Under-appreciated American Hero: Ulysses S. Grant

By Brother Rogers
As the sesquicentennial of the Civil War hits its stride this summer, with celebrations at Vicksburg and Gettysburg, Americans throughout the land can be grateful that our country was not permanently torn asunder. Other than Abraham Lincoln, the man most responsible for bequeathing our country to us in one piece is Ulysses S. Grant.
Kudos to Dr. John Marszalek, Dean of Libraries Frances Coleman and others who made Mississippi State University the home of the Grant Presidential Library. This ironic outcome is a point of civic pride for Starkville, MSU and the state of Mississippi.
Ulysses S. Grant is probably the most underappreciated hero in American history. It was not always so. At the time of his death in 1885, he was the most famous person in America, and had been for twenty years. He was a symbol of national reconciliation. A million and a half people, the largest crowd in New York’s history, lined the streets for his funeral procession. The dedication of Grant’s Tomb in 1897 attracted a similar number. The people who lived through the Civil War and Grant’s presidency recognized his greatness.
It’s tempting, but inaccurate, to believe that only Northerners revered Grant. General Grant showed such a respectful and generous demeanor toward Robert E. Lee during the surrender at Appomattox that General Lee forbade anyone to ever speak ill of Grant in his presence. Confederate general James Longstreet called Grant “the truest as well as the bravest man that ever lived.” He was honest, humble, straightforward and determined – all qualities we value in our leaders.
Grant personally disdained politics and hated public speaking, but he accepted the nomination for president as a duty to preserve the gains of democracy and equality, which were under assault. He wrote, “My great ambition was to save all that has been gained by so much sacrifice of blood and treasure.” Grant was nominated unanimously by the Republicans in 1868 – a rare feat. He was reelected in 1872 with the largest popular majority to that date in American history.
Grant was quite a contrast to President Andrew Johnson, who he replaced. Johnson once said, “This is a country for white men and by God, as long as I am president, it shall be a government for white men.” Grant, on the other hand, supported citizenship and civil rights for former slaves. He created the Justice Department in 1870 to enforce the 14th and 15th Amendments. He signed the Ku Klux Klan Act in 1871 to fight violence in the South. Despite an uproar in Congress and little support from his cabinet, he sent federal troops to break up the Klan in South Carolina.
After serving two terms as president, Grant and his wife Julia took a trip around the world. He was the most famous American on the planet. After completing the European portion of his trip, Grant observed, “The fact is we are the most progressive, freest, and richest people on earth but don’t know it or appreciate it. Foreigners see this much plainer than we do.”
There is no one alive today who has done as much for the United States of America as Ulysses S. Grant did in his lifetime. On the battlefield, he defeated secession and destroyed slavery. As president, he brought the South back into the Union and worked hard to preserve the peace that had been so expensive to win.
Grant’s contemporaries saw him as a gigantic figure. With the hindsight of 150 years, we should do so again today. The Grant Presidential Library at Mississippi State University will help spread the story of Grant. It is a story that deserves telling, and one that every patriotic American needs to know.
Brother Rogers is a guest columnist for the Starkville Daily News and works for the Stennis Center for Public Service.
As the sesquicentennial of the Civil War hits its stride this summer, with celebrations at Vicksburg and Gettysburg, Americans throughout the land can be grateful that our country was not permanently torn asunder. Other than Abraham Lincoln, the man most responsible for bequeathing our country to us in one piece is Ulysses S. Grant.
Kudos to Dr. John Marszalek, Dean of Libraries Frances Coleman and others who made Mississippi State University the home of the Grant Presidential Library. This ironic outcome is a point of civic pride for Starkville, MSU and the state of Mississippi.
Ulysses S. Grant is probably the most underappreciated hero in American history. It was not always so. At the time of his death in 1885, he was the most famous person in America, and had been for twenty years. He was a symbol of national reconciliation. A million and a half people, the largest crowd in New York’s history, lined the streets for his funeral procession. The dedication of Grant’s Tomb in 1897 attracted a similar number. The people who lived through the Civil War and Grant’s presidency recognized his greatness.
It’s tempting, but inaccurate, to believe that only Northerners revered Grant. General Grant showed such a respectful and generous demeanor toward Robert E. Lee during the surrender at Appomattox that General Lee forbade anyone to ever speak ill of Grant in his presence. Confederate general James Longstreet called Grant “the truest as well as the bravest man that ever lived.” He was honest, humble, straightforward and determined – all qualities we value in our leaders.
Grant personally disdained politics and hated public speaking, but he accepted the nomination for president as a duty to preserve the gains of democracy and equality, which were under assault. He wrote, “My great ambition was to save all that has been gained by so much sacrifice of blood and treasure.” Grant was nominated unanimously by the Republicans in 1868 – a rare feat. He was reelected in 1872 with the largest popular majority to that date in American history.
Grant was quite a contrast to President Andrew Johnson, who he replaced. Johnson once said, “This is a country for white men and by God, as long as I am president, it shall be a government for white men.” Grant, on the other hand, supported citizenship and civil rights for former slaves. He created the Justice Department in 1870 to enforce the 14th and 15th Amendments. He signed the Ku Klux Klan Act in 1871 to fight violence in the South. Despite an uproar in Congress and little support from his cabinet, he sent federal troops to break up the Klan in South Carolina.
After serving two terms as president, Grant and his wife Julia took a trip around the world. He was the most famous American on the planet. After completing the European portion of his trip, Grant observed, “The fact is we are the most progressive, freest, and richest people on earth but don’t know it or appreciate it. Foreigners see this much plainer than we do.”
There is no one alive today who has done as much for the United States of America as Ulysses S. Grant did in his lifetime. On the battlefield, he defeated secession and destroyed slavery. As president, he brought the South back into the Union and worked hard to preserve the peace that had been so expensive to win.
Grant’s contemporaries saw him as a gigantic figure. With the hindsight of 150 years, we should do so again today. The Grant Presidential Library at Mississippi State University will help spread the story of Grant. It is a story that deserves telling, and one that every patriotic American needs to know.
Brother Rogers is a guest columnist for the Starkville Daily News and works for the Stennis Center for Public Service.