WEBVTT

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Welcome to The Deep Dive, your shortcut to being

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truly well -informed. We take a stack of sources,

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extract the most important nuggets, and then

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unpack them with just enough humor and surprising

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facts to keep you hooked. Exactly. And today,

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we're plunging into the life of one of American

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history's most complex and frankly most misunderstood

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figures, Ulysses S. Grant. He really is. He's

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the celebrated general who quite literally saved

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the union, but also a president whose administration

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was, well, notoriously plagued by scandal. And

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on a personal level, his life was just this powerful

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testament to both incredible resilience and profound,

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really devastating financial struggles. Absolutely.

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His historical reputation has been a complete

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roller coaster from national hero to a figure

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of scorn. And now in our modern era, a really

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fascinating rehabilitation. It's a compelling

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journey. truly. You see him as this symbol of

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unity at the end of the Civil War, then grappling

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with the immense challenges of a divided nation

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during Reconstruction, all while facing these

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personal battles that, honestly, would have broken

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lesser individuals. Understanding Grant means

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confronting the full spectrum of the human experience

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and how that shapes a leader. Definitely. So

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our mission today, drawing from a rich stack

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of biographical excerpts and historical analyses

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you've provided, is to go beyond those easy headlines.

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Yeah, get into the weeds a bit. We're here to

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uncover the surprising facts, the pivotal moments,

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and the enduring insights from Grant's life.

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We want to understand not just what happened,

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but why it matters, and how his story continues

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to resonate today, offering you that shortcut

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to a truly well -informed perspective. Okay,

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let's do it. So let's unpack this from the very

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beginning. The man we know as Ulysses S. Grant

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wasn't actually born with those famous initials,

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was he? That's right. No, he entered the world

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on April 27th, 1822 in Point Pleasant, Ohio as

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Hiram Ulysses Grant. Hiram Ulysses. Yeah. His

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parents were Jesse Root Grant and Hannah Simpson

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Grant. And it's an interesting detail that his

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father, Jesse, was not only a strong supporter

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of the Whig Party, a major political force back

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then, but also, quite significantly, a fervent

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abolitionist. a really strong opponent of slavery.

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And that stance, it really foreshadows some of

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Grant's own later convictions and actions, doesn't

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it? Absolutely. It sets a kind of moral backdrop

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for his upbringing. And the name change itself

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is such a human, almost accidental detail that

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permanently altered his identity. He went by

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Hiram Ulysses, but when he was nominated to West

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Point by Representative Thomas L. Hammer, there

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was a clerical error. A mistake on the form.

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Exactly. He was enlisted as U .S. Grant. And

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the story goes that he just stuck with it to

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avoid having the initials H -U -G on his trunk,

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which he, you know, feared would lead to endless

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teasing. Can you blame him? H -U -G at West Point?

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Yeah, maybe not. It's a small, relatable moment

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that forever changed how the world would know

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him. And it led to another interesting identifier.

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Among his army colleagues, he quickly became

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known as Sam because U .S. could also stand for

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Uncle Sam. Ah, okay. So these seemingly minor

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personal details, they really add layers to the

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legendary figure he became, showing us the boy

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and the man before the icon. Growing up in Georgetown,

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Ohio with five younger siblings, he sounds like

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he was a quiet kid. He went to various schools,

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but there was one truly remarkable talent that

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emerged early on, something almost prodigious.

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His horsemanship. Definitely. From a very young

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age, Grant developed this unusual, almost innate

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ability to ride and manage horses. It wasn't

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just a skill, it was apparently a profound connection.

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Right. His father, recognizing this exceptional

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talent, put him to work driving supply wagons.

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And this foundational ability, cultivated during

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his youth, would later prove absolutely invaluable

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in his military career. His understanding of

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cavalry, logistics, it became a defining strength.

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It wasn't just writing, it was like a deep comprehension

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of these animals that few possess. Exactly. And

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that understanding translated directly to military

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effectiveness later. It's also striking that,

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unlike his siblings, his Methodist parents didn't

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force him to attend church. He prayed privately

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and never officially joined any denomination,

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which led some, including his own son, apparently,

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to view him as agnostic. Yeah, that definitely

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handset an independent spirit from an early age,

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doesn't it? A man who thought for himself rather

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than simply accepting received wisdom. And politically,

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before the Civil War, he was pretty apolitical,

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but he did acknowledge he would have identified

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with the Whigs if he had any strong sympathies,

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mostly because of his father's influence, it

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seems. That independent streak and his sort of

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apolitical nature before the war are key to understanding

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his later decisions, I think. He wasn't driven

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by partisan ideology early on, but by a deeper,

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evolving sense of duty and what he believed was

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fundamentally right for the country. A moral

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compass rather than just party affiliation. Right.

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That often guided his most crucial choices. Which

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leads us to West Point. He ended up there at

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his father's insistence, nominated in the spring

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of 1839. But it wasn't exactly his dream job,

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was it? He was a reluctant cadet. Not at all.

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He was initially indifferent, maybe even somewhat

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resentful of military life. He even reconsidered

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leaving within a year. Really? Yeah, though he

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later wrote that he grew to like this place very

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much. But despite his personal reservations,

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he excelled in practical skills, notably earning

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a reputation as the most proficient horseman

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in his class. Which goes back to that early gift,

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right? Exactly. A clear testament to that talent

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we discussed. And here's another surprising facet

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of his personality that often gets overlooked.

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He spent more time reading books from the library

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than his academic texts, and even studied under

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the romantic artist Robert Walter Weir. He produced

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nine surviving artworks. That offers such a vivid

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glimpse into his inner world, doesn't it? It

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shows a contemplative, perhaps even artistic

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side, far beyond the military discipline we typically

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associate with him. Yeah, it adds a whole other

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dimension. It truly speaks to a curiosity and

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intellectual depth often overshadowed by his

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military achievements. He wasn't just a soldier,

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he was a learner and an observer, traits that

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would serve him well in understanding complex

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situations later on. His time there, even with

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that initial reluctance, clearly shaped his strategic

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mind and broadened his perspective. Definitely.

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He graduated on June 30, 1843, ranking 21st out

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of 39 in his class. Not stellar, but solid. And

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he still planned to resign after his four -year

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term. In fact, he famously said that one of the

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happiest days of his life was the day he left

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the Academy. Right, alongside the day he left

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the presidency. Which says something. It really

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does. Yet despite his incredible horsemanship,

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he was assigned to the 4th Infantry Regiment,

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not the cavalry. Which seems odd. A bit counterintuitive,

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yeah. His first post was Jefferson Barracks near

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St. Louis, Missouri, then the nation's largest

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military base in the West. He was apparently

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content with his commander, but still openly

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looked forward to a civilian teaching career.

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It really shows how much his life took an unexpected

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turn away from his initial desires. This early

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period is crucial because it underscores that

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Grant wasn't a born military man in the conventional

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sense. He effectively stumbled into it. His initial

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desires were for a quiet civilian life. And this

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reluctance provides such a powerful counterpoint

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to his later emergence as this military genius.

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He was happy enough with his command, but he

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truly envisioned a life outside of the army.

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A life that personal circumstances would soon

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dramatically alter. So his plans for civilian

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life were well underway. But then, as it often

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does, love intervened. He met Julia Dent in 1844,

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the sister of a West Point friend, and they quickly

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became engaged. and they married on August 22,

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1848, at Julia's home in St. Louis. But this

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wedding had a very telling detail, didn't it?

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Something that foreshadowed the great schism

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to come. It did. Grant's staunchly abolitionist

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father strongly disapproved because the Dents

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owned slaves. Right, and neither of Grant's parents

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attended the wedding. This deeply personal family

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division over slavery just illustrates the profound,

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pervasive societal schisms that were already

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tearing at the fabric of the nation, even within

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individual households. In that detail about his

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best man. Oh, yeah. In a poignant detail of shared

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history, his best man was James Longstreet, Julia's

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cousin, who would later serve as a prominent

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Confederate general. And would ultimately surrender

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to Grant at Appomattox. Just... Incredible. You

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really couldn't make it up. So after marriage

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with a wife and eventually a growing family to

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support, they had four children, Frederick, Ulysses

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Junior, Buck, Ellen, Nellie, and Jesse the second.

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Right. Grant obtained an extension to his leave

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and then decided to remain in the army, altering

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his earlier plans for a civilian life. It was

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a pivotal choice that, in hindsight, dramatically

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shaped his entire future and, by extension, the

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nation's. Absolutely. Had he not decided to stay

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in the army for his family, the course of American

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history might have been very, very different.

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It's a recurring theme with Grant. Personal circumstances

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often pushed him into roles where his latent

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talents could then shine, even if he didn't initially

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seek them out. And those talents truly began

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to be forged in the crucible of the Mexican -American

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War. His unit was stationed in Louisiana, and

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he experienced combat for the first time at the

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Battle of Palo Alto in May 1846. He served as

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regimental quartermaster, a logistical role,

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but he really yearned for a combat role, eventually

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leading a charge at the Battle of Resaca de la

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Palma. And he even demonstrated that remarkable

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equestrian ability at the Battle of Monterrey,

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carrying a dispatch by hanging off the side of

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his horse to avoid snipers. That's a cinematic

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image, isn't it? Showcasing his innate bravery

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and skill. And it speaks volumes about his character.

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For his bravery at Molino del Rey, he was breveted,

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given that temporary, honorary promotion to First

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Lieutenant. OK. And then captain at San Cosme,

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where he cleverly directed men to reassemble

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a mountain howitzer in a church steeple to bombard

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Mexican troops below. These weren't just promotions.

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They were clear recognitions of his initiative

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and tactical thinking under fire. demonstrating

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his natural aptitude for command. He really emerged

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from this war as a seasoned officer, studying

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the tactics of Major General Zachary Taylor and

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General Winfield Scott. Two of the era's most

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respected commanders. He later wrote in his memoirs

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that this is how he learned much about military

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leadership, particularly identifying his own

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style with Taylor's more pragmatic approach.

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But what's truly fascinating here is how his

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role as an assistant quartermaster, initially

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disliked, proved to be such an invaluable training

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ground. It's a classic example, isn't it? How

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seemingly mundane duties can provide profound

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lessons. That quartermaster role taught him the

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critical importance of military supply routes,

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transportation, logistics, all the behind the

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scenes stuff that wins wars. Exactly. He recognized

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that wars could be won or lost by factors far

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beyond the immediate battlefield, particularly

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the challenge of provisioning a large mobile

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army operating in hostile territory. This understanding

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of the logistical underpinnings of warfare would

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become a hallmark of his immense success in the

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Civil War. It gave him an edge few other generals

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possessed. And he didn't just come away with

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military experience. In retrospect, Grant viewed

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the Mexican War as morally unjust, didn't he?

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He did. He believed its territorial gains were

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designed primarily to expand slavery. He even

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opined that the Civil War, then still years away,

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was divine punishment for US aggression against

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Mexico. Wow. That really shows his evolving moral

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compass, even at that early stage, and his deepening

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discomfort with the institution of slavery, despite

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his personal connections to it through Julia's

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family. It truly highlights his deep capacity

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for introspection and a developing moral conscience

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regarding slavery. This internal conflict and

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conviction would greatly inform his actions later

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as president. After the war, his assignments

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took him and Julia through a series of increasingly

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isolated postings. Detroit, then Madison Barracks,

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a desolate outpost in upstate New York. Sounds

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grim. Yeah, before he was sent to Panama and

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then to the Oregon territory. While in Panama,

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during a devastating cholera epidemic, he even

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demonstrated remarkable humanitarian action.

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He organized a field hospital, personally nursed

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the sick when orderlies protested, earned high

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praise for it. It speaks to his underlying character,

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his willingness to step up in a crisis, and his

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compassion. However, this period also saw the

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beginning of significant personal struggles.

00:12:33.779 --> 00:12:35.700
He tried several business ventures but failed,

00:12:36.120 --> 00:12:38.799
losing, what was it, $800 to a dishonest partner.

00:12:38.820 --> 00:12:42.220
A lot of money back then. Equivalent to maybe

00:12:42.220 --> 00:12:46.519
$23 ,000 today. And he also witnessed firsthand

00:12:46.519 --> 00:12:49.220
white agents cheating local Native Americans,

00:12:49.899 --> 00:12:52.720
saw their devastation by diseases, which profoundly

00:12:52.720 --> 00:12:55.539
developed his empathy for their plight. another

00:12:55.539 --> 00:12:57.240
thread that would become critical during his

00:12:57.240 --> 00:13:00.080
presidency. He was promoted to captain in 1853

00:13:00.080 --> 00:13:03.039
and assigned to command at Fort Humboldt in California.

00:13:03.639 --> 00:13:05.919
But separated from his family for long stretches,

00:13:06.259 --> 00:13:08.759
a common issue in the frontier army, he began

00:13:08.759 --> 00:13:11.080
to drink. Yeah, this is a difficult part of his

00:13:11.080 --> 00:13:13.179
story. His commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel

00:13:13.179 --> 00:13:16.100
Robert C. Buchanan, reprimanded him. basically

00:13:16.100 --> 00:13:18.779
told him to resign or reform. An ultimatum. Pretty

00:13:18.779 --> 00:13:21.220
much. Grant, facing this, resigned. Perfective

00:13:21.220 --> 00:13:24.840
July 31st, 1854. He later admitted that the vice

00:13:24.840 --> 00:13:27.360
of intemperance had not a little to do with my

00:13:27.360 --> 00:13:29.320
decision to resign. But he faced no court martial,

00:13:29.379 --> 00:13:31.100
and the War Department's official record simply

00:13:31.100 --> 00:13:33.580
stated, nothing stands against his good name.

