Notes

Ulysses S. Grant Timeline

1822

April 27 - Hiram Ulysses Grant is born at Pt. Pleasant, Ohio; the first child to Jesse Root and Hannah Simpson Grant. He is called Ulysses by the family.

1823

The Grant family moves to Georgetown, Ohio

1839

Jesse Grant asks Congressman Hamer to nominate his eldest son to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. Hamer makes the nomination, but mistakenly uses the name Ulysses S. Grant, believing that Ulysses was his first name, and his middle name is Simpson after his mother's maiden name.

When Grant reports for duty at the academy, he is required to accept the name change or return home and seek a new appointment with the correct name the following year. He wisely decides to accept the change rather than face his father's anger.


1843

Ulysses S. Grant graduates from the U.S. Military Academy 21st of 39 cadets (nearly half of the class that started in 1839 dropped out before graduation).

September 30 - Grant is assigned to the 4th infantry and reports to Jefferson Barracks in South St. Louis County, the largest military post in the country in 1843.


1844

February - Ulysses S. Grant meets Julia Dent, younger sister of his friend Fred, when she returns to White Haven after finishing boarding school in the city of St. Louis.

May - Grant proposes to Julia Dent. She does not initially accept, but when Grant returns following a short visit to his family's home in Ohio, she agrees to a secret engagement. Grant joins his regiment which has moved to Louisiana in anticipation of border disputes with Mexico over the U.S. annexation of Texas.

1844-1846

Grant serves in the Mexican-American War. Despite being assigned as quartermaster, he faces battle numerous times, including Churabusco, Chapultepec and Buena Vista.

1848

August 22 - Grant returns to St. Louis and marries Julia Dent at the Dent city home at 4th & Cerre.

October - Ulysses & Julia are stationed at Detroit, then move to Sacketts Harbor in New York.

1850

May 30 - Frederick Dent Grant is born in St. Louis, named after Julia's father.

1852

Grant is transferred to the West Coast. Julia is pregnant and cannot make the journey with him. She returns to White Haven after stopping at Grant's parents' home in Bethel, Ohio, where she gives birth to Ulysses S. Grant, Jr. on July 22.


1854

Ulysses Grant resigns from the army in order to be reunited with his wife and two children. He begins farming the White Haven estate for his father-in-law.

1855

July 4 - Ellen Wrenshall Grant is born at Wish-ton-Wish, the home built by Julia's brother Louis but where the Grants are living.

1856

September - The Grants move into the home Ulysses built, that they facetiously name "Hardscrabble."

1857

January - Julia Grant's mother passes away, and the Grants return to live at the main house, White Haven, to help her father.

1858

February 6 - Jesse Root Grant II is born at White Haven, the fourth and last child of Ulysses and Julia Grant.

1859

Grant moves his family to the city, where he works in various jobs to provide for his family.

1860

April - The Grants move to Galena, Illinois, where Ulysses works with his two brothers in the family leather goods store.

1861

April - Grant re-enters the army following the Confederate firing on Fort Sumter on April 12.

June 15 - Grant accepts appointment as Colonel of the 21st Illinois Volunteer Infantry.

July 31 - Grant is promoted to Brigadier General, thanks to the support of Illinois Congressman Elihu Washburn, a good friend of President Abraham Lincoln.

1862

February 6 - Grant is victorious at Fort Henry, in Tennessee.

February 16 - Grant accepts the surrender of Confederate troops under General Simon Bolivar Buckner at Fort Donelson, TN, gaining the nickname "Unconditional Surrender" Grant.

Following these victories, Grant is promoted to Major-General of Volunteers.

April 6-7 - Battle of Shiloh (Pittsburg Landing).

September - Battles of Iuka and Corinth

November - Campaign against Vicksburg, Mississippi begins.

1863

January 1 - President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation goes into effect.


Grant appoints Chaplain John Eaton to implement his policy to care for the freedmen who are seeking army protection behind Union lines. Able-bodied men are employed by the army and receive pay for their work, becoming self-sustaining immediately.

January - March - Grant attempts to bypass the city of Vicksburg by building a canal that would divert the Mississippi River away from the city. He abandons the plan on March 27.

April - Grant implements his plan to march down the western side of the river, go below Vicksburg and cross back into Mississippi above Bruinsburg.

April - June - Grant takes Grand Gulf, Raymond, Jackson, Champion's Hill, and the Black River Bridge and begins the siege at Vicksburg.

July 3 - Confederate General Pemberton proposes an armistice to discuss surrender terms.

July 4 - Grant accepts the surrender of Pemberton and the City of Vicksburg.

October 17 - Grant meets with Secretary of War Stanton in Indianapolis.

October 22 - Grant arrives in Chattanooga to take command and relieve troops cut off from supplies and reinforcements.

November - Battles of Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge and Chattanooga.

December 8 - President Lincoln writes to thank Grant "for the skill, courage, and perseverance with which you and they, over so great difficulties, have effected that important object."

1864

March 9 - Grant receives his commission as Lieutenant General of all Union armies from President Lincoln.


May - Grant begins the Grand Campaign to have all Union armies working in unison on all fronts to keep Confederate armies from moving to support one another depending on where a battle was occurring.

May 5-6 - Battle of the Wilderness

June - Battle of Cold Harbor

1865:

January 31 - Confederate Peace Commissioners arrive at Grant's headquarters at City Point, VA, seeking to discuss terms of surrender with the Secretary of War and President Lincoln. They are sent to Hampton Roads to meet with Lincoln. The meeting was not successful in its goals of surrender and peace.

April 3 - Grant captures Petersburg and Richmond, VA.

April 9 - Grant accepts the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia from Conferate General Robert E. Lee.