Honoring President Ulysses S. Grant on President's Day

         

The Grant home in Galena, Illinois on a bright blue October day.

         “Reports of Grant’s problems with alcohol are greatly exaggerated”, said the docent at the Galena and U.S. Grant History Museum in Galena, Illinois.

         I didn’t go to Galena expressly to learn about Ulysses S. Grant.  Galena is known as one of those “coolest small towns in America”, filled with art galleries, shops and restaurants.  

         As I drove into town on a crowded art-festival weekend last October I noticed the Grant Homestead and stopped in for a tour.  An hour later I had acquired new-found appreciation, admiration and respect for our nation’s 18th president.  

        The next day I visited the Grant Museum where the friendly and knowledgable docent was only too happy to dispel the notions many of us have about the Grant Presidency.  

        Yes, Grant struggled with alcohol, having developed a fondness for drink when he was stationed at a lonely outpost in the Pacific Northwest during his first stint in the army.  

         And yes, due to his naivete´ about business Grant’s administration had its share of corruption and scandals.

         Despite the above-mentioned problems those who knew Grant describe him as a decent, honorable and trusting man who, as President, navigated the country through reconstruction after the Civil War and was an early proponent of civil rights for freed slaves and American Indians.

        And let’s not forget his accomplishments on the battlefront.  While serving in the Mexican-American War Grant won every battle he was engaged in and this later caught the attention of President Lincoln, who had his own war to attend to.  Grant enlisted in the Civil War in 1861 and in 1864 President Lincoln tapped Grant to be his Lieutenant General in charge of all the Union armies.            
         According to those who worked with him Ulysses S. Grant was the right man at the right time.  He possessed the unique combination of strategic thinking and execution to win the Civil War.

         While the Civil War has been exhaustively studied and researched and you can find facts and statistics about the war in numerous publications, it was the details of Grant’s private life which proved most fascinating to me.

Did you know:

• Julia Dent Grant was born into a wealthy slave-owning family in St. Louis.
• Grant’s family (from Ohio) did not approve of Julia because her family owned slaves.
• Julia Dent’s family, on the other hand, did not approve of Ulysses because he was from a lower station in life and would “never amount to anything”.  How about winning the Civil War and serving as a two-term United States President—does that count toward “amounting to something”?
• In spite of their parent’s objections Julia and Ulysses had a reportedly very happy marriage.  How nice.
• Julia was well-educated, was the first wife of a president to be called “First Lady”, and the first to have her own Press Secretary.
• Julia was a good friend of Susan B. Anthony’s and fought for women’s suffrage.  How about that for a First Lady’s “issue or cause”?
• General Grant loved his cigars and smoked up to 20 cigars a day.  
• Sadly, Grant died a painful death from throat cancer at the young age of 63.  Most certainly the cigar habit, coupled with his alcohol abuse.

         General/President Ulysses S. Grant considered Galena his adopted home town and Galena has certainly returned the favor, embracing Grant and his legacy.

         I enjoyed learning about Grant on this trip and am now tempted to read the 900 page book Grant by Ron Chernow which, ironically, was released the day after I left Galena—so no, I didn’t jump on the Grant Bandwagon because of this book.  However, I’m on the bandwagon now, and invite others to join me.  If you’re ever traveling through Galena, Illinois, be sure to stop at the Grant Home and the Grant Museum.  You’ll be glad you did.

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A little quiz which will be answered in the next post:

The Smithsonian wants it.  Galena has it.  What is it?

To read the fascinating answer to the above quiz, click here.