00:13:34.059 --> 00:13:36.799
Right. Historians continue to debate the full

00:13:36.799 --> 00:13:39.179
extent of his drinking during this period, but

00:13:39.179 --> 00:13:41.519
it was undeniably a very difficult chapter for

00:13:41.519 --> 00:13:44.480
him. His personal struggles, exacerbated by the

00:13:44.480 --> 00:13:47.120
isolation from his beloved family and a profound

00:13:47.120 --> 00:13:49.039
lack of fulfillment in his military duties at

00:13:49.039 --> 00:13:52.500
the time, it all combined to create a period

00:13:52.500 --> 00:13:55.100
of deep vulnerability. It's a testament to his

00:13:55.100 --> 00:13:57.419
later strength and, you know, the enduring support

00:13:57.419 --> 00:14:00.220
of Julia that he overcame these challenges and

00:14:00.220 --> 00:14:03.399
emerged a stronger leader. Definitely. For seven

00:14:03.399 --> 00:14:07.200
years then, from 1854 to 1861, Grant struggled

00:14:07.200 --> 00:14:10.110
financially to support his growing family. His

00:14:10.110 --> 00:14:13.029
father, Jesse, offered him a place in the family's

00:14:13.029 --> 00:14:15.110
thriving leather business. Which sounds like

00:14:15.110 --> 00:14:17.730
a lifeline. It does, but Grant declined because

00:14:17.730 --> 00:14:19.830
it required Julia and the children to live separately,

00:14:20.049 --> 00:14:22.669
a choice that really speaks volumes about his

00:14:22.669 --> 00:14:24.809
dedication to his family. So he turned to farming,

00:14:24.990 --> 00:14:27.389
even with the help of Julia's slave, Dan, but

00:14:27.389 --> 00:14:29.850
it was unsuccessful. He even resorted to selling

00:14:29.850 --> 00:14:32.490
firewood on St. Louis street corners. That just

00:14:32.490 --> 00:14:34.490
paints such a picture of his desperation and

00:14:34.490 --> 00:14:36.509
the depths of his poverty during this period.

00:14:36.730 --> 00:14:39.620
It's a stark almost unbelievable contrast to

00:14:39.620 --> 00:14:41.960
the man who would later lead armies in a nation.

00:14:43.019 --> 00:14:45.559
In 1856, they built a home called Hard Scrabble

00:14:45.559 --> 00:14:48.440
on Julia's father's farm, which Julia herself

00:14:48.440 --> 00:14:51.600
described as an unattractive cabin. Hard Scrabble.

00:14:51.720 --> 00:14:53.779
The name says it all, really. It does. During

00:14:53.779 --> 00:14:57.039
the Panic of 1857, a severe economic downturn,

00:14:57.379 --> 00:15:00.259
he even pawned his gold watch just to buy Christmas

00:15:00.259 --> 00:15:03.120
gifts for his children. This period of poverty

00:15:03.120 --> 00:15:05.500
and civilian struggle is crucial context for

00:15:05.500 --> 00:15:07.679
understanding the man who would later lead the

00:15:07.679 --> 00:15:10.480
Union Army. It speaks volumes about his resilience

00:15:10.480 --> 00:15:13.340
and his capacity for reinvention born out of

00:15:13.340 --> 00:15:16.100
sheer necessity and that powerful drive to provide

00:15:16.100 --> 00:15:18.759
for his family. Absolutely. And this era also

00:15:18.759 --> 00:15:21.460
raises that important question. How did his personal

00:15:21.460 --> 00:15:24.269
firsthand experience with slavery? through Julia's

00:15:24.269 --> 00:15:26.909
family, influenced his later actions as president.

00:15:26.970 --> 00:15:29.389
Especially on civil rights. Right. In 1858, he

00:15:29.389 --> 00:15:31.509
acquired a slave, William Jones, from his father

00:15:31.509 --> 00:15:34.090
-in -law. Although not an abolitionist at the

00:15:34.090 --> 00:15:37.129
time, Grant disliked slavery intensely and, crucially,

00:15:37.190 --> 00:15:39.429
could not bring himself to force Jones to work,

00:15:39.529 --> 00:15:42.769
which is significant. And then, in March 1859,

00:15:42.970 --> 00:15:45.509
Grant freed Jones by a menumission deed, that

00:15:45.509 --> 00:15:48.149
legal document granting freedom, an act potentially

00:15:48.149 --> 00:15:51.169
worth at least $1 ,000 back then. Equivalent

00:15:51.169 --> 00:15:54.559
to maybe $35 ,000 today. A huge sum for someone

00:15:54.559 --> 00:15:57.019
struggling like he was. It was a deeply personal

00:15:57.019 --> 00:15:59.879
decision that put his emerging moral values above

00:15:59.879 --> 00:16:02.700
significant financial gain, especially given

00:16:02.700 --> 00:16:05.440
his precarious financial situation. This act

00:16:05.440 --> 00:16:08.039
reveals a moral core that was fundamentally at

00:16:08.039 --> 00:16:10.639
odds with the institution of slavery, even before

00:16:10.639 --> 00:16:13.179
the war definitively shaped his views. Shows

00:16:13.179 --> 00:16:15.460
he was willing to make a personal sacrifice for

00:16:15.460 --> 00:16:17.820
a deeply held belief. He continued to struggle

00:16:17.820 --> 00:16:20.039
through these years, though, failed in a real

00:16:20.039 --> 00:16:22.559
estate partnership, got passed over for a county

00:16:22.559 --> 00:16:24.940
engineer position. Apparently because of perceived

00:16:24.940 --> 00:16:26.940
democratic sympathies stemming from his father

00:16:26.940 --> 00:16:30.220
-in -law's politics. But then in April 1860,

00:16:30.580 --> 00:16:33.500
a glimmer of hope. He moved his family to Galena,

00:16:33.500 --> 00:16:35.919
Illinois, joining his father's leather goods

00:16:35.919 --> 00:16:38.200
business. And within months, he paid off his

00:16:38.200 --> 00:16:40.000
debts and established himself as a reputable

00:16:40.000 --> 00:16:42.340
citizen. It was a brief period of stability,

00:16:42.659 --> 00:16:44.620
a moment of respite before everything changed

00:16:44.620 --> 00:16:47.820
again. and the nation itself plunged into chaos.

00:16:49.059 --> 00:16:51.120
This period of civilian struggles and poverty,

00:16:51.120 --> 00:16:53.659
it offers such crucial context for understanding

00:16:53.659 --> 00:16:55.500
the man who would later leave the Union Army.

00:16:56.139 --> 00:16:59.100
It speaks profoundly to his resilience, his capacity

00:16:59.100 --> 00:17:01.960
for reinvention, and his deeply personal motivations.

00:17:02.580 --> 00:17:04.900
He knew what it meant to face adversity and overcome

00:17:04.900 --> 00:17:07.440
it. A quality that would soon be tested on the

00:17:07.440 --> 00:17:10.339
largest stage imaginable and change it did dramatically.

00:17:10.940 --> 00:17:15.180
April 12, 1861, Confederate troops attacked Fort

00:17:15.180 --> 00:17:18.529
Sumter. The Civil War began. Lincoln immediately

00:17:18.529 --> 00:17:21.130
called for volunteers. Grant, who had actually

00:17:21.130 --> 00:17:24.150
voted for Democrat James Buchanan in 56, and

00:17:24.150 --> 00:17:26.750
preferred Stephen Douglas in 60, fearing a civil

00:17:26.750 --> 00:17:28.410
war. Right. He wasn't initially aligned with

00:17:28.410 --> 00:17:31.089
the Republicans. No. But now he was profoundly

00:17:31.089 --> 00:17:33.910
stirred by patriotic resolve. He attended recruitment

00:17:33.910 --> 00:17:36.190
meetings and was particularly moved by John Aaron

00:17:36.190 --> 00:17:38.950
Rollins' speech, writing, We have a government

00:17:38.950 --> 00:17:41.589
and laws and a flag, and they must all be sustained.

00:17:42.029 --> 00:17:44.789
There are but two parties now, traitors and patriots.

00:17:44.940 --> 00:17:48.299
Wow, that statement marks such a definitive and

00:17:48.299 --> 00:17:51.019
powerful shift in his perspective. From being

00:17:51.019 --> 00:17:53.460
largely apolitical and even fearful of civil

00:17:53.460 --> 00:17:56.779
war, he now saw the conflict in stark, moral

00:17:56.779 --> 00:17:59.680
terms. Prioritizing the preservation of the Union

00:17:59.680 --> 00:18:02.900
and the rule of law above all else, this newfound

00:18:02.900 --> 00:18:05.859
clarity of purpose, unburdened by earlier partisan

00:18:05.859 --> 00:18:08.789
leanings, would define his military career. After

00:18:08.789 --> 00:18:11.170
initial rejections for a senior rank, a testament

00:18:11.170 --> 00:18:13.269
to how far his reputation had perhaps fallen

00:18:13.269 --> 00:18:16.089
after his resignation, he was appointed military

00:18:16.089 --> 00:18:18.750
aid to Governor Richard Yates. He effectively

00:18:18.750 --> 00:18:21.490
mustered 10 regiments. Then, with the crucial

00:18:21.490 --> 00:18:24.369
aid of Congressman Elihu B. Washburn, he was

00:18:24.369 --> 00:18:26.670
appointed Colonel of the 21st Illinois Volunteer

00:18:26.670 --> 00:18:30.170
Infantry Regiment in June 1861, and he immediately

00:18:30.170 --> 00:18:31.849
brought much -needed order and discipline to

00:18:31.849 --> 00:18:34.150
the raw unit. Just a few months later, August

00:18:34.150 --> 00:18:36.750
5th, with Washburn's continued support, Grant

00:18:36.750 --> 00:18:38.789
was appointed Brigadier General of Volunteers

00:18:38.789 --> 00:18:41.009
and placed in command of the District of Southeastern

00:18:41.009 --> 00:18:44.009
Missouri. His meteoric rise, born of crisis,

00:18:44.349 --> 00:18:47.589
had truly begun. His ability to quickly instill

00:18:47.589 --> 00:18:50.049
discipline and organization in a volunteer regiment

00:18:50.049 --> 00:18:53.589
was immediately recognized as invaluable. This

00:18:53.589 --> 00:18:56.869
early success, demonstrating his innate leadership

00:18:56.869 --> 00:18:59.609
qualities, rapidly set the stage for his emergence

00:18:59.609 --> 00:19:02.210
as a commander who could bring order and effectiveness

00:19:02.210 --> 00:19:04.950
where others struggled. And he wasted no time

00:19:04.950 --> 00:19:07.250
making his mark, displaying a boldness that would

00:19:07.250 --> 00:19:09.470
become his trademark. Without waiting for his

00:19:09.470 --> 00:19:13.190
superior, Major General Fremont's reply, he advanced

00:19:13.190 --> 00:19:15.849
on Paducah, Kentucky. A strategically vital point.

00:19:15.930 --> 00:19:19.099
Took it without a fight on September 6th. 1861,

00:19:19.799 --> 00:19:22.079
and he famously assured the citizens, I have

00:19:22.079 --> 00:19:24.720
come among you, not as your enemy, but as your

00:19:24.720 --> 00:19:27.519
friend, understanding the vital importance of

00:19:27.519 --> 00:19:30.019
keeping Kentucky neutral. Smart political move,

00:19:30.380 --> 00:19:33.880
too. Then on November 7, 1861, he engaged Confederates

00:19:33.880 --> 00:19:36.119
at the Battle of Belmont, though the Union Army

00:19:36.119 --> 00:19:37.819
initially took the camp. They were forced into

00:19:37.819 --> 00:19:40.349
a chaotic retreat. But despite the tactical retreat,

00:19:40.450 --> 00:19:43.029
the battle gave his largely inexperienced volunteers

00:19:43.029 --> 00:19:45.569
much needed confidence and combat experience.

00:19:45.910 --> 00:19:48.309
These early actions, marked by initiative and

00:19:48.309 --> 00:19:51.230
pragmatism, showed his willingness to seize opportunities

00:19:51.230 --> 00:19:53.890
and his keen understanding of the political dimensions

00:19:53.890 --> 00:19:56.910
of the war. He was a general who learned rapidly

00:19:56.910 --> 00:19:59.490
and effectively. Which brings us to a crucial

00:19:59.490 --> 00:20:02.589
point in his early military career. Forts Henry

00:20:02.589 --> 00:20:05.410
and Donaldson. Grant and his Lieutenant Colonel

00:20:05.410 --> 00:20:08.170
James B. McPherson planned this daring strategy.

00:20:08.410 --> 00:20:11.069
right to bypass the heavily fortified Confederate

00:20:11.069 --> 00:20:13.930
stronghold of Columbus and instead move swiftly

00:20:13.930 --> 00:20:16.269
against Fort Henry on the Tennessee River than

00:20:16.269 --> 00:20:19.329
Fort Donelson on the Cumberland. The goal, open

00:20:19.329 --> 00:20:22.170
both rivers for Union access deep into the Confederate

00:20:22.170 --> 00:20:25.869
heartland. An audacious plan. Very. Admiral Andrew

00:20:25.869 --> 00:20:28.369
Holfoot's gunboats forced Fort Henry's surrender

00:20:28.369 --> 00:20:31.490
on February 6 before Grant's infantry even arrived.

00:20:31.670 --> 00:20:33.950
A quick victory. But the real test came at Fort

00:20:33.950 --> 00:20:36.480
Donelson. Indeed. After securing Fort Henry,

00:20:36.720 --> 00:20:38.339
Grant immediately ordered an assault on Fort

00:20:38.339 --> 00:20:41.380
Donelson. The battle is fierce. Initial Union

00:20:41.380 --> 00:20:43.960
setbacks. A desperate Confederate attack threatened

00:20:43.960 --> 00:20:46.960
to break his lines. High stick. Absolutely. It

00:20:46.960 --> 00:20:49.720
was here that Grant famously rode back, rallied

00:20:49.720 --> 00:20:52.359
his commanders with decisive orders, and blocked

00:20:52.359 --> 00:20:55.339
the crucial Nashville road, effectively trapping

00:20:55.339 --> 00:20:57.779
the Confederates back within the fort. And the

00:20:57.779 --> 00:21:01.019
outcome was legendary. February 16th, Confederate

00:21:01.019 --> 00:21:03.660
generals John B. Floyd and Gideon J. Pillow,

00:21:03.700 --> 00:21:06.680
seeing no escape, fled undercover of darkness,

00:21:06.880 --> 00:21:09.920
leaving Simon Bolivar Buckner in command. Buckner,

00:21:10.299 --> 00:21:12.480
a former West Point classmate of Grant's, no

00:21:12.480 --> 00:21:15.299
less. He submitted to Grant's unequivocal demand

00:21:15.299 --> 00:21:17.880
for unconditional and immediate surrender. And

00:21:17.880 --> 00:21:20.140
that was it, the first major Union victory of

00:21:20.140 --> 00:21:23.059
the war, capturing over 12 ,000 Confederates,

00:21:23.480 --> 00:21:26.440
opening critical waterways. This moment solidified

00:21:26.440 --> 00:21:29.160
his reputation. The Northern press, playing off

00:21:29.160 --> 00:21:31.799
his initials, immediately began calling him Unconditional

00:21:31.799 --> 00:21:34.279
Surrender Grant. Became his iconic nickname.

