Ulysses S. Grant Events

1822 Apr 27 Ulysses S. Grant Is Born
On April 27, 1822, military leader and U.S. president Ulysses S. Grant was born in Point Pleasant, Ohio. A quiet, unassuming, and keenly intelligent man, Grant rose to national prominence...
1843 Ulysses S. Grant Graduates The United States Military Academy
At the age of 17, Grant entered the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point, New York, after securing a nomination through his U.S. Congressman, Thomas L. Hamer, who erroneous...
1848 Aug 22 Ulysses S. Grant Gets Married
On August 22, 1848, Grant married Julia Boggs Dent (1826–1902), the daughter of a slave owner. Together, they had four children: Frederick Dent Grant, Ulysses S. "Buck" Grant, Jr. , Ellen...
1854 Jul 31 Ulysses S. Grant Resigns From The Army
Grant remained in the army and was moved to several different posts. He was sent to Fort Vancouver in the Washington Territory in 1853, where he served as quartermaster of the 4th Infantr...
1857 Sep 15 William Howard Taft Is Born
William Howard Taft served as both president of the United States and chief justice of the Supreme Court. He was born on September 15, 1857, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Taft's father was a prom...
1861 Nov 7 Battle of Belmont
The Battle of Belmont was fought on November 7, 1861, in Mississippi County, Missouri. It was the first combat test in the American Civil War for Brig. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, the future U...
1862 Feb 6 Battle of Fort Henry Opens Tennessee River to Union Control
The Battle of Fort Henry was fought on February 6, 1862, in western Tennessee, during the American Civil War. It was the first important victory for the Union and Brig. Gen. Ulysses S. Gr...
1862 Feb 12
to 1862 Feb 13
 Battle of Fort Donelson - Initial Action
Other Names: None Location: Stewart County Campaign: Federal Penetration up the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers (1862) Date(s): February 11-16, 1862 Principal Commanders: Brig...
1862 Feb 14 Battle of Fort Donelson - Reinforcements and Naval Assault
At 1:00 a.m. on February 14, Floyd held a council of war in his headquarters, the Dover Hotel, and there was general agreement that Fort Donelson was probably untenable. General Pillow wa...
1862 Feb 15 Battle of Fort Donelson - Confederate Escape Attempt
Despite their unexpected naval success, the Confederate generals were still gloomy about their chances in the fort and held another late-night council of war, deciding to retry their abor...
1862 Feb 16 Battle of Fort Donelson - Surrender
Nearly 1,000 soldiers on both sides had been killed, with about 3,000 wounded still on the field; some froze to death in the snowstorm, many Union soldiers having thrown away their blanke...
1862 Apr 6
to 1862 Apr 7
 Battle of Shiloh
Other Names: Pittsburg Landing Location: Hardin County Campaign: Federal Penetration up the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers (1862) Date(s): April 6-7, 1862 Principal Commander...
1862 Sep 19 Battle of Luka
The Battle of Iuka was an American Civil War battle fought on September 19, 1862, in Iuka, Mississippi. In the opening battle of the Iuka-Corinth Campaign, Union Maj. Gen. William S. Rose...
1863 May 1 Battle of Port Gibson
Description: Maj. Gen. U.S. Grant launched his march on Vicksburg in the Spring of 1863, starting his army south, from Milliken’s Bend, on the west side of the Mississippi River. He inten...
1863 May 14 Battle of Jackson - Former Mississippi State Capital Destroyed
The Battle of Jackson, fought on May 14, 1863, in Jackson, Mississippi, was part of the Vicksburg Campaign in the American Civil War. Union commander Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and the Ar...
1863 May 16 Battle of Champion Hill
The Battle of Champion Hill, or Bakers Creek, fought May 16, 1863, was the pivotal battle in the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. Union commander Major General Ulysses S. Gra...
1863 May 18
to 1863 Jul 4
 Confederate Forces Surrender at the Siege of Vicksburg
Description: In May and June of 1863, Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s armies converged on Vicksburg, investing the city and entrapping a Confederate army under Lt. Gen. John Pemberton. On Ju...
