General US Grant

Ulysses S. Grant​
US Grant born April 27, 1822, died September 14, 1914.
Born in Pleasant Point, Ohio. Father: Jesse Root Grant, Mother: Hannah Simpson Grant. Siblings: One brother (Adam 1829-1863), one sister (Kathleen 1820-1900)
Married Julia Dent Grant (1826-1879) Three children – Frederick D. Grant (1850-1933); US Grant Jr (1852-1929), Jennifer D. Grant (1870-1970)
Married Ellen Dent Grant (1830-1929) One child: Jesse R. Grant (1881-1969)
Education: US Military Academy 1839-1843 (19th in his class)
ASSIGNMENTS & RANKS:
2nd US Cavalry Regiment - Lieutenant (1843-1847) Wounded at the Battle of Palo Alto (cited for bravery under fire). Squadron A commander

2nd US Cavalry Regiment - Captain (Brevet) (1847-1850) Regimental Quartermaster. Cited for bravery at the Battle of Chapultepec

5th US Cavalry Regiment Captain (US Army) (1850-1860) B Squadron Commander

21st Illinois Infantry Regiment Lt. Colonel (Illinois Volunteers)/ Captain (US Army) Regimental 2nd in Command (1860)

2nd Brigade, 1st Division, Army of the Ohio Brigadier General (USV)/Colonel (US Army) Brigade Commander (1860)

2nd Division, Army of the Ohio Brigadier General (USV)/Colonel (US Army) Division Commander (1860-1861)

Department of the Ohio Major General (Brevet)/ Brigadier General (US Army) Department Commander (1861-1862) Accepted surrender of Confederate forces at Forts Donnelly Henry, and Vicksburg. Defeated Confederate forces at the Battle of Shiloh

Military Division of the Mississippi Major General (US Army) Commanding General Defeated Confederate forces at the Battle of Chattanooga

Commanding General, US Army (1862-1882) Lieutenant General (US Army). Oversaw the defeat of General Lee’s forces. Accepted the surrender of the Confederate forces in the East. Was present at Ford’s Theatre and prevented the assassination of the President. Oversaw Reconstruction and the change from war time army to peacetime army. Retired July 4, 1882.

Secretary of War (1882-1890) under two Presidents.

US Ambassador to the Court of Saint James 1890-1892

President, Pawnee Railroad 1892-1900

Retired 1900-1914. Buried in Arlington National Cemetary
 
I doubt that Grant's liver, let alone the rest of his body would last that long - age 92. None the less, it's an interesting and illustrious (though I'm not sure about how plausable, given U S Grant's temperment and all) alternate post civil war career. What are you going to do with this scenario?
 
How does he survive his (cigars) throat cancer?:eek: How does he avoid being drafted as President in 1868? He's not Sherman...
 
He doesn't get throat cancer because he doesn't smoke as heavily as he did in OTL. He sees how nasty Presidential politics are during Reconstruction and declines to run for President.
 
He doesn't get throat cancer because he doesn't smoke as heavily as he did in OTL. He sees how nasty Presidential politics are during Reconstruction and declines to run for President.

I think Mrs. Julia Dent Grant might have to say a little something to her husband about that. Her antipathy with Mary Todd Lincoln all but mandated her husband succeed Lincoln. And making Julia FLOTUS would be quite irresistible for her husband. Especially after putting her through some many hard times before the Civil War.

Grant was not a man to resist professional success, particularly when offered on a golden platter. After all, a drafted nomination, and token opposition in the general election (Horatio Seymour?!:rolleyes:). If Grant could take Richmond, and run down Bobby Lee, he wouldn't (and didn't) turn away from the White House. Sherman was a different man. Professionally successful BEFORE the Civil War, he had nothing to prove. Grant on the other hand had failed at every endeavor in life except the army and marriage.:)

BTW, since Grant was involved deeply in the Impeachment process himself (Pro-Stanton), he showed he had no lack of interest in politics prior to Reconstruction politics becoming a serious issue.

Sorry to be a pain,:eek: but for good or ill, I always thought of Grant as being one of our most inevitable presidents, like Eisenhower.
 
Grant was only a heavy drinker when depressed by being separated from his family, and even then it was overblown. Drinking and being drunk on duty was very common in the isolated forts of the old west. He was singled out by his CO who didn't like Grant.

Also, Grant didn't start smoking heavily until after his victory at Vicksburg. As a congratulation gift for capturing Vicksburg admirers and friends sent him hundreds of cigars. He gave many of them away but the public soon got the idea, thanks to pictures by Brady and newspaper descriptions, that Grant really liked cigars. So throughout the rest of his life he continued to receive cigars as gifts.

Perhaps to get this TL as Grant's biography you could have his wife accompany him westward. This might mitigate his drinking problem and keep him in the Army. At Vicksburg just have him give away far more of the cigars and just keep him a social smoker instead of a chain smoker.

IOTL he was made Colonel of the 21st Illinois in mid June. In TTL he stays in the Army so its very unlikely that he would only be a Captain in the 21st. Most likely he would still resign his from the regular army and then raise a company, but he would probably end up raising his own regiment. From there he would still spend the time training troops for the Illinois volunteers before asking for and getting a field command. IOTL he was made Brigadier-General rather quickly (appointed by Lincoln late July 1861). As a Brigadier he would probably get a brigade consisting of his regiment, the difficult 21st Illinois and one or two other regiments. It would be interesting if his regiment stayed within him throughout his wartime career and earned a nickname like "Grant's Honor Guard."

Benjamin
 
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