00:21:34.619 --> 00:21:36.680
Perfectly encapsulating his resolute approach.

00:21:37.220 --> 00:21:39.640
But even with such a crucial victory, political

00:21:39.640 --> 00:21:42.779
intrigue was brewing. General Henry W. Halleck,

00:21:42.880 --> 00:21:45.660
Grant's superior, accused him of neglect and

00:21:45.660 --> 00:21:47.400
inefficiency. Even brought up the drinking rumors

00:21:47.400 --> 00:21:50.019
again. Yeah, claimed. Word has just reached me

00:21:50.019 --> 00:21:53.500
that Grant has resumed his bad habits. But President

00:21:53.500 --> 00:21:56.440
Lincoln famously dismissed these critics, saying,

00:21:56.779 --> 00:21:59.940
I can't spare this man. He fights. Which truly

00:21:59.940 --> 00:22:02.559
shows Lincoln's keen judgment of character and

00:22:02.559 --> 00:22:04.720
military effectiveness, prioritizing results

00:22:04.720 --> 00:22:07.500
over rumor. He understood Grant delivered. Exactly.

00:22:07.759 --> 00:22:09.460
This was a critical endorsement that allowed

00:22:09.460 --> 00:22:12.599
Grant to continue his rise. However, his next

00:22:12.599 --> 00:22:15.420
major engagement, Shiloh, was a far costlier

00:22:15.420 --> 00:22:18.700
victory. a brutal awakening. Reinstated and promoted

00:22:18.700 --> 00:22:21.299
to Major General of Volunteers, Grant advanced

00:22:21.299 --> 00:22:23.500
with the Army of the Tennessee. Stationed at

00:22:23.500 --> 00:22:26.019
Pittsburgh Landing, his largely inexperienced

00:22:26.019 --> 00:22:28.160
troops didn't prepare defensive fortifications.

00:22:28.339 --> 00:22:30.359
And his subordinate, William T. Sherman, dismissed

00:22:30.359 --> 00:22:32.519
reports of nearby Confederates. Big mistake.

00:22:32.779 --> 00:22:36.680
Huge. On April 6, 1862, Confederate forces under

00:22:36.680 --> 00:22:38.819
Generals Albert Sidney Johnston and P .G .T.

00:22:38.960 --> 00:22:41.400
Beauregard launched a devastating surprise attack

00:22:41.400 --> 00:22:44.740
near Shiloh Church, forced a confused Union retreat.

00:22:44.940 --> 00:22:48.099
It was chaos. A shocking bloodbath. Shiloh was

00:22:48.099 --> 00:22:50.140
the costliest battle in American history to that

00:22:50.140 --> 00:22:54.339
point. A staggering 23 ,746 casualties on both

00:22:54.339 --> 00:22:57.559
sides. That evening, in heavy rain, Sherman found

00:22:57.559 --> 00:23:00.559
Grant under a tree, apparently unfazed. Sherman

00:23:00.559 --> 00:23:02.720
said, well, Grant, we've had the devil's own

00:23:02.720 --> 00:23:05.039
day of it, haven't we? To which Grant famously

00:23:05.039 --> 00:23:07.920
replied, yes, lick him tomorrow, though. Wow.

00:23:07.980 --> 00:23:11.660
Just steely resolve. That exchange perfectly

00:23:11.660 --> 00:23:14.079
captures Grant's unshakable resolve and mental

00:23:14.079 --> 00:23:18.039
toughness in the face of absolute disaster. Bolstered

00:23:18.039 --> 00:23:20.660
by reinforcements that night, Grant counterattacked

00:23:20.660 --> 00:23:23.059
the next day, regaining the field and securing

00:23:23.059 --> 00:23:26.039
a Union victory. But the battle, though won,

00:23:26.579 --> 00:23:28.769
truly changed his perspective on the war. And

00:23:28.769 --> 00:23:30.809
this is where we see that crucial shift in his

00:23:30.809 --> 00:23:33.829
strategic thinking. Grant realized, then indeed

00:23:33.829 --> 00:23:36.309
I gave up all idea of saving the Union except

00:23:36.309 --> 00:23:39.210
by complete conquest. A significant strategic

00:23:39.210 --> 00:23:41.849
turning point, moving from seeking limited engagements

00:23:41.849 --> 00:23:44.910
to understanding the grim necessary truth of

00:23:44.910 --> 00:23:47.440
total war. Despite briefly being hailed a hero,

00:23:47.680 --> 00:23:50.119
he was soon mired in controversy. The northern

00:23:50.119 --> 00:23:52.240
press castigated him for the high casualties

00:23:52.240 --> 00:23:55.059
and yet again accused him of drunkenness claims

00:23:55.059 --> 00:23:57.740
later refuted by those with him. Discouraged,

00:23:58.099 --> 00:24:00.400
Grant considered resigning, but Sherman, his

00:24:00.400 --> 00:24:03.079
loyal subordinate, convinced him to stay and

00:24:03.079 --> 00:24:05.980
Lincoln continued his unwavering support. Shiloh

00:24:05.980 --> 00:24:08.660
was a brutal lesson, but a necessary one for

00:24:08.660 --> 00:24:11.680
Grant. It hardened his resolve and profoundly

00:24:11.680 --> 00:24:13.799
shaped his strategy for the rest of the war.

00:24:14.029 --> 00:24:16.170
He now understood the Confederacy wouldn't just

00:24:16.170 --> 00:24:19.170
give up. It had to be decisively defeated. That

00:24:19.170 --> 00:24:21.710
meant a willingness to accept high costs and

00:24:21.710 --> 00:24:24.029
a relentless pursuit of the enemy. This new,

00:24:24.230 --> 00:24:26.549
unyielding resolve was put to the ultimate test

00:24:26.549 --> 00:24:29.049
in the Vicksburg campaign. The Union capture

00:24:29.049 --> 00:24:31.130
of Vicksburg, the last Confederate stronghold

00:24:31.130 --> 00:24:34.089
on the Mississippi River, was absolutely vital.

00:24:34.309 --> 00:24:36.849
Split the Confederacy in two. Control the essential

00:24:36.849 --> 00:24:40.339
waterway. a hugely complex, protracted campaign.

00:24:40.680 --> 00:24:42.880
And Confederate cavalry raids on Grant's extended

00:24:42.880 --> 00:24:45.000
supply lines forced him to consider and adopt

00:24:45.000 --> 00:24:48.200
a new, audacious strategy, foraging the land.

00:24:48.500 --> 00:24:50.900
Living off what the region provided, rather than

00:24:50.900 --> 00:24:53.339
exposing long union supply lines to constant

00:24:53.339 --> 00:24:56.099
attack, innovative and incredibly bold for its

00:24:56.099 --> 00:24:58.779
time, breaking military convention. It was a

00:24:58.779 --> 00:25:01.660
pragmatic and necessary adaptation, wasn't it?

00:25:01.920 --> 00:25:04.380
Showing his increasing mastery of logistics in

00:25:04.380 --> 00:25:07.119
a dynamic and hostile environment. Absolutely.

00:25:07.380 --> 00:25:09.720
He understood a mobile army couldn't always rely

00:25:09.720 --> 00:25:12.819
on traditional, vulnerable supply lines, especially

00:25:12.819 --> 00:25:16.160
deep in enemy territory, a calculated risk that

00:25:16.160 --> 00:25:18.420
paid off handsomely. And during this campaign,

00:25:18.880 --> 00:25:21.579
another powerful development unfolded. Fugitive

00:25:21.579 --> 00:25:23.880
African -American slaves poured into Grant's

00:25:23.880 --> 00:25:26.420
district. Seeking freedom behind union lines.

00:25:26.980 --> 00:25:29.480
On his own initiative, Grant set up pragmatic

00:25:29.480 --> 00:25:31.839
contraband camps administered by a chaplain,

00:25:32.140 --> 00:25:35.220
John Ian. And these freed slaves picked cotton,

00:25:35.519 --> 00:25:38.000
which was then shipped north, directly aiding

00:25:38.000 --> 00:25:40.740
the Union war effort. Lincoln, seeing its success,

00:25:41.119 --> 00:25:43.700
approved this program. Grant also incorporated

00:25:43.700 --> 00:25:45.980
freed black labor into the Union Army and Navy

00:25:45.980 --> 00:25:48.359
for canal work, further integrating them into

00:25:48.359 --> 00:25:51.240
the war effort. a clear sign of his growing commitment

00:25:51.240 --> 00:25:54.380
to emancipation and the utility of black contributions.

00:25:54.619 --> 00:25:56.819
This is a crucial aspect of his character, that

00:25:56.819 --> 00:25:58.819
pragmatism combined with his growing commitment

00:25:58.819 --> 00:26:01.619
to emancipation, seeing their potential not just

00:26:01.619 --> 00:26:04.420
as beneficiaries, but as vital contributors to

00:26:04.420 --> 00:26:07.720
victory. Moving from a passive stance to actively

00:26:07.720 --> 00:26:10.779
empowering them. However, during this period,

00:26:11.099 --> 00:26:14.299
he also had that deeply regrettable moment. General

00:26:14.299 --> 00:26:17.779
Order Number 11. Right. December 17th, 1862.

00:26:18.089 --> 00:26:21.349
He issued this highly controversial order expelling

00:26:21.349 --> 00:26:23.990
Jews as a class from his military district due

00:26:23.990 --> 00:26:26.069
to complaints about speculators. Though it's

00:26:26.069 --> 00:26:28.369
important to note, most illegal traders were

00:26:28.369 --> 00:26:32.029
not Jewish. Lincoln quickly and decisively rescinded

00:26:32.029 --> 00:26:34.069
the order. And Grant later described issuing

00:26:34.069 --> 00:26:36.670
this order as one of his biggest regrets. During

00:26:36.670 --> 00:26:39.690
his presidency, he made significant amends, appointing

00:26:39.690 --> 00:26:41.789
more than 50 Jewish people to federal office.

00:26:41.990 --> 00:26:44.890
It's a dark mark, but one he actively tried to

00:26:44.890 --> 00:26:47.640
correct and learn from. It highlights the complexities

00:26:47.640 --> 00:26:50.240
and prejudices of the time and Grant's own journey

00:26:50.240 --> 00:26:52.940
of understanding. His later actions show genuine

00:26:52.940 --> 00:26:55.559
remorse. Grant assumed overall command of the

00:26:55.559 --> 00:26:58.839
Vicksburg campaign in January 1863. His plan

00:26:58.839 --> 00:27:01.180
to attack Vicksburg from Down River was incredibly

00:27:01.180 --> 00:27:03.619
risky, distancing his army from supply lines,

00:27:04.000 --> 00:27:06.609
forcing reliance on foraging. Admiral David Dixon

00:27:06.609 --> 00:27:09.309
Porter's gunboats successfully ran the Vicksburg

00:27:09.309 --> 00:27:12.190
batteries, and Grant's army then executed this

00:27:12.190 --> 00:27:14.970
brilliant series of maneuvers, capturing Jackson,

00:27:15.369 --> 00:27:17.769
defeating Pemberton at Champion Hill, forcing

00:27:17.769 --> 00:27:20.650
a retreat into Vicksburg. After two failed assaults

00:27:20.650 --> 00:27:23.009
on the fortified city, the Union settled in for

00:27:23.009 --> 00:27:26.329
a grueling seven -week siege. Grant occasionally

00:27:26.329 --> 00:27:28.710
drank during quiet periods, grappling with the

00:27:28.710 --> 00:27:31.250
immense pressure. And he decisively removed Major

00:27:31.250 --> 00:27:34.130
General John A. McLernan from command due to

00:27:34.130 --> 00:27:36.970
ongoing rivalry and insubordination. He wasn't

00:27:36.970 --> 00:27:39.390
afraid to make tough calls. Pemberton finally

00:27:39.390 --> 00:27:42.589
surrendered Vicksburg to Grant on July 4th, 1863,

00:27:43.049 --> 00:27:45.710
a hugely symbolic date. The fall of Vicksburg

00:27:45.710 --> 00:27:49.150
was monumental, a true turning point, gave Union

00:27:49.150 --> 00:27:51.950
forces complete control of the Mississippi, effectively

00:27:51.950 --> 00:27:54.640
splitting the Confederacy. major strategic blow,

00:27:55.059 --> 00:27:57.400
huge morale boost. And by this time, Grant's

00:27:57.400 --> 00:27:59.440
political sympathies fully coincided with the

00:27:59.440 --> 00:28:01.640
radical Republicans' aggressive prosecution of

00:28:01.640 --> 00:28:04.380
the war and, critically, the emancipation of

00:28:04.380 --> 00:28:07.079
slaves. He now saw these as intertwined and absolutely

00:28:07.079 --> 00:28:09.839
essential for achieving total victory and a lasting

00:28:09.839 --> 00:28:12.680
peace. His success continued to mount, culminating

00:28:12.680 --> 00:28:16.000
in another decisive victory at Chattanooga. October

00:28:16.000 --> 00:28:20.359
16th, 1863, Lincoln promoted Grant to Major General

00:28:20.359 --> 00:28:23.019
in the regular army, gave him command of the

00:28:23.019 --> 00:28:26.400
newly formed division of the Mississippi. Encompassing

00:28:26.400 --> 00:28:29.019
multiple armies. After the devastating Union

00:28:29.019 --> 00:28:30.980
defeat at Chickamauga, the army of the Carbilland

00:28:30.980 --> 00:28:33.880
was effectively besieged in Chattanooga. Grant

00:28:33.880 --> 00:28:36.740
immediately arrived. Forces under Major General

00:28:36.740 --> 00:28:39.299
Joseph Hooker opened a critical supply line.

00:28:39.599 --> 00:28:42.420
The battle above the clouds. Grant then planned

00:28:42.420 --> 00:28:44.740
for Sherman's army to assault Missionary Ridge.