1863 May 19 Ulysses S. Grant Attempts to Take the Confederate Stronghold At Vicksburg, Mississippi
On May 19, 1863, General Ulysses S. Grant attempted to take the Confederate stronghold at Vicksburg, Mississippi. After making a daring run past Confederate batteries, Union naval forces...
1863 Jun 7 Battle of Milliken's Bend - Siege of Vicksburg Remains Unbroken
Description: On June 6, Col. Hermann Lieb with the African Brigade and two companies of the 10th Illinois Cavalry made a reconnaissance toward Richmond, Louisiana. About three miles from ...
1863 Nov 25 Battle of Missionary Ridge
The Battle of Missionary Ridge was fought November 25, 1863, as part of the Chattanooga Campaign of the American Civil War. Following the Union victory in the Battle of Lookout Mountain o...
1864 May 5
to 1864 May 7
 Battle of the Wilderness - Grant and Lee Meet
The Battle of the Wilderness was fought on May 5-6, 1864. It was the beginning of the Overland Campaign, the bloodiest campaign in American history and the turning point in the war in the...
1864 May 7 Battle of Todd's Tavern - Confederates Win Race to Spotsylvania
On May 4, 1864, Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant led Major General George G. Meade's Union Army of the Potomac across the Rapidan River into the tangles of the Wilderness. Robert ...
1864 May 8
to 1864 May 21
 Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
Other Names: Combats at Laurel Hill and Corbin’s Bridge (May 8); Ni River (May 9); Laurel Hill, Po River, and Bloody Angle (May 10); Salient or Bloody Angle (May 12-13); Piney Branch Chur...
1864 May 11 Battle of Yellow Tavern
Description: As the battle between Grant and Lee raged at Spotsylvania Court House, the Union cavalry corps under Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan embarked on a cavalry raid against Richmond. Af...
1864 May 12 Battle of Meadow Bridge - Union Forces Rebuild Bridge
The Battle of Meadow Bridge (also known as the Battle of Richmond Heights) was an engagement on May 12, 1864, in Henrico County, Virginia, during the Overland Campaign of the American Civ...
1864 May 23
to 1864 May 26
 Battle of North Anna - Lee Outmaneuvers Grant
Description: After the fighting at Spotsylvania Court House, Grant continued his Overland Offensive against Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. He was brought up short on the North Anna Rive...
1864 May 24 Battle of Wilson's Wharf - Union Black Regiments Defeat Fitzhugh Lee
Description:On May 24, Fitzhugh Lee’s cavalry division (about 3,000 men) attacked the Union supply depot at Wilson’s Wharf and was repulsed by two black regiments under Brig. Gen. Edward ...
1864 May 28 Battle of Haw's Shop
Description: Gregg’s cavalry division, supported by Torbert’s division, advanced to cover the Army of the Potomac’s crossing of the Pamunkey River and movement toward Totopotomoy Creek. ...
1864 May 28
to 1864 May 30
 Battle of Totopotomoy Creek
Description: Operations along Totopotomoy Creek opened with cavalry combats at the Pamunkey River crossing at Dabney’s Ferry (Hanovertown) and at Crump’s Creek on May 27. During the caval...
1864 May 30 Confederates Driven Back to Cold Harbor at the Battle of Old Church
Description: With the armies stalemated along the Totopotomoy Creek line, the Federal cavalry began probing east and south. On May 30, Torbert’s Division attacked and defeated Butler's Br...
1864 May 31
to 1864 Jun 12
 Second Battle of Cold Harbor Begins
On June 3, 1864, the second battle of Cold Harbor began. After securing a costly victory at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, Union General Ulysses S. Grant encountered Confederate ...
1864 Jun 11
to 1864 Jun 12
 Battle of Trevilian Station - Virginia Central Railroad Damaged
Description: To draw off the Confederate cavalry and open the door for a general movement to the James River, Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan mounted a large-scale cavalry raid into Louisa Coun...
