Ulysses S. Grant

1822-04-27 - 1885-07-23 Contemporaries

Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877, and the Commanding General of the Union Army who led it to victory in the American Civil War in 1865. His 1863 Vicksburg campaign gave Union forces control of the Mississippi River, and after his victory at Chattanooga President Lincoln promoted him to command all Union armies. A West Point graduate (1843), he had earlier served in the Mexican–American War.