00:28:45.259 --> 00:28:47.599
But on November 25th, after Sherman's efforts

00:28:47.599 --> 00:28:50.380
stalled, Grant ordered Major General George Henry

00:28:50.380 --> 00:28:53.079
Thomas' forces to advance to rifle pits at the

00:28:53.079 --> 00:28:55.859
base of Missionary Ridge. And then, in this unplanned,

00:28:56.039 --> 00:28:59.099
audacious move, four divisions, led by Sheridan

00:28:59.099 --> 00:29:01.779
and Thomas J. Wood, against orders, continued

00:29:01.779 --> 00:29:04.500
the charge up the incredibly steep 45 -degree

00:29:04.500 --> 00:29:06.640
slope. It kept going. Captured the Confederate

00:29:06.640 --> 00:29:09.039
entrenchments for its complete retreat, an amazing

00:29:09.039 --> 00:29:11.599
moment of battlefield initiative. This decisive

00:29:11.599 --> 00:29:14.900
battle gave the Union control of Tennessee and,

00:29:15.160 --> 00:29:18.259
crucially, opened Georgia, the Confederate heartland,

00:29:18.680 --> 00:29:21.660
to Union invasion. Another clear demonstration

00:29:21.660 --> 00:29:24.660
of his ability to adapt, capitalize on unexpected

00:29:24.660 --> 00:29:27.299
successes. And leverage the initiative of his

00:29:27.299 --> 00:29:29.559
subordinates, even when they deviated from the

00:29:29.559 --> 00:29:32.819
letter of his orders. By 1864, Grant's consistent

00:29:32.819 --> 00:29:35.059
victories and relentless approach had made him

00:29:35.059 --> 00:29:38.859
indispensable. March 2nd, 1864, Lincoln took

00:29:38.859 --> 00:29:41.420
the unprecedented step of promoting Grant to

00:29:41.420 --> 00:29:43.940
Lieutenant General, a rank previously held only

00:29:43.940 --> 00:29:46.730
by George Washington. This cemented his position

00:29:46.730 --> 00:29:49.190
as the Union's top military leader, command over

00:29:49.190 --> 00:29:51.309
all Union armies. And he quickly established

00:29:51.309 --> 00:29:53.809
a remarkably good working relationship with Lincoln,

00:29:54.049 --> 00:29:56.230
who having found his general, allowed him to

00:29:56.230 --> 00:29:58.990
devise his own overarching strategy. That trust

00:29:58.990 --> 00:30:01.630
forged in the fires of war was absolutely crucial.

00:30:02.269 --> 00:30:04.710
Lincoln famously gave Grant the freedom to take

00:30:04.710 --> 00:30:06.650
all the rest you think you need and don't bother

00:30:06.650 --> 00:30:09.019
me with details. He'd found his general. Someone

00:30:09.019 --> 00:30:11.119
who would relentlessly pursue the enemy without

00:30:11.119 --> 00:30:14.460
needing constant oversight. Grant, in turn, deeply

00:30:14.460 --> 00:30:17.099
respected Lincoln's leadership. A powerful partnership.

00:30:17.880 --> 00:30:20.799
Absolutely. Grant then implemented a truly grand

00:30:20.799 --> 00:30:24.000
strategy. A coordinated effort on an unprecedented

00:30:24.000 --> 00:30:27.220
scale. scrapped a risky invasion of North Carolina,

00:30:27.819 --> 00:30:30.859
planned five coordinated Union offensives. Designed

00:30:30.859 --> 00:30:32.859
to prevent Confederate armies from shifting troops

00:30:32.859 --> 00:30:35.500
to reinforce each other, he and Major General

00:30:35.500 --> 00:30:37.920
George Meade would make a direct frontal attack

00:30:37.920 --> 00:30:40.920
on Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. While Sherman,

00:30:41.380 --> 00:30:44.000
now commanding all Western armies, would destroy

00:30:44.000 --> 00:30:46.460
Joseph E. Johnston's Army of Tennessee and take

00:30:46.460 --> 00:30:50.940
Atlanta, Grant commanded a staggering 533 ,000

00:30:50.940 --> 00:30:53.940
battle -ready troops spread out over an 18 -mile

00:30:53.940 --> 00:30:56.839
front. A logistical and strategic challenge unlike

00:30:56.839 --> 00:30:59.880
any seen before. This was total war designed

00:30:59.880 --> 00:31:02.599
to overwhelm the Confederacy. It was a monumental

00:31:02.599 --> 00:31:05.539
strategic shift designed to relentlessly pressure

00:31:05.539 --> 00:31:08.279
the Confederacy on multiple fronts. This vision

00:31:08.279 --> 00:31:10.720
was ultimately the decisive factor in breaking

00:31:10.720 --> 00:31:12.940
their will to fight. The Oberland campaign was

00:31:12.940 --> 00:31:15.559
the grim centerpiece of this strategy. A series

00:31:15.559 --> 00:31:18.539
of brutal battles in Virginia during May and

00:31:18.539 --> 00:31:21.839
June 1864, characterized by incredibly high casualties

00:31:21.839 --> 00:31:24.799
and Grant's unwavering, almost terrifying determination.

00:31:25.119 --> 00:31:27.359
Initial efforts by other Union generals, Siegel

00:31:27.359 --> 00:31:30.160
and Butler, failed, leaving Grant to directly

00:31:30.160 --> 00:31:33.279
confront Lee. The Battle of the Wilderness, three

00:31:33.279 --> 00:31:36.839
days in dense, tangled woods. A nightmare. Resulted

00:31:36.839 --> 00:31:41.420
in estimated casualties of 17 ,666 Union and

00:31:41.420 --> 00:31:45.380
11 ,125 Confederate troops. Huge numbers. And

00:31:45.380 --> 00:31:47.859
rather than retreating, as previous Union commanders

00:31:47.859 --> 00:31:50.920
had done, Grant famously flanked Lee's army to

00:31:50.920 --> 00:31:53.700
the southeast, trying to wedge his forces between

00:31:53.700 --> 00:31:55.880
Lee and Richmond at Spotsylvania Courthouse.

00:31:56.099 --> 00:31:58.839
Lee's army, with its uncanny ability to anticipate,

00:31:59.039 --> 00:32:02.220
arrived first, leading to a costly 13 -day battle.

00:32:02.480 --> 00:32:05.140
May 12, Grant's attempt to break through Lee's

00:32:05.140 --> 00:32:07.559
Mule Shoe Salient resulted in one of the bloodiest

00:32:07.559 --> 00:32:10.319
assaults of the war, the Bloody Angle. Unable

00:32:10.319 --> 00:32:12.900
to break Lee's lines, Grant again relentlessly

00:32:12.900 --> 00:32:15.460
flanked the rebels, pressing on. This campaign

00:32:15.460 --> 00:32:18.200
was a grinding, brutal test of wills and resources.

00:32:18.839 --> 00:32:20.779
Gratt was willing to accept heavy casualties,

00:32:20.779 --> 00:32:22.720
knowing he could eventually replace his losses

00:32:22.720 --> 00:32:25.079
while Lee couldn't. His relentless advance, even

00:32:25.079 --> 00:32:27.400
facing immense bloodshed, was a stark strategic

00:32:27.400 --> 00:32:29.799
calculation designed to wear down and ultimately

00:32:29.799 --> 00:32:32.720
destroy Lee's army. War on a scale previously

00:32:32.720 --> 00:32:35.240
unimaginable in America. And then came Cold Harbor

00:32:35.240 --> 00:32:37.920
on June 3rd, perhaps his most regrettable assault.

00:32:38.200 --> 00:32:40.859
The recent Bloody Wilderness campaign had hurt

00:32:40.859 --> 00:32:43.680
Confederate morale, and Grant hoped for a decisive

00:32:43.680 --> 00:32:46.220
breakthrough at Cold Harbor, a vital road hub.

00:32:46.839 --> 00:32:49.180
Believed it could quickly end the war, but a

00:32:49.180 --> 00:32:52.500
crucial detail here. Grant had two corps in position,

00:32:52.619 --> 00:32:55.140
but his men were utterly exhausted after weeks

00:32:55.140 --> 00:32:57.420
of constant fighting. He postponed the attack

00:32:57.420 --> 00:33:00.160
twice, inadvertently giving Lee crucial time

00:33:00.160 --> 00:33:03.079
to construct formidable, hastily built entrenchments

00:33:03.079 --> 00:33:05.579
overnight. Compounding this, Grant and Meade

00:33:05.579 --> 00:33:08.140
didn't give specific coordinated orders, leaving

00:33:08.140 --> 00:33:10.440
critical tactical coordination to corps commanders,

00:33:10.839 --> 00:33:13.299
and Grant himself didn't fully realize the strength

00:33:13.299 --> 00:33:15.980
of Lee's prepared defenses. It was a disastrous

00:33:15.980 --> 00:33:18.579
tactical error one Grant would forever regret.

00:33:19.000 --> 00:33:21.859
Morning of June 3, over 100 ,000 Union men against

00:33:21.859 --> 00:33:25.039
Lee's 59 ,000, Grant launched a direct assault

00:33:25.039 --> 00:33:26.980
against well -entrenched Confederate lines. The

00:33:26.980 --> 00:33:29.809
result was catastrophic. The Union suffered 12

00:33:29.809 --> 00:33:32.569
,000, 14 ,000 casualties in a matter of hours

00:33:32.569 --> 00:33:35.910
compared to Lee's far lower 3 ,000, 5 ,000. The

00:33:35.910 --> 00:33:37.890
unprecedented number of casualties heightened

00:33:37.890 --> 00:33:40.049
anti -war sentiment in the North, leading to

00:33:40.049 --> 00:33:42.329
many calling Grant the butcher. He later wrote

00:33:42.329 --> 00:33:45.630
in his memoirs, with deep regret, I always regretted

00:33:45.630 --> 00:33:47.970
that the last assault at Cold Harbor was ever

00:33:47.970 --> 00:33:50.670
made. He wanted a truce to gather the wounded,

00:33:50.750 --> 00:33:53.549
but Lee insisted on a total truce. And tragically,

00:33:53.769 --> 00:33:56.089
most Union wounded died in the field during the

00:33:56.089 --> 00:33:59.119
delay. A sobering reminder of the horrific human

00:33:59.119 --> 00:34:02.920
cost and the agonizing decisions. But Cold Harbor,

00:34:03.180 --> 00:34:06.200
despite its terrible cost, didn't deter Grant.

00:34:06.779 --> 00:34:09.380
It reinforced his conviction that direct frontal

00:34:09.380 --> 00:34:11.679
assaults against entrenched positions were too

00:34:11.679 --> 00:34:15.099
costly. he adapted his tactics. Undetected by

00:34:15.099 --> 00:34:17.840
Lee, he executed a brilliant strategic maneuver,

00:34:18.159 --> 00:34:20.619
moving his entire army south of the James River,

00:34:20.960 --> 00:34:23.500
advancing toward Petersburg, Virginia's central

00:34:23.500 --> 00:34:26.519
railroad hub. Initiating a grueling nine -month

00:34:26.519 --> 00:34:29.019
siege, this reflected Grant's willingness to

00:34:29.019 --> 00:34:31.360
adapt, shifting to a more patient, attritional

00:34:31.360 --> 00:34:34.219
approach. Meanwhile, Major General Philip Sheridan

00:34:34.219 --> 00:34:36.420
was assigned command of the Union Army of the

00:34:36.420 --> 00:34:38.760
Shenandoah, with Grant directing him to follow

00:34:38.760 --> 00:34:41.210
the enemy to their death in the valley. Sheridan

00:34:41.210 --> 00:34:43.710
successfully disrupted Confederate supply lines

00:34:43.710 --> 00:34:46.989
and resources, employing a scorched earth policy.

00:34:47.809 --> 00:34:49.610
But even during the Siege of Petersburg, there

00:34:49.610 --> 00:34:52.329
were major setbacks, like the infamous Battle

00:34:52.329 --> 00:34:56.250
of the Crater in July 1864. Right. Grant reluctantly

00:34:56.250 --> 00:34:58.670
approved that bizarre plan to blow up Confederate

00:34:58.670 --> 00:35:02.030
trenches with gunpowder. Massive explosion, killed

00:35:02.030 --> 00:35:04.630
an entire Confederate regiment, created a huge

00:35:04.630 --> 00:35:08.469
breach. But here's where leadership failed spectacularly.

00:35:08.610 --> 00:35:11.099
Poorly led Union troops. including black troops

00:35:11.099 --> 00:35:12.960
who suffered a large proportion of casualties,

00:35:13.679 --> 00:35:15.380
rushed into the crater instead of encircling

00:35:15.380 --> 00:35:18.179
it. Became trapped. Easy targets for recovering

00:35:18.179 --> 00:35:20.539
Confederates. It was, as Grant himself admitted,

00:35:20.820 --> 00:35:24.199
a truly stupendous failure. He later pointedly

00:35:24.199 --> 00:35:27.059
blamed Major General Ambrose Burnside and Brigadier

00:35:27.059 --> 00:35:29.940
General James H. Ledley in his memoirs, even

00:35:29.940 --> 00:35:31.780
testified against them. Shows his willingness

00:35:31.780 --> 00:35:33.739
to hold commanders accountable, though, even

00:35:33.739 --> 00:35:36.519
those he'd previously supported. Commitment to

00:35:36.519 --> 00:35:38.940
effectiveness over personal loyalties. Despite

00:35:38.940 --> 00:35:41.400
these setbacks, the broader strategic successes

00:35:41.400 --> 00:35:44.280
were piling up. Union forces captured Mobile

00:35:44.280 --> 00:35:46.960
Bay. Atlanta fell to Sherman. Union control of

00:35:46.960 --> 00:35:49.420
the Shenandoah Valley was secured, all ensuring

00:35:49.420 --> 00:35:52.179
Lincoln's reelection in November. A crucial political

00:35:52.179 --> 00:35:55.599
victory. Sherman's march to the sea cut a devastating

00:35:55.599 --> 00:35:58.420
path through Georgia, crippling the Confederacy.

00:35:58.719 --> 00:36:01.320
And General George Thomas smashed Confederate

00:36:01.320 --> 00:36:04.610
General John Bell Hood's army at Nashville. These

00:36:04.610 --> 00:36:07.269
coordinated campaigns systematically isolated

00:36:07.269 --> 00:36:10.710
Lee's forces. No hope of reinforcement. By March

00:36:10.710 --> 00:36:14.150
1865, Lee was trapped. His strength severely

00:36:14.150 --> 00:36:16.510
weakened, running out of reserves, facing mass

00:36:16.510 --> 00:36:19.389
desertions. A desperate attack at Fort Steadman

00:36:19.389 --> 00:36:22.449
resulted in 4 ,000 Confederate casualties, another

00:36:22.449 --> 00:36:26.170
Union victory. The end was truly in sight. These

00:36:26.170 --> 00:36:28.929
comprehensive, coordinated campaigns truly broke

00:36:28.929 --> 00:36:31.369
the back of the Confederacy. Grant's strategy

00:36:31.369 --> 00:36:33.809
of relentless, simultaneous pressure on all fronts

00:36:33.809 --> 00:36:36.530
proved decisive. April 2, Grant ordered a general

00:36:36.530 --> 00:36:38.909
assault, finally forcing Lee to abandon Petersburg

00:36:38.909 --> 00:36:41.369
and Richmond. Sheridan's cavalry then brilliantly

00:36:41.369 --> 00:36:43.809
blocked Lee's escape route, cornering him. Grant

00:36:43.809 --> 00:36:46.210
rode west to join Sheridan and received Lee's

00:36:46.210 --> 00:36:48.170
letter requesting a meeting to discuss surrender.

