Ulysses Grant was born on April 27, 1822; he attended West Point and graduated in 1843, fought in the Mexican-American War, resigned from the army in 1854 and moved to St. Louis.

When the Civil War started, Grant returned to the army, and in June 1861 was commissioned colonel of the 21st Illinois Infantry. He led that regiment into Missouri, and received official notification of his promotion to brigadier general in Ironton, Missouri that August. Grant’s first combat experience during the war came in the Battle of Belmont, Missouri, on November 7, 1861.

Grant won a number of significant victories in 1862 and 1863, including Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Vicksburg and Chattanooga, and promotion to major general. In early 1864, President Lincoln promoted Grant to lieutenant general and gave him command of all the Union armies. Grant confronted Robert E. Lee in a series of battles, but eventually captured the Confederate capital at Richmond and forced Lee’s surrender.

In 1868, Grant was elected the eighteenth President of the United States, and was re-elected in 1872. He oversaw Reconstruction, the passage of Civil Rights laws and the election of African-Americans to both state and national offices. Despite his success in those areas, his presidency was marred by economic turmoil and multiple scandals.

Grant died on July 23, 1885.

Carte-de-Visite by Brady & Co., Washington, D.C.

Image Courtesy Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield; WICR 31592