Ulysses S. Grant
American general (1822 - 1885)
- || At The Bottom
1854 -- Rumored to be a drunkard, Grant is forced to resign as an officer of the US Army. Grant had few options and a family to support. To make matters worse, he suffered from chronic fevers. He failed as a farmer and as a bill collector before at last begging his father for a job in a leather shop in 1860, a few months before the election of Abraham Lincoln as President.
- || At The Top
1865 -- Grant saves the Union by defeating the Confederate forces to end the Civil War. After leading union forces in terrific fights across Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi, Grant led his nation's army to ultimate victory by forcing the Confederate General Robert E. Lee to surrender at Appomattox, Virginia. After nearly a year of brutal fighting between his and Lee's men, Grant's Army of the Potomac prevailed at last and brought an end to the bloodiest conflict in American history.
- || The Comeback
Grant was able to turn around his career -- and his country's history -- by working his way up from the very bottom and by never backing down from his mission. When eleven states protested Lincoln's election by attempting to leave the Union, Grant left his father's shop and resumed his life as a soldier, helping recruit militia volunteers in Illinois. Before long, his hard work was rewarded with a promotion to brigadier general, then major general, and finally commander of the armies of the Mississippi. Grant always seized the opportunity for victory and won famous battles at Shiloh, Fort Donelson, Vicksburg and Chattanooga. His determination to fight impressed President Lincoln, who asked him to become the highest-ranking general in the US Army.