00:36:48.429 --> 00:36:53.010
And so, April 9th, 1865, Grant and Lee met at

00:36:53.010 --> 00:36:56.210
Appomattox Courthouse. Grant, despite feeling

00:36:56.210 --> 00:36:58.989
sadness for a foe who had fought so long and

00:36:58.989 --> 00:37:01.650
valiantly, believed the Southern cause was one

00:37:01.650 --> 00:37:03.610
of the worst for which a people ever fought.

00:37:04.329 --> 00:37:06.909
He wrote out incredibly generous surrender terms.

00:37:07.389 --> 00:37:09.550
Each officer and man will be allowed to return

00:37:09.550 --> 00:37:12.670
to his home not to be disturbed by U .S. authority

00:37:12.670 --> 00:37:15.210
so long as they observe their paroles and the

00:37:15.210 --> 00:37:18.050
laws in force where they may reside. Lee immediately

00:37:18.050 --> 00:37:20.889
accepted, and Grant, in a remarkable gesture,

00:37:21.110 --> 00:37:22.969
even allowed Confederate troops to keep their

00:37:22.969 --> 00:37:26.090
horses for spring plowing. This act of magnanimity

00:37:26.090 --> 00:37:29.030
was profound, a testament to Grant's foresight

00:37:29.030 --> 00:37:32.110
and desire for genuine reconciliation. Grant

00:37:32.110 --> 00:37:34.429
then ordered his troops to stop all celebration,

00:37:35.090 --> 00:37:37.309
famously saying, the war is over, the rebels

00:37:37.309 --> 00:37:39.760
are our countrymen again. A powerful call for

00:37:39.760 --> 00:37:42.079
unity coming directly from the victorious general,

00:37:42.480 --> 00:37:44.860
incredibly important, set a compassionate tone

00:37:44.860 --> 00:37:47.159
for the difficult road ahead. Aiming to heal

00:37:47.159 --> 00:37:50.000
a deeply divided nation, the remaining Confederate

00:37:50.000 --> 00:37:52.760
armies surrendered in the following weeks, officially

00:37:52.760 --> 00:37:55.780
ending the war. The war was over, but the nation's

00:37:55.780 --> 00:37:58.380
trials were far from it. Just five days after

00:37:58.380 --> 00:38:02.059
Lee's surrender, April 14th, 1865, that date

00:38:02.059 --> 00:38:05.599
etched in infamy. Grant and Julia declined Lincoln's

00:38:05.599 --> 00:38:07.900
invitation to Ford's theater, planning instead

00:38:07.900 --> 00:38:11.219
to travel home. Many, including Grant himself,

00:38:11.780 --> 00:38:13.460
believed he had been a primary target in the

00:38:13.460 --> 00:38:15.539
conspiracy that led to Lincoln's assassination.

00:38:15.960 --> 00:38:18.199
Grant was notified of the president's death,

00:38:18.599 --> 00:38:21.579
immediately summoned to Washington. He wept openly

00:38:21.579 --> 00:38:24.199
at Lincoln's funeral, later calling him, the

00:38:24.199 --> 00:38:26.760
greatest man I have ever known. Initially, he

00:38:26.760 --> 00:38:29.420
publicly expressed every reason to hope in Vice

00:38:29.420 --> 00:38:31.340
President Andrew Johnson's ability to run the

00:38:31.340 --> 00:38:33.659
government in its old channel. It was a moment

00:38:33.659 --> 00:38:36.679
of immense national grief, shock, and profound

00:38:36.679 --> 00:38:39.599
uncertainty. Grant, as the undisputed commanding

00:38:39.599 --> 00:38:41.780
general, immediately became a crucial figure

00:38:41.780 --> 00:38:44.199
in the transition of power and the unfolding

00:38:44.199 --> 00:38:47.039
tumultuous process of Reconstruction. His initial

00:38:47.039 --> 00:38:49.079
optimism about Johnson, however, would soon be

00:38:49.079 --> 00:38:51.380
shattered. Grant remained commander of the Army

00:38:51.380 --> 00:38:53.980
with duties including monitoring French troops

00:38:53.980 --> 00:38:57.340
in Mexico, overseeing Reconstruction implementation,

00:38:58.000 --> 00:39:00.909
supervising Indian wars in the West. President

00:39:00.909 --> 00:39:03.570
Johnson, however, had a very different vision

00:39:03.570 --> 00:39:06.530
for the post -war South. He demanded Lee and

00:39:06.530 --> 00:39:08.989
his generals be tried for treason. But Grant

00:39:08.989 --> 00:39:11.989
staunchly insisted they should not, citing the

00:39:11.989 --> 00:39:14.289
Appomattox amnesty and his personal guarantee.

00:39:14.949 --> 00:39:17.070
Charges against Lee were dropped, demonstrating

00:39:17.070 --> 00:39:19.510
Grant's unwavering commitment to the terms of

00:39:19.510 --> 00:39:22.210
surrender, even when it put him directly at odds

00:39:22.210 --> 00:39:25.269
with the president. This early conflict was indicative

00:39:25.269 --> 00:39:29.630
of the brewing storm. On July 25, 1866, Congress,

00:39:29.769 --> 00:39:32.650
recognizing his service, promoted Grant to the

00:39:32.650 --> 00:39:34.690
newly created rank of General of the Army of

00:39:34.690 --> 00:39:36.969
the United States. This promotion solidified

00:39:36.969 --> 00:39:39.110
his immense authority and perhaps inevitably

00:39:39.110 --> 00:39:41.130
became a significant point of contention with

00:39:41.130 --> 00:39:43.889
Johnson. Johnson's Reconstruction policy favored

00:39:43.889 --> 00:39:46.409
a speedy return of former Confederates to Congress,

00:39:46.869 --> 00:39:49.250
reinstating white leaders to power, effectively

00:39:49.250 --> 00:39:51.650
relegating black people to second -class citizenship,

00:39:51.969 --> 00:39:54.570
often with punitive black codes. Grant was sent

00:39:54.570 --> 00:39:57.010
on a fact -finding mission to the South in late

00:39:57.010 --> 00:40:00.289
1865. While initially sympathizing with some

00:40:00.289 --> 00:40:03.210
aspects of Johnson's report, Grant soon recommended

00:40:03.210 --> 00:40:05.530
continuing the Freedmen's Bureau, that federal

00:40:05.530 --> 00:40:08.170
agency providing aid to former slaves, which

00:40:08.170 --> 00:40:10.960
Johnson vehemently opposed. And crucially, he

00:40:10.960 --> 00:40:13.360
believed the South needed continued federal government

00:40:13.360 --> 00:40:16.539
protection because its people were simply not

00:40:16.539 --> 00:40:19.340
ready for self -rule or to embrace equal rights

00:40:19.340 --> 00:40:21.719
for African Americans. The relationship between

00:40:21.719 --> 00:40:24.099
Grant and Johnson began to break down significantly

00:40:24.099 --> 00:40:28.559
by February 1866. Johnson actively opposed Grant's

00:40:28.559 --> 00:40:31.300
closure of a disloyal newspaper and his vigorous

00:40:31.300 --> 00:40:33.980
enforcement of the Civil Rights Act of 1866.

00:40:34.179 --> 00:40:36.960
A landmark piece of legislation passed over Johnson's

00:40:36.960 --> 00:40:40.019
veto. Johnson, attempting to leverage Grant's

00:40:40.019 --> 00:40:42.199
immense popularity, tried to bring him on his

00:40:42.199 --> 00:40:44.400
infamous swing -around -the -circle tour to gain

00:40:44.400 --> 00:40:47.239
support for his lenient policies. But Grant privately

00:40:47.239 --> 00:40:49.920
called Johnson's inflammatory speeches a national

00:40:49.920 --> 00:40:52.519
disgrace and, unable to tolerate them, left the

00:40:52.519 --> 00:40:55.960
tour early. A very public snub. This public break

00:40:55.960 --> 00:41:01.170
was critical. On March 2, 1867, Congress, overriding

00:41:01.170 --> 00:41:04.550
Johnson's veto, passed the first of three Reconstruction

00:41:04.550 --> 00:41:07.190
Acts, placing former Confederate states under

00:41:07.190 --> 00:41:10.070
military control and using military officers

00:41:10.070 --> 00:41:12.860
to enforce federal policy. Critically, Congress

00:41:12.860 --> 00:41:15.900
also passed the command of the Army Act, specifically

00:41:15.900 --> 00:41:19.059
designed to protect Grant from removal or relocation,

00:41:19.579 --> 00:41:22.079
and forcing Johnson to pass all military orders

00:41:22.079 --> 00:41:24.500
through him. Effectively neutering Johnson's

00:41:24.500 --> 00:41:26.800
ability to undermine Reconstruction directly

00:41:26.800 --> 00:41:29.320
through the military. The tension escalated dramatically

00:41:29.320 --> 00:41:32.820
with the Stanton controversy. August 1867, Johnson

00:41:32.820 --> 00:41:35.559
discharged Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, the

00:41:35.559 --> 00:41:38.019
last cabinet member friendly to the radical Republicans,

00:41:38.440 --> 00:41:41.079
without Senate approval. A direct challenge to

00:41:41.079 --> 00:41:43.619
Congress. Johnson then appointed Grant as interim

00:41:43.619 --> 00:41:46.719
Secretary of War. Grant reluctantly accepted,

00:41:47.000 --> 00:41:49.320
not wanting the Army to fall under a more conservative

00:41:49.320 --> 00:41:51.800
appointee. But when Congress voted to keep Stanton,

00:41:52.079 --> 00:41:54.199
asserting its authority, Grant told Johnson he

00:41:54.199 --> 00:41:57.079
would resign. Johnson, perhaps believing the

00:41:57.079 --> 00:41:59.239
law would be overturned, insisted he would assume

00:41:59.239 --> 00:42:01.800
Grant's legal responsibility. Grant, however,

00:42:02.099 --> 00:42:04.960
true to his word and legal obligations, promptly

00:42:04.960 --> 00:42:07.980
surrendered the office back to Stanton. Johnson,

00:42:08.280 --> 00:42:11.199
with cabinet backing, publicly accused Grant

00:42:11.199 --> 00:42:14.519
of duplicity, leading to a complete and acrimonious

00:42:14.519 --> 00:42:17.699
break. Public exchange of angry messages. This

00:42:17.699 --> 00:42:19.920
controversy ultimately led to Johnson's impeachment

00:42:19.920 --> 00:42:22.460
by the House and trial in the Senate, where he

00:42:22.460 --> 00:42:25.139
was acquitted by a single vote. But the damage

00:42:25.139 --> 00:42:28.219
was done. This public break with Johnson significantly

00:42:28.219 --> 00:42:30.940
boosted Grant's popularity among radical Republicans.

00:42:31.579 --> 00:42:34.320
They saw him as a man of principle, standing

00:42:34.320 --> 00:42:36.699
against a president undermining the Union victory

00:42:36.699 --> 00:42:39.500
and civil rights gains. It firmly set the stage

00:42:39.500 --> 00:42:41.820
for his presidential nomination. And so the path

00:42:41.820 --> 00:42:45.360
to the presidency was clear. At the 1868 Republican

00:42:45.360 --> 00:42:48.300
National Convention, delegates unanimously nominated

00:42:48.300 --> 00:42:50.960
Grant for president on the first ballot. Although

00:42:50.960 --> 00:42:52.780
he often expressed a preference to remain in

00:42:52.780 --> 00:42:55.769
the Army, He accepted, believing he was the only

00:42:55.769 --> 00:42:58.150
one who could truly unify the deeply fractured

00:42:58.150 --> 00:43:01.289
nation. The Republicans, under his banner, advocated

00:43:01.289 --> 00:43:03.809
for equal civil and political rights to all and,

00:43:03.809 --> 00:43:06.210
crucially, African -American enfranchisement.

00:43:06.590 --> 00:43:09.030
The Democrats, on the other hand, nominated Horatio

00:43:09.030 --> 00:43:11.690
Seymour, vehemently opposing suffrage for African

00:43:11.690 --> 00:43:14.369
-Americans and advocating immediate restoration

00:43:14.369 --> 00:43:16.769
of former Confederate states in blanket amnesty.

00:43:17.099 --> 00:43:20.500
The election of 1868 was a clear, stark referendum

00:43:20.500 --> 00:43:22.539
on the future of Reconstruction and the rights

00:43:22.539 --> 00:43:25.440
of African Americans. During the campaign, Grant

00:43:25.440 --> 00:43:27.960
wisely sought to distance himself from his controversial

00:43:27.960 --> 00:43:31.389
1862 General Order No. 11. stating publicly,

00:43:31.909 --> 00:43:34.670
I have no prejudice against sect or race, but

00:43:34.670 --> 00:43:37.050
want each individual to be judged by his own

00:43:37.050 --> 00:43:39.489
merit. The Republicans shrewdly adopted his words

00:43:39.489 --> 00:43:41.889
from Appomattox, let us have peace, as their

00:43:41.889 --> 00:43:44.469
campaign slogan, a power shall message for a

00:43:44.469 --> 00:43:46.789
war -weary nation. Grant won the popular vote

00:43:46.789 --> 00:43:49.969
and an electoral college landslide, 214 votes

00:43:49.969 --> 00:43:53.829
to Seymour's 80. Crucially, his victory was significantly

00:43:53.829 --> 00:43:56.690
aided by an estimated 500 ,000 votes cast by

00:43:56.690 --> 00:43:59.159
Black people. who overwhelmingly supported him.

00:43:59.280 --> 00:44:01.900
Winning him 52 .7 percent of the popular vote.

00:44:02.139 --> 00:44:04.579
It's a sobering detail that he lost Louisiana

00:44:04.579 --> 00:44:07.280
and Georgia primarily due to widespread Ku Klux

00:44:07.280 --> 00:44:09.340
Klan violence against African -American voters.

00:44:09.940 --> 00:44:12.119
A stark reminder of the immense challenges ahead.

