant had a plan for how to win the war. He wanted
March 1864.
to attack and occupy (OCK-yuh-pie) big cities in the South.
General William Sherman marched through the Deep South.
He launched “Total War” on the Southerners there. That
meant that he destroyed the land and cities as he marched
through. Without support from home, Sherman and Grant
thought the southern army would give up.
In Virginia, Grant’s army clashed with General Robert
E. Lee’s army. Little by little, Grant made his way to the
southern capital in Richmond.
18 19
 The End in Sight Terms of Surr
Grant allowed
ender
southern offic
their weapon ers to keep
s and horses.
From June 1864 to April 1865, the two armies faced each war, some No After the
rtherners dem
Robert E. Lee anded that
other near Petersburg, Virginia. Petersburg is just south of stand trial for
treason.
Instead, Gran
t asked for Le
Richmond. Grant dug trenches and laid siege to the city. e’s pardon.
Grant did not think that he could break through the
Confederate lines at Petersburg. So, he secretly had coal
miners dig a tunnel. This tunnel stretched all the way to
Lee’s army. The Northerners filled the tunnel with dynamite
and lit the fuse.
The explosion sent dirt, men, and guns everywhere. A
Lee
huge crater opened up and Grant’s men charged into it. surrendering
Lee’s men ran to the top edge and fired down on the Union to Grant at
Appomattox
forces. More than 4,000 Union soldiers died. Grant knew Court House
he had made a huge mistake.

This
engraving
shows the
battle lines However, Lee’s army could not survive the siege much
around longer. They left Petersburg and lost control of their capital
Petersburg.
at Richmond. In April 1865, Lee wrote a note to Grant. The
two leaders agreed to meet in Appomattox (ap-uh-MAT-uhks)
Court House, Virginia. Lee surrendered the southern army to
20 Grant. The war was over. 21
 The Presidency The American author
Mark Twain convinced Grant
After the war, Grant was a hero. Everyone wanted to to write his memoirs (MEM-
meet him. In 1868, he was elected president of the United warz). Grant wrote about
States. But, Grant was not a politician, he was a war hero. everything from childhood
He did not know the first thing about running a country. to his years in the army. He
His years as president were filled with scandals. Grant finished his book one week
had good intentions, but he trusted people too much. before dying of throat cancer
Wealthy men took advantage of him. He was relieved when in 1885. His book was an
his two terms ended. instant best seller.
Mark Twain People around the world
Grant writing his memoirs wanted to know more about
Grant. He was a puzzle to
people. How could he be
so successful in war and so
unsuccessful everywhere else?
Ulysses S. Grant will always be
remembered as a great general
who helped save the Union.

A Hero’s Welcome
After his two terms as president,
Grant and his wife traveled the
world. Everywhere they went
people welcomed him as a hero.

President Grant delivered his second inaugural address on March 4, 1873.

22 23
 Glossary
ammunition—supply of bullets and shells for guns or cannons
billiard parlor—a place where people can play pool
Confederates—people who supported the South in the Civil War; comes from the
name of the country formed by the states that suceded, the Confederate States
of America
court-martial—a trial for someone in the military
memoirs—autobiographical stories
occupy—to take control
pardon—to excuse from any punishment
politician—a person who runs for and serves in a political office
prisoner exchanges—when the North and South traded prisoners of war
recommendation—an oral or written expression describing someone in a positive way
recruits—new soldiers in the military
scandals—behaviors that lead to people thinking you have low moral values
secretary of war—the person in charge of all aspects of the military under the
president
siege—a military blockade of an area that cuts off all contact with the outside world
strategy—the planning of a military attack
surrendered—gave up and lost a battle or the war
tanner—someone who works with animal hides
tannery—a place where animal hides are turned into leather
terms of surrender—the agreement for accepting surrender
treason—when someone attempts to overthrow a government or does something that
harms his or her country
trenches—long ditches in the ground
unconditional—absolute and without any limits
Union—term used to describe the United States of America; also the name given to
the northern army during the Civil War

24
Ulysses S. Grant
The words warrior, hero, and compassionate
soldier all describe the man who led the
Union army to victory. Ulysses S. Grant
did well in battle and was promoted near
the end of the war! Although a warrior,
Grant showed compassion when he wrote
the terms of surrender for the Confederacy.
He was considered a war hero and was later
elected President of the United States.

TCM 8920 l