(b. April 27, 1822; d. July 23, 1885) General; eighteenth president of the United States (1869–1877).

Ulysses S. Grant was born at Point Pleasant, Ohio, and became an officer in the U.S. Army after graduating from West Point in 1843. He was appointed by Abraham Lincoln in 1864 as commander in chief of the Union armies, and served as president of the United States from 1868 to 1876.

Grant's father was a tanner, an occupation his son was loath to take up. He was eager for a West Point education, and his father was also enthusiastic about it, especially after he showed some promise in mathematics and an interest in engineering during his early education. Civil engineers were in great demand, and Jesse Grant petitioned his congressman, Thomas Hamer, on his son's behalf.

At first, West Point was a disappointment. Grant found himself unexpectedly on the losing end of a class battle...