00:44:12.500 --> 00:44:15.280
At 46, he was the youngest president yet elected,

00:44:15.880 --> 00:44:18.000
stepping into a role that would test his leadership

00:44:18.000 --> 00:44:21.340
in entirely new ways. His victory marked a clear

00:44:21.340 --> 00:44:24.420
mandate for reconstruction and profoundly for

00:44:24.420 --> 00:44:27.550
civil rights. It powerfully demonstrated the

00:44:27.550 --> 00:44:30.070
burgeoning political power of newly enfranchised

00:44:30.070 --> 00:44:33.289
African American voters. On March 4th, 1869,

00:44:33.929 --> 00:44:36.289
Grant was sworn in as president by Chief Justice

00:44:36.289 --> 00:44:39.630
Salmon P. Chase. In his inaugural address, he

00:44:39.630 --> 00:44:42.230
urged the swift ratification of the 15th Amendment,

00:44:42.710 --> 00:44:45.409
granting African -Americans suffrage. He also

00:44:45.409 --> 00:44:47.409
called for proper treatment of Native Americans

00:44:47.409 --> 00:44:49.750
and encouraged their civilization and ultimate

00:44:49.750 --> 00:44:52.070
citizenship, a perspective we'll definitely need

00:44:52.070 --> 00:44:54.730
to unpack later. Significantly, many African

00:44:54.730 --> 00:44:57.030
-Americans attended his inauguration, a truly

00:44:57.030 --> 00:44:59.750
powerful symbol of the new era he ushered in

00:44:59.750 --> 00:45:02.130
and the hopes he represented for millions. His

00:45:02.130 --> 00:45:04.550
inaugural address laid out a progressive and

00:45:04.550 --> 00:45:07.739
ambitious vision for a reunited nation. emphasizing

00:45:07.739 --> 00:45:10.119
civil rights for both African Americans and Native

00:45:10.119 --> 00:45:12.659
Americans. Quite forward -thinking for its time,

00:45:13.039 --> 00:45:15.019
even with the complexities around the civilization

00:45:15.019 --> 00:45:17.480
aspect. His cabinet appointments sparked both

00:45:17.480 --> 00:45:20.260
criticism and approval. Notable figures like

00:45:20.260 --> 00:45:23.059
Hamilton Fish as Secretary of State, William

00:45:23.059 --> 00:45:26.039
W. Bilnapp as Secretary of War. And in a genuine

00:45:26.039 --> 00:45:29.239
effort at reconciliation, he nominated his wartime

00:45:29.239 --> 00:45:31.920
friend, former Confederate General James Longstreet,

00:45:32.239 --> 00:45:35.619
for a Surveyor of Customs of New Orleans, an

00:45:35.619 --> 00:45:39.130
olive branch. And in March 1872, Grant signed

00:45:39.130 --> 00:45:41.889
legislation establishing Yellowstone National

00:45:41.889 --> 00:45:45.949
Park, the first national park in the world. Remarkable

00:45:45.949 --> 00:45:48.329
foresight for conservation. He was also notably

00:45:48.329 --> 00:45:51.070
sympathetic to women's rights, including suffrage,

00:45:51.329 --> 00:45:53.809
stating he wanted equal rights to all citizens.

00:45:54.039 --> 00:45:56.639
These early actions highlight a complex figure

00:45:56.639 --> 00:45:59.139
determined not only to heal the nation, but also

00:45:59.139 --> 00:46:01.880
to push for a broader, more inclusive definition

00:46:01.880 --> 00:46:03.820
of American citizenship. And here's where we

00:46:03.820 --> 00:46:05.739
see that powerful example of personal growth

00:46:05.739 --> 00:46:08.099
regarding General Order Number 11. He appointed

00:46:08.099 --> 00:46:10.380
more than 50 Jewish people to federal office,

00:46:10.420 --> 00:46:13.039
unprecedented. Appointed Edward S. Salomon as

00:46:13.039 --> 00:46:15.039
Territorial Governor of Washington, the first

00:46:15.039 --> 00:46:16.900
American Jewish man to hold a governor's seat.

00:46:17.420 --> 00:46:19.480
He also publicly supported the benign birth petition

00:46:19.480 --> 00:46:22.260
against Russian persecution of Jews. Demonstrates

00:46:22.260 --> 00:46:25.539
a genuine active commitment to rectifying past

00:46:25.539 --> 00:46:28.159
wrongs and establishing a legacy of religious

00:46:28.159 --> 00:46:30.900
tolerance. His actions really spoke volumes.

00:46:31.239 --> 00:46:33.119
He was indeed considered a remarkably effective

00:46:33.119 --> 00:46:37.340
civil rights president. March 18th, 1869, signed

00:46:37.340 --> 00:46:39.480
into law equal rights for black people to serve

00:46:39.480 --> 00:46:43.320
on juries and hold office in D .C. 1870, signed

00:46:43.320 --> 00:46:45.659
the Naturalization Act, extending citizenship

00:46:45.659 --> 00:46:48.920
to foreign black people, then strongly advocated

00:46:48.920 --> 00:46:52.139
for the 15th Amendment ratification. Stated states

00:46:52.139 --> 00:46:54.599
could not disenfranchise African Americans based

00:46:54.599 --> 00:46:57.599
on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

00:46:58.139 --> 00:47:00.420
Within a year, the three remaining Confederate

00:47:00.420 --> 00:47:03.420
states, Mississippi, Virginia, Texas, adopted

00:47:03.420 --> 00:47:05.900
it and were readmitted to Congress. He even put

00:47:05.900 --> 00:47:08.099
military pressure on Georgia to reinstate its

00:47:08.099 --> 00:47:10.440
Black legislators and adopt the amendment, ensuring

00:47:10.440 --> 00:47:13.219
its full implementation. With all former Confederate

00:47:13.219 --> 00:47:15.599
states represented and the 15th Amendment ratified,

00:47:15.960 --> 00:47:17.780
the Union was, for the first time, completely

00:47:17.780 --> 00:47:19.880
restored under Grant. And crucially, for the

00:47:19.880 --> 00:47:22.420
first time, Black American men served in Congress,

00:47:22.760 --> 00:47:25.940
all from Southern states. A monumental, yet tragically

00:47:25.940 --> 00:47:28.699
short -lived achievement. And this is where we

00:47:28.699 --> 00:47:32.019
see the true test of his commitment. his vigorous

00:47:32.019 --> 00:47:34.800
enforcement of civil rights, and his direct confrontation

00:47:34.800 --> 00:47:37.840
with the Ku Klux Klan. 1870, Congress and Grant

00:47:37.840 --> 00:47:40.500
created the Justice Department, empowering the

00:47:40.500 --> 00:47:42.380
Attorney General and the new Solicitor General

00:47:42.380 --> 00:47:45.199
to prosecute the Klan. Congress and Grant also

00:47:45.199 --> 00:47:48.579
passed three enforcement acts, specifically designed

00:47:48.579 --> 00:47:50.840
to protect Black people and Reconstruction governments

00:47:50.840 --> 00:47:54.219
from intimidation and violence. Using these powerful

00:47:54.219 --> 00:47:56.960
new legal tools, Grant launched a full -scale

00:47:56.960 --> 00:47:59.400
assault on the Klan, effectively crushing its

00:47:59.400 --> 00:48:03.780
power. By October 1871, he suspended habeas corpus

00:48:03.780 --> 00:48:06.019
in parts of South Carolina a drastic measure

00:48:06.019 --> 00:48:08.579
and sent federal troops to aid marshals in mass

00:48:08.579 --> 00:48:11.460
prosecutions. His attorney general, Amos T. Ackerman,

00:48:11.659 --> 00:48:13.960
was zealous in destroying the Klan. Arrested

00:48:13.960 --> 00:48:17.760
over 470 members in South Carolina alone, hundreds

00:48:17.760 --> 00:48:20.260
more fled the state. The impact was profound

00:48:20.260 --> 00:48:23.579
and immediate. By 1872, the Klan's power had

00:48:23.579 --> 00:48:25.800
largely collapsed, and African Americans voted

00:48:25.800 --> 00:48:28.340
in record numbers across the South. A testament

00:48:28.340 --> 00:48:31.300
to Grant's decisive action. monumental achievement.

00:48:31.530 --> 00:48:34.610
Absolutely. However, as Grant entered his second

00:48:34.610 --> 00:48:38.050
term, the North began that gradual, tragic retreat

00:48:38.050 --> 00:48:40.869
from Reconstruction. Southern conservatives,

00:48:40.929 --> 00:48:43.690
the Redeemers, formed armed groups like the Red

00:48:43.690 --> 00:48:46.429
Shirts and the White League, openly using extreme

00:48:46.429 --> 00:48:50.130
violence, intimidation, voter fraud, and virulent

00:48:50.130 --> 00:48:53.789
racist appeals to systematically overturn Republican

00:48:53.789 --> 00:48:57.090
rule and disenfranchise Black voters. This shift

00:48:57.090 --> 00:48:59.869
in public and political will, combined with mounting

00:48:59.869 --> 00:49:02.980
challenges, created immense difficulties. Northern

00:49:02.980 --> 00:49:05.500
apathy toward black people's rights grew. The

00:49:05.500 --> 00:49:08.300
depressed economy from the Panic of 1873 consumed

00:49:08.300 --> 00:49:11.079
national attention. And the scandals within Grant's

00:49:11.079 --> 00:49:12.920
administration made it politically difficult

00:49:12.920 --> 00:49:15.320
to maintain support for reconstruction. Power

00:49:15.320 --> 00:49:17.739
irrevocably shifted when Democrats gained the

00:49:17.739 --> 00:49:20.539
House majority in the 1874 election. While Grant

00:49:20.539 --> 00:49:22.619
still acted sometimes like ending the Brooks

00:49:22.619 --> 00:49:25.260
-Baxter war in Arkansas peacefully and sending

00:49:25.260 --> 00:49:27.420
troops to New Orleans after the horrific Colfax

00:49:27.420 --> 00:49:29.940
massacre, his intervention became increasingly

00:49:29.940 --> 00:49:33.940
limited. By 1875, as racial violence escalated

00:49:33.940 --> 00:49:36.539
in Mississippi, his attorney general, Edwards

00:49:36.539 --> 00:49:38.760
Pierpont, told the Republican governor there

00:49:38.760 --> 00:49:41.820
that the people were, quote, tired of the autumnal

00:49:41.820 --> 00:49:44.679
outbreaks in the South, declining direct federal

00:49:44.679 --> 00:49:47.659
intervention. Grant later expressed deep regret

00:49:47.659 --> 00:49:50.280
for not issuing a proclamation to help. Congress

00:49:50.280 --> 00:49:53.219
did pass the sweeping Civil Rights Act of 1875

00:49:53.219 --> 00:49:55.699
to guarantee black people equal access to public

00:49:55.699 --> 00:49:58.119
facilities. However, there was little federal

00:49:58.119 --> 00:50:00.400
enforcement, and the Supreme Court ultimately

00:50:00.400 --> 00:50:03.760
ruled it unconstitutional in 1883, gutted its

00:50:03.760 --> 00:50:06.599
intent. After Grant left office, the bitterly

00:50:06.599 --> 00:50:09.460
disputed 1876 presidential election was resolved

00:50:09.460 --> 00:50:12.860
by the compromise of 1877. Republicans got the

00:50:12.860 --> 00:50:15.000
White House for Rutherford B. Hayes in return

00:50:15.000 --> 00:50:17.679
for ending enforcement of racial equality and

00:50:17.679 --> 00:50:19.639
critically removing federal troops from the South.

00:50:19.920 --> 00:50:22.599
Marked the official end of Reconstruction. Tragically

00:50:22.599 --> 00:50:25.559
launched 80 years of Jim Crow segregation. This

00:50:25.559 --> 00:50:28.000
raises that critical question. Grant's commitment

00:50:28.000 --> 00:50:30.659
was clear. His actions against the Klan decisive.

00:50:31.420 --> 00:50:33.619
But the broader political and social currents

00:50:33.619 --> 00:50:36.300
ultimately undermined Reconstruction's long -term

00:50:36.300 --> 00:50:39.610
success. highlights the profound limits of presidential

00:50:39.610 --> 00:50:42.389
power against widespread, entrenched opposition.

00:50:43.050 --> 00:50:46.090
A sobering reminder. Beyond civil rights, Grant

00:50:46.090 --> 00:50:48.610
also tackled the challenging post -war economy,

00:50:49.250 --> 00:50:51.309
took conservative steps to return to pre -war

00:50:51.309 --> 00:50:53.670
monetary standards, signed the Public Credit

00:50:53.670 --> 00:50:57.190
Act of 1869, guaranteeing bondholders repayment

00:50:57.190 --> 00:50:59.940
in coin or its equivalent. committing the government

00:50:59.940 --> 00:51:02.059
to the full return of the gold standard within

00:51:02.059 --> 00:51:05.980
10 years. His overarching policy was hard currency,

00:51:06.099 --> 00:51:08.559
economy, and gradual reduction of the national

00:51:08.559 --> 00:51:11.760
debt. Fiscal conservatism. Grant's own ideas

00:51:11.760 --> 00:51:13.900
about the economy were generally straightforward,

00:51:14.320 --> 00:51:16.739
maybe a bit simple. He relied heavily on advice

00:51:16.739 --> 00:51:19.239
from businessmen. Believing in fiscal conservatism

00:51:19.239 --> 00:51:22.389
and sound money as the path to stability. a significant

00:51:22.389 --> 00:51:24.809
policy direction after the inflationary pressures

00:51:24.809 --> 00:51:27.449
and greenbacks issued during the war. This simple,

00:51:27.670 --> 00:51:29.469
trusting approach, however, made him vulnerable

00:51:29.469 --> 00:51:31.670
to manipulation, as seen in the gold -corner

00:51:31.670 --> 00:51:35.429
conspiracy Black Friday of 1869. Railroad tycoons

00:51:35.429 --> 00:51:38.130
Jay Gould and Jim Fisk conspired to corner the

00:51:38.130 --> 00:51:40.570
gold market, believing a high gold price would

00:51:40.570 --> 00:51:42.989
boost agricultural exports, which they'd profit

00:51:42.989 --> 00:51:45.809
from. Treasury Secretary George Botwell's policy

00:51:45.809 --> 00:51:48.250
of selling government gold kept the price low,

00:51:48.630 --> 00:51:51.460
frustrating their scheme. Gould and Fisk, relentless

00:51:51.460 --> 00:51:54.260
exploited connections, cultivated a relationship

00:51:54.260 --> 00:51:56.599
with Grant's brother -in -law, Abel Corbin, gained

00:51:56.599 --> 00:51:59.760
access to the president. Gould also bribed assistant

00:51:59.760 --> 00:52:02.159
treasurer Daniel Butterfield for inside info.