1864 Jun 15
to 1864 Jun 18
 Second Battle of Petersburg - Lee Repulses Grant
The Second Battle of Petersburg, also known as the Assault on Petersburg, was fought June 15–18, 1864, at the beginning of the Richmond–Petersburg Campaign (popularly known as the Siege o...
1864 Oct 27
to 1864 Oct 28
 Battle of Fair Oaks & Darbytown Road
Description: In combination with movements against the Boydton Plank Road at Petersburg, Maj. Gen. Benjamin Butler attacked the Richmond defenses along Darbytown Road with the X Corps. Th...
1865 Apr 2 Battle of Sutherland's Station
Other Names: None Location: Dinwiddie Campaign: Appomattox Campaign (March-April 1865) Date(s): April 2, 1865 Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. Nelson A. Miles [US]; Maj. Gen. H...
1865 Apr 2 Third Battle of Petersburg
The Third Battle of Petersburg, also known as the Breakthrough at Petersburg or the Fall of Petersburg, was a decisive Union assault on the Confederate trenches, ending the ten-month Sieg...
1865 Apr 2 Union Army defeats Confederate Army at Petersburg VA
Ulysses S. Grant's army attacked Confederate lines at Petersburg, Virginia. By mid-afternoon, Confederate troops had begun to evacuate the town. The Union victory ensured the fall of Rich...
1865 Apr 9 Battle of Appomattox Court House
Other Names: None Location: Appomattox County Campaign: Appomattox Campaign (March-April 1865) Date(s): April 9, 1865 Principal Commanders: Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant [US]; Gen...
1865 Apr 9 Robert E. Lee Surrenders to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, Ending the US Civil War
"It would be useless and therefore cruel," Robert E. Lee remarked on the morning of April 9, 1865, "to provoke the further effusion of blood, and I have arranged to meet with General Gran...
1868 Ulysses S. Grant Is Elected To Office
The second President from Ohio, Grant was elected the 18th President of the United States in 1868, and was re-elected to the office in 1872. Grant served as President from March 4, 1869, ...
1869 Mar Ulysses S. Grant Establishes The Value Of The Greenback Currency
The Panic of 1873 hit the country hard during his presidency, and he never attempted decisive action to alleviate distress. The first law that he signed, in March 1869, established the va...
1869 Mar 4 Ulysses S. Grant is inaugurated as the 18th president of the United States
General Grant was the first of many Civil War officers to become President of the United States. He refused to ride in the carriage to the Capitol with President Johnson, who then decided...
1869 Sep 24 Black Friday
Black Friday, September 24 1869, also known as the Fisk/Gould Scandal, was a financial panic in the United States caused by two speculators’ efforts to corner the gold market on the New Y...
1873 Mar 4 Ulysses S. Grant's second inauguration
Frigid temperatures caused many of the events planned for the second inauguration to be abandoned. The thermometer did not rise much above zero all day, persuading many to avoid the cere...
1875 Whiskey Ring Scandal Is Exposed
In the United States, the Whiskey Ring was a scandal, exposed in 1875, involving diversion of tax revenues in a conspiracy among government agents, politicians, whiskey distillers, and di...
1875 Mar 1 Civil Rights Act Is Signed
A distinguishing characteristic in the Grant Presidency was Grant's concern with the plights of African Americans and native Indian tribes. Grant's 1868 campaign slogan, "Let us have peac...
1877 Mar 4 Ulysses S. Grant Leaves The White House
The second President from Ohio, Grant was elected the 18th President of the United States in 1868, and was re-elected to the office in 1872. Grant served as President from March 4, 1869, ...
1881 Ulysses S. Grant Goes Bankrupt
In 1881, Grant purchased a house in New York City and placed almost all of his financial assets into an investment banking partnership with Ferdinand Ward, as suggested by Grant's son Buc...
1885 Jul 23 Ulysses S. Grant Dies
Ulysses S. Grant died on Thursday, July 23, 1885, at the age of 63 in Mount McGregor, Saratoga County, New York. His body lies in New York City's Riverside Park, beside that of his wife, ...
1901 Oct 9 Grant Park is established
Lake Park is renamed Grant Park in honor of Galena, Illinois resident President Ulysses S. Grant.