Lieut. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant
Born: April 27, 1822
Hiram Ulysses Grant
Point Pleasant, Ohio
Died: July 23, 1885
Mount McGregor, New York
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West Point: 1843
Brevet 2nd Lieutenant: June 1843
2nd Lieutenant: September 1845
Captain: April 11, 1854
Resigns US Army: July 31, 1854
Colonel: June 15, 1861
Brig. Gen: July 31, 1861
Maj. Gen: February 17, 1862
Lt. Gen: March 2, 1864
May 1839: Receives appointment to West Point through Ohio Congressman Thomas L. Hamer who did not know Grant's given name. Hamer used Grant's middle name and mother's maiden name for the appointment.
June 1843: West Point graduate - 21st in class of 39
September 30, 1843: Assigned to 4th US Infantry at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri
1846-1848: Mexican-American War as a Quartermaster
May 8, 1846: Battle of Palo Alto
May 9, 1846: Battle of Resaca de la Palma
September 20-24, 1846: Battle of Monterrey
March 9-29, 1847: Battle of Veracruz
September 8, 1847: Battle of Molino del Rey
September 13, 1847: Battle of Chapultepec
November 17, 1848: Reports for duty at Sackett's Harbor, NY on Lake Ontario
Spring 1851-Spring 1852: 4th Infantry ordered to Pacific Coast
September 30, 1853: Receives notice of promotion to Captain effective August 5
April 11, 1854: Receives official commission as captain and resigned from the Army effective July 31, 1854
June 15, 1861: Accepts position as a colonel of the 7th District Regiment - a very undisciplined group of men
July 31, 1861: Appointed Brigadier General by President Lincoln
August 17, 1861: Assigned to Jefferson City by Maj. Gen. Fremont
August 27, 1861: Replaced by Brig. Gen. Davis at Jefferson City and assigned command of all troops in southeast Missouri with headquarters at Cape Girardeau, Missouri
November 7, 1861: Battle of Belmont
February 1, 1862: Receives permission to begin campaign on Tennessee River
February 6, 1862: Battle of Fort Henry
February 17, 1862: President Lincoln signs orders for Grant's promotion to Major General
April 6-7, 1862: Battle of Shiloh
April 11, 1862: Gen. Halleck takes over command, but appears unwilling to confront the enemy. Grant mulls resigning, but his friend Gen. Sherman persuades him to stay in the army.
July 11, 1862: Grant resumes command at Corinth as Halleck is called to Washington
September 19, 1862: Battle of Iuka
October 25, 1862: Assigned the Department of Tennessee and begins the campaign against Vicksburg
December 20, 1862: Moves headquarters to Memphis
January 30, 1863: Takes personal command of Vicksburg expedition
May 1, 1863: Battle of Port Gibson
May 14, 1863: Battle for Jackson, Mississippi
May 19, 1863: Grant, after two unsuccessful attacks, decides to lay siege on Vicksburg
July 3, 1863: Gen. Pemberton sends a message to Grant requesting terms of surrender
July 4, 1863: Vicksburg Surrenders
October 17, 1863: Receives orders to command the Military Division of the Mississippi, which contains the Departments of the Ohio, Cumberland and Tennessee
November 23-25, 1863: Battle of Chattanooga
March 2, 1864: Promoted to Lieutenant General
March 12, 1864: Assigned to command all armies of the United States
May 5-7, 1864: Wilderness Campaign
May 8-20, 1864: Spotsylvania Campaign
May 31-June 12, 1864: Battle of Cold Harbor
July 30, 1864: Battle of the Crater
June 14, 1864: Siege of Petersburg starts
March 25, 1865: Battle of Fort Stedman
March 29-April 9, 1865: Appomattox Campaign
April 9, 1865: Grant accepts Lee's surrender at McLean House
November-December 1865: Tours the South and reports to President Johnson recommending a lenient Reconstruction policy
July 26, 1866: Appointed General of the Armies after Congress creates a new rank
August 11, 1867: Grant is ordered to take over the War Department
January 14, 1868: Grant resigns his position as Secretary of War ad interim and breaks with President Johnson
May 21, 1868: Nominated for President at the Republican National Convention
November 3, 1868: Elected President
November 5, 1872: Elected for second term as President
September 1884: Diagnosed with throat cancer, most likely from smoking cigars
February 27, 1885: Signs a contract with a good friend, "Mark Twain" to publish his Memoirs
July 23, 1885: Dies at 8:06am surrounded by his family
Boatner, Mark M. III. The Civil War Dictionary. New York: David McKay, 1967. p 352-353
Grant, Ulysses S. Personal Memoirs Ulysses S. Grant. New York: C. L. Webster, 1885. rpt New York: Modern Library, 1999.
Porter, Horace. Campaigning with Grant. New York: The Century Co., 1897.
Warner, Ezra J. Generals in Blue Lives of the Union Commanders. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State, 1967. p 183-186