00:52:02.960 --> 00:52:06.260
Grant, naive regarding complex finance, was initially

00:52:06.260 --> 00:52:08.260
convinced by their arguments that a low gold

00:52:08.260 --> 00:52:11.239
price would hurt farmers. Regrettably, he reduced

00:52:11.239 --> 00:52:13.280
the sale of treasury gold, inadvertently aiding

00:52:13.280 --> 00:52:16.250
their scheme. September 23, gold price skyrocketed

00:52:16.250 --> 00:52:19.570
to $143 .18. Boutwell rushed to the White House,

00:52:19.809 --> 00:52:22.250
spoke urgently with Grant, explained the manipulation.

00:52:22.489 --> 00:52:25.210
The very next day, September 24, Black Friday,

00:52:25.690 --> 00:52:28.329
Grant ordered Boutwell to sell $4 million in

00:52:28.329 --> 00:52:30.530
government gold. The market immediately collapsed,

00:52:30.730 --> 00:52:33.250
prices plummeted, gold and fisc fled, leaving

00:52:33.250 --> 00:52:36.519
widespread economic damages. An 1870 congressional

00:52:36.519 --> 00:52:39.320
investigation ultimately cleared Grant of personal

00:52:39.320 --> 00:52:42.380
profiteering, but excoriated Gould and Fisk for

00:52:42.380 --> 00:52:45.519
manipulation and Corbin for shamelessly exploiting

00:52:45.519 --> 00:52:47.780
his connection. This incident clearly highlighted

00:52:47.780 --> 00:52:50.659
Grant's trusting nature and inexperience in complex

00:52:50.659 --> 00:52:53.619
financial matters. A significant early challenge

00:52:53.619 --> 00:52:56.039
to his administration's integrity, even if he

00:52:56.039 --> 00:52:58.639
was personally cleared, showed how honesty could

00:52:58.639 --> 00:53:01.320
be exploited. His presidency also saw the panic

00:53:01.320 --> 00:53:05.280
of 1873 a major economic downturn. Grant signed

00:53:05.280 --> 00:53:09.340
the Coinage Act of 1873, effectively ending bimetallism

00:53:09.340 --> 00:53:11.940
and establishing the gold dollar as the sole

00:53:11.940 --> 00:53:14.800
monetary standard. This led to deflation, which

00:53:14.800 --> 00:53:17.179
silverites advocating for unlimited silver coinage

00:53:17.179 --> 00:53:20.139
denounced as the crime of 1873, claiming it made

00:53:20.139 --> 00:53:22.460
debts more burdensome for farmers. Then, September

00:53:22.460 --> 00:53:25.679
1873, the collapse of J. Cook & Company, a major

00:53:25.679 --> 00:53:27.440
New York brokerage house, triggered the panic

00:53:27.440 --> 00:53:30.920
of 1873. Many banks, railroads went bankrupt,

00:53:31.239 --> 00:53:33.719
ushered in a prolonged economic depression. Grant,

00:53:34.079 --> 00:53:36.260
still knowing little about finance intricacies,

00:53:36.739 --> 00:53:39.079
consulted businessmen, initially believing the

00:53:39.079 --> 00:53:41.340
panic was just a fluctuation, like the gold ring

00:53:41.340 --> 00:53:44.360
collapse. He instructed the Treasury to buy $10

00:53:44.360 --> 00:53:47.280
million in government bonds, which curbed the

00:53:47.280 --> 00:53:49.800
initial panic. But the long depression swept

00:53:49.800 --> 00:53:52.619
the nation. Shows how even a strong leader can

00:53:52.619 --> 00:53:55.079
struggle with complex economic forces beyond

00:53:55.079 --> 00:53:59.119
their understanding. In 1874, Congress, hoping

00:53:59.119 --> 00:54:01.519
inflation would stimulate the economy by adding

00:54:01.519 --> 00:54:04.960
$64 million in greenbacks, passed the Ferry Bill.

00:54:05.480 --> 00:54:07.559
Despite warnings a veto would hurt Republicans

00:54:07.559 --> 00:54:09.719
in elections, Grant firmly believed the bill

00:54:09.719 --> 00:54:11.960
would destroy national credit and courageously

00:54:11.960 --> 00:54:14.599
vetoed it. Solidified his position in the Republican

00:54:14.599 --> 00:54:16.780
conservative faction, committed the party to

00:54:16.780 --> 00:54:19.400
a gold -backed dollar. He later pressured Congress

00:54:19.400 --> 00:54:21.559
for a bill to strengthen the dollar, signing

00:54:21.559 --> 00:54:34.380
the Specie Payment Resumption Act in 1875. This

00:54:34.380 --> 00:54:37.179
era, post -Civil War, brought massive industrial

00:54:37.179 --> 00:54:40.519
wealth, government expansion, rampant speculation,

00:54:41.179 --> 00:54:43.900
and unfortunately pervasive corruption in federal

00:54:43.900 --> 00:54:46.480
offices. And this brings us to the most criticized

00:54:46.480 --> 00:54:49.719
aspect of his presidency, the pervasive scandals.

00:54:50.179 --> 00:54:53.679
Grant was by nature honest, trusting, maybe gullible,

00:54:54.039 --> 00:54:56.559
and fiercely loyal to his friends. And what's

00:54:56.559 --> 00:54:59.000
truly fascinating here is how these very personal

00:54:59.000 --> 00:55:02.500
virtues, his loyalty and trusting nature, sometimes

00:55:02.500 --> 00:55:04.980
became profound vulnerabilities in the political

00:55:04.980 --> 00:55:07.880
arena, inadvertently created an environment ripe

00:55:07.880 --> 00:55:10.219
for corruption. His responses to malfeasance

00:55:10.219 --> 00:55:12.619
were mixed. Sometimes he appointed reformers.

00:55:12.880 --> 00:55:15.519
Other times he staunchly defended culprits, even

00:55:15.519 --> 00:55:17.960
when evidence mounted. He struggled deeply to

00:55:17.960 --> 00:55:19.860
perceive corruption in those close to him. He

00:55:19.860 --> 00:55:21.699
genuinely believed in the goodness and loyalty

00:55:21.699 --> 00:55:24.460
of people and that admirable trait made him susceptible.

00:55:24.940 --> 00:55:27.059
This dichotomy is central to understanding his

00:55:27.059 --> 00:55:29.659
presidential legacy. He did make efforts at reform,

00:55:30.039 --> 00:55:32.179
though. Appointed Jacob D. Cox as Secretary of

00:55:32.179 --> 00:55:34.519
the Interior, who implemented significant civil

00:55:34.519 --> 00:55:38.019
service reforms. In 1871, Grant created the first

00:55:38.019 --> 00:55:40.199
civil service commission. Established rules for

00:55:40.199 --> 00:55:43.260
competitive exams, classified positions, advanced

00:55:43.260 --> 00:55:45.420
civil service more than any prior president.

00:55:45.900 --> 00:55:48.320
But when Congress failed to make the rules permanent,

00:55:48.800 --> 00:55:51.099
Grant regrettably dissolved the commission in

00:55:51.099 --> 00:55:54.360
1874. He also replaced corrupt New York collector

00:55:54.360 --> 00:55:57.559
Thomas Murphy with Chester A. Arthur. who, ironically,

00:55:57.980 --> 00:56:00.000
later became president and implemented further

00:56:00.000 --> 00:56:02.980
reforms. He fired warehouse owner George K. Leit

00:56:02.980 --> 00:56:06.300
for pocketing exorbitant freight fees. 1873,

00:56:06.440 --> 00:56:09.000
he signed the Salary Grab Act, increasing pay

00:56:09.000 --> 00:56:12.000
for federal employees, Congress retroactively

00:56:12.000 --> 00:56:14.800
causing uproar, judiciary, and president doubling

00:56:14.800 --> 00:56:18.079
his own salary. Critics derided Congress's retroactive

00:56:18.079 --> 00:56:20.739
payments. Law was partially repealed, but Grant

00:56:20.739 --> 00:56:23.000
kept his much needed raise. His efforts were

00:56:23.000 --> 00:56:25.139
significant, showing a desire to clean up government.

00:56:25.260 --> 00:56:27.500
But the sheer scale of corruption was overwhelming,

00:56:27.820 --> 00:56:29.960
often involving people he trusted implicitly.

00:56:30.260 --> 00:56:32.239
A challenging time. And here's one of the biggest

00:56:32.239 --> 00:56:35.539
challenges, the whiskey ring scandal of 1875.

00:56:36.440 --> 00:56:39.039
Benjamin Bristow, Grant's new treasury secretary,

00:56:39.619 --> 00:56:41.820
discovered notorious collusion between distillers

00:56:41.820 --> 00:56:44.579
and treasury officials to evade millions in taxes.

00:56:44.940 --> 00:56:47.000
Grant unequivocally endorsed the investigation,

00:56:47.340 --> 00:56:51.050
famously writing, let no guilty man escape. Federal

00:56:51.050 --> 00:56:54.610
marshals rated 32 installations, leading to 110

00:56:54.610 --> 00:56:59.690
convictions, $3 .15 million in fines, a massive

00:56:59.690 --> 00:57:02.269
crackdown. But then the investigation revealed

00:57:02.269 --> 00:57:05.090
Grant's private secretary, Orville E. Babcock,

00:57:05.530 --> 00:57:08.530
same Babcock from Santo Domingo, received kickbacks,

00:57:09.050 --> 00:57:11.510
secretly forewarned the ring's mastermind. Grant,

00:57:11.889 --> 00:57:14.489
exhibiting that deep personal loyalty, refused

00:57:14.489 --> 00:57:17.139
to believe Babcock was guilty. gave a deposition

00:57:17.139 --> 00:57:19.760
in his defense, stating his confidence was unshaken.

00:57:20.039 --> 00:57:22.360
Babcock was ultimately acquitted, but later dismissed

00:57:22.360 --> 00:57:24.199
from the White House staff, though he kept another

00:57:24.199 --> 00:57:27.179
federal position. Shows Grant's blind spot. There

00:57:27.179 --> 00:57:29.780
were other damaging scandals, too. Interior Department

00:57:29.780 --> 00:57:31.980
under Columbus Colono, rife with fraud, forced

00:57:31.980 --> 00:57:34.480
resignation. Attorney General George H. Williams

00:57:34.480 --> 00:57:36.619
fired after an extortion scandal involving his

00:57:36.619 --> 00:57:39.360
wife. And most damaging, Secretary of War William

00:57:39.360 --> 00:57:42.159
W. Belknap took quarterly kickbacks from traderships

00:57:42.159 --> 00:57:46.260
at military forts, resigned February 1876, impeached

00:57:46.260 --> 00:57:48.619
by House, acquitted by Senate, but a severe blow.

00:57:48.980 --> 00:57:51.179
Even Grant's brother Orville received kickbacks.

00:57:51.519 --> 00:57:54.960
In his December 5, 1876 annual message, Grant

00:57:54.960 --> 00:58:00.059
delivered that poignant apology. Not of intent.

00:58:00.340 --> 00:58:02.380
And that's the core insight, isn't it? While

00:58:02.380 --> 00:58:05.119
Grant's personal integrity was largely recognized,

00:58:05.340 --> 00:58:07.800
his trusting nature and loyalty, combined with

00:58:07.800 --> 00:58:10.559
rapid government expansion, created an environment

00:58:10.559 --> 00:58:13.599
ripe for corruption. His genuine reform efforts

00:58:13.599 --> 00:58:16.260
were ultimately overshadowed. Tragically shaping

00:58:16.260 --> 00:58:19.239
how his presidency was viewed for decades, shifting

00:58:19.239 --> 00:58:22.099
to foreign policy, Grant had limited experience,

00:58:22.579 --> 00:58:24.920
wisely relied heavily on his talented secretary

00:58:24.920 --> 00:58:27.900
of state, Hamilton Fish. They developed a cordial,

00:58:28.019 --> 00:58:30.619
trusting friendship. Grant had an expansionist

00:58:30.619 --> 00:58:33.500
impulse, strong advocate of the Monroe Doctrine,

00:58:33.699 --> 00:58:35.940
also had an idealist side, appointing Benjamin

00:58:35.940 --> 00:58:38.739
Pixoto as consul in Bucharest. Responding to

00:58:38.739 --> 00:58:41.199
Romanian persecution of Jews, stating, respect

00:58:41.199 --> 00:58:43.239
for human rights is the first duty for those

00:58:43.239 --> 00:58:46.139
said as rulers. Remarkably progressive. This

00:58:46.139 --> 00:58:48.880
blend of idealism and pragmatic expansionism

00:58:48.880 --> 00:58:51.619
defined his foreign policy, often through Fish's

00:58:51.619 --> 00:58:54.019
capable hands. Their relationship was a true

00:58:54.019 --> 00:58:56.539
strength. A crucial diplomatic challenge was

00:58:56.539 --> 00:58:59.469
settling the Alabama claims. Damage is caused

00:58:59.469 --> 00:59:02.550
to union merchant ships by the CSS Alabama, built

00:59:02.550 --> 00:59:04.969
in a British shipyard, violating neutrality.

00:59:05.289 --> 00:59:07.650
Major contention. Senator Charles Sumner led

00:59:07.650 --> 00:59:10.469
demands for exorbitant reparations, even suggesting

00:59:10.469 --> 00:59:12.929
British Columbia as payment. Fish and Treasury

00:59:12.929 --> 00:59:15.349
Secretary Boutwell, however, convinced Grant

00:59:15.349 --> 00:59:17.429
peaceful, strong relations with Britain were

00:59:17.429 --> 00:59:20.159
essential. led to paying staking negotiations.

00:59:20.619 --> 00:59:22.519
To avoid jeopardizing these sensitive talks,

00:59:22.820 --> 00:59:25.079
Grant notably refrained from recognizing Cuban

00:59:25.079 --> 00:59:27.219
rebels fighting for independence from Spain.

00:59:27.699 --> 00:59:30.019
Maintained consistency. The Treaty of Washington

00:59:30.019 --> 00:59:34.019
in 1871 was a major diplomatic achievement. International

00:59:34.019 --> 00:59:37.900
Tribunal settled damages at $15 .5 million. British

00:59:37.900 --> 00:59:41.179
expressed regret, not fault. Senate approved.

00:59:41.420 --> 00:59:43.840
Peaceful resolution, Grant's most successful

00:59:43.840 --> 00:59:46.559
foreign policy achievement, resolved troubled

00:59:46.559 --> 00:59:49.400
Anglo -American issues, laid groundwork for Britain

00:59:49.400 --> 00:59:52.260
becoming America's strongest ally, master class,

00:59:52.400 --> 00:59:55.079
and patient diplomacy. Not all ventures were

00:59:55.079 --> 00:59:56.820
successful, though. The Korean expedition of

00:59:56.820 --> 01:00:00.119
1871, a diplomatic failure, Grant dispatched

01:00:00.119 --> 01:00:02.500
forces to open trade, investigate disappearance

01:00:02.500 --> 01:00:05.159
of the SS General Sherman. Korean garrisons fired

01:00:05.159 --> 01:00:08.059
on American ships. Government refused negotiations.

01:00:08.880 --> 01:00:11.360
Admiral John Rogers' forces destroyed several

01:00:11.360 --> 01:00:15.239
Korean forts. 250 Koreans killed to three Americans.

01:00:16.059 --> 01:00:18.239
Expedition failed to open trade only strengthened

01:00:18.239 --> 01:00:21.460
Korea's isolationist policy. Costly lesson in

01:00:21.460 --> 01:00:24.280
gunboat diplomacy limits. Grant also initiated

01:00:24.280 --> 01:00:27.159
that plan to annex Santo Domingo, the Dominican

01:00:27.159 --> 01:00:30.090
Republic. genuinely believed it offered benefits.

01:00:30.809 --> 01:00:33.769
Resources, naval protection, stopping slavery

01:00:33.769 --> 01:00:36.510
elsewhere, even a safe haven for Black people

01:00:36.510 --> 01:00:40.130
escaping the KKK. He sent his military aide Orville

01:00:40.130 --> 01:00:43.880
Babcock to evaluate. Babcock returned with unauthorized

01:00:43.880 --> 01:00:46.780
annexation treaties. Typical Babcock. This plan

01:00:46.780 --> 01:00:49.139
was fiercely obstructed by Senator Charles Sumner,

01:00:49.420 --> 01:00:51.639
chairman of Senate foreign relations. Grant believes

01:00:51.639 --> 01:00:54.280
Sumner approved after a meeting, but disputed.

01:00:54.440 --> 01:00:56.840
Despite Grant's personal lobbying, Senate defeated

01:00:56.840 --> 01:01:00.000
the treaties. Grant, outraged by perceived betrayal,

01:01:00.380 --> 01:01:03.239
retaliated, sacked John Lothrop Motley, Sumner's

01:01:03.239 --> 01:01:05.400
friend as minister to Great Britain, maneuvered

01:01:05.400 --> 01:01:07.559
to have Sumner deposed from his powerful chairmanship.

01:01:07.719 --> 01:01:10.679
The stinging controversy overshadowed other diplomacy,

01:01:11.079 --> 01:01:13.260
drew criticism for relying on military personnel

01:01:13.260 --> 01:01:15.980
like Babcock for sensitive policy. Another major

01:01:15.980 --> 01:01:19.420
crisis, Cuba and the Virginia's affair in 1873.

01:01:20.300 --> 01:01:22.760
American policy under Grant was neutrality during

01:01:22.760 --> 01:01:25.820
Cuba's 10 years war against Spain. Refused to

01:01:25.820 --> 01:01:28.599
recognize rebels, endorsed Spanish rule while

01:01:28.599 --> 01:01:31.179
calling for abolition of slavery there. Delicate

01:01:31.179 --> 01:01:34.280
policy aimed to protect commerce, maintain peace,

01:01:34.860 --> 01:01:38.139
broke October 1873 when a Spanish cruiser captured

01:01:38.139 --> 01:01:40.800
the U .S. flagged merchant ship, Virginia's,

01:01:40.800 --> 01:01:43.260
carrying supplies to insurrectionists. Spanish

01:01:43.260 --> 01:01:46.440
authorities brutally executed 53 prisoners, including

01:01:46.440 --> 01:01:49.900
eight Americans, mutilated bodies, outraged calls

01:01:49.900 --> 01:01:52.260
for war from the American public. Grant ordered

01:01:52.260 --> 01:01:55.079
U .S. Navy warships to Cuba, clear show of force.

01:01:55.440 --> 01:01:57.639
But Secretary Fish reached a peaceful resolution.

01:01:58.280 --> 01:02:00.320
Spain expressed regret. surrendered the ship,

01:02:00.440 --> 01:02:04.219
paid $80 ,000 to families, averted war. Testament

01:02:04.219 --> 01:02:06.599
to Fish's cool head, Grant's willingness to seek

01:02:06.599 --> 01:02:09.059
peaceful solutions when possible, even facing

01:02:09.059 --> 01:02:11.519
intense public emotion. Grant and Fish also secured

01:02:11.519 --> 01:02:14.739
a free trade treaty with Hawaii in 1875, incorporated

01:02:14.739 --> 01:02:17.619
its sugar industry into US economic sphere. King

01:02:17.619 --> 01:02:20.159
Kalakaua made a historic 91 -day state visit

01:02:20.159 --> 01:02:22.900
to secure it. First reigning monarch on US soil.

01:02:23.530 --> 01:02:26.130
Despite opposition from Southern Democrats protecting

01:02:26.130 --> 01:02:28.449
sugar producers and others calling Hawaiians

01:02:28.449 --> 01:02:31.489
an inferior race, the bill passed. U .S. gained

01:02:31.489 --> 01:02:34.130
lands for what became Pearl Harbor. Far -sighted

01:02:34.130 --> 01:02:36.730
treaty underscored America's growing economic

01:02:36.730 --> 01:02:39.650
strategic interests in the Pacific. Set stage

01:02:39.650 --> 01:02:42.349
for future expansion. Turning to his federal

01:02:42.349 --> 01:02:47.929
Indian policy. Context. 1869, over 250 ,000 Native

01:02:47.929 --> 01:02:51.369
Americans governed by 370 often poorly enforced

01:02:51.369 --> 01:02:53.809
treaties. Grant's faith influenced his peace

01:02:53.809 --> 01:02:56.710
policy. Beliefs creator didn't place races for

01:02:56.710 --> 01:02:59.750
stronger to destroy weaker. Admirable sentiment,

01:02:59.909 --> 01:03:02.340
but he was mostly an assimilationist. wanted

01:03:02.340 --> 01:03:05.019
Native Americans to adopt European customs, language,

01:03:05.159 --> 01:03:07.159
government, leading to eventual citizenship,

01:03:07.599 --> 01:03:10.000
said it'd favor any course towards civilization,

01:03:10.360 --> 01:03:12.599
Christianization, and ultimate citizenship. In

01:03:12.599 --> 01:03:15.159
a remarkably progressive move for the time, Grant

01:03:15.159 --> 01:03:17.719
appointed Ely S. Parker, assimilated Seneca,

01:03:17.900 --> 01:03:20.239
wartime staff member, as Commissioner of Indian

01:03:20.239 --> 01:03:22.539
Affairs, first Native American in this high post.

01:03:22.699 --> 01:03:25.980
1869, Grant signed legislation establishing unpaid

01:03:25.980 --> 01:03:28.559
Board of Indian Commissioners. Reduce corruption,

01:03:28.860 --> 01:03:31.199
oversee peace policy, replace corrupt agents

01:03:31.199 --> 01:03:33.519
with missionaries, protect Native Americans on

01:03:33.519 --> 01:03:36.440
reservations, educate them in farming. But despite

01:03:36.440 --> 01:03:40.099
intentions, policy faced setbacks. Maria's Massacre,

01:03:40.219 --> 01:03:44.380
1870, Parker's resignation, 1871, due to congressional

01:03:44.380 --> 01:03:46.699
pressure, infighting among religious agents,

01:03:47.119 --> 01:03:49.420
entrenched economic interests, profiting from

01:03:49.420 --> 01:03:52.800
exploitation. 1871, significant shift. Grant

01:03:52.800 --> 01:03:55.320
effectively ended sovereign tribal treaty system.

01:03:55.579 --> 01:03:58.280
By law, individual Native Americans deemed wards

01:03:58.280 --> 01:04:00.699
of federal government losing tribal sovereignty.

01:04:00.960 --> 01:04:02.940
Fundamental change, moving away from recognizing

01:04:02.940 --> 01:04:05.860
them as sovereign nations, profound lasting negative

01:04:05.860 --> 01:04:09.119
consequences. Modoc War, 1873, North California.

01:04:09.480 --> 01:04:11.880
Major General Edward Canby killed by Modoc leader

01:04:11.880 --> 01:04:14.119
Kent Pwash during peace talks. Grant ordered

01:04:14.119 --> 01:04:16.539
restraint, but army captured Kent Pwash, convicted

01:04:16.539 --> 01:04:19.159
of murder, hanged, sometimes dated as beginning

01:04:19.159 --> 01:04:23.260
of Indian Wars. 1874, Grant pocket vetoed bill,

01:04:23.559 --> 01:04:26.360
protecting bison. Supported Interior Secretary

01:04:26.360 --> 01:04:28.920
Columbus Delano, who believed killing bison would

01:04:28.920 --> 01:04:31.719
force Plains Indians to abandon nomadic lifestyle,

01:04:32.519 --> 01:04:35.079
effectively using a natural resource as a brutal

01:04:35.079 --> 01:04:38.719
policy tool for assimilation. Illustrates complex,

01:04:39.059 --> 01:04:41.460
sometimes contradictory aspect, desire for peace

01:04:41.460 --> 01:04:43.679
assimilation, but willingness to employ brutal

01:04:43.679 --> 01:04:47.079
methods for perceived civilization. Tragic clash

01:04:47.079 --> 01:04:50.730
of cultures. Then the Great Sioux War. 1876,

01:04:51.190 --> 01:04:53.710
sparked by gold discovery in sacred Black Hills,

01:04:54.130 --> 01:04:56.510
treaty protected lands, Russia white settlers

01:04:56.510 --> 01:04:59.489
trespassing. Grant told Sioux leaders to make

01:04:59.489 --> 01:05:01.409
arrangements to allow white persons to go into

01:05:01.409 --> 01:05:03.769
the Black Hills. Children attend schools, speak

01:05:03.769 --> 01:05:06.489
English, prepare for the life of white men. pushing

01:05:06.489 --> 01:05:08.710
assimilation again. Under advice from General

01:05:08.710 --> 01:05:11.730
Sheridan, Grant effectively agreed not to enforce

01:05:11.730 --> 01:05:14.429
minor exclusion from Black Hills, forcing Native

01:05:14.429 --> 01:05:17.030
Americans onto Sioux Reservation. Policy led

01:05:17.030 --> 01:05:19.510
to warriors under Crazy Horse massacring Custer

01:05:19.510 --> 01:05:22.010
and his men at Little Beehorn. Grant publicly

01:05:22.010 --> 01:05:24.730
castigated Custer. I regard Custer's massacre

01:05:24.730 --> 01:05:26.949
as a sacrifice of troops brought on by Custer

01:05:26.949 --> 01:05:29.530
himself that was wholly unnecessary. Grant then

01:05:29.530 --> 01:05:32.130
persuaded tribes to relinquish Black Hills in

01:05:32.130 --> 01:05:36.070
1876. Congress ratified agreement before he left

01:05:36.070 --> 01:05:39.710
office. Despite Grant's peace efforts, over 200

01:05:39.710 --> 01:05:42.210
battles fought with Native Americans during his

01:05:42.210 --> 01:05:45.019
presidency. Policy, though considered humanitarian

01:05:45.019 --> 01:05:47.880
then compared to outright extermination, now

01:05:47.880 --> 01:05:50.380
heavily criticized for assimilationist goals,

01:05:50.699 --> 01:05:53.480
disregard for tribal cultures, sovereignty. However,

01:05:53.780 --> 01:05:56.360
policy did ensure Indian affairs remained under

01:05:56.360 --> 01:05:59.039
Interior Department, not War Department, after

01:05:59.039 --> 01:06:01.800
his presidency. Shifted administrative approach,

01:06:01.940 --> 01:06:04.699
even if goals problematic. After his eventful,

01:06:04.860 --> 01:06:07.460
often tumultuous presidency, Grant samously remarked,

01:06:07.460 --> 01:06:09.360
he was never so happy in my life upon leaving

01:06:09.360 --> 01:06:11.860
the White House in 1877. With some funds from

01:06:11.860 --> 01:06:14.719
liquidating an Grant and Julia embarked on that

01:06:14.719 --> 01:06:17.300
grand two -and -a -half -year world tour, first

01:06:17.300 --> 01:06:19.460
American president to circumnavigate the globe.

01:06:19.860 --> 01:06:21.739
Far more than a leisurely trip, stops across

01:06:21.739 --> 01:06:24.480
Europe, Africa, India, Middle East, Far East,

01:06:24.780 --> 01:06:27.579
met Queen Victoria, Tsar Alexander II, Pope Leo

01:06:27.579 --> 01:06:30.780
III, Bismarck, Emperor Meiji. Hayes' administration

01:06:30.780 --> 01:06:33.380
encouraged Grant to assume unofficial diplomatic

01:06:33.380 --> 01:06:36.400
role. strengthened American interests abroad,

01:06:36.840 --> 01:06:38.940
toured, demonstrated U .S. was emerging world

01:06:38.940 --> 01:06:42.579
power, returned to San Francisco 1879, greeted

01:06:42.579 --> 01:06:45.539
by cheering crowds, hero once more. His renewed

01:06:45.539 --> 01:06:48.219
popularity led to that unexpected, ultimately

01:06:48.219 --> 01:06:51.940
unsuccessful bid for a third term in 1880. Politically

01:06:51.940 --> 01:06:54.179
conservative, supported by stalwarts faction,

01:06:54.480 --> 01:06:57.300
led by old ally Roscoe Conkling, saw his renewed

01:06:57.300 --> 01:06:59.719
popularity as opportunity for third term, direct

01:06:59.719 --> 01:07:02.000
challenge to unofficial two -term rule, bold

01:07:02.000 --> 01:07:04.900
move. Grant publicly said nothing, privately

01:07:04.900 --> 01:07:08.320
encouraged his men, wanted the job. At 1880 Republican

01:07:08.320 --> 01:07:10.500
National Convention, Conkling nominated Grant

01:07:10.500 --> 01:07:12.940
with eloquent speech. When asked which state

01:07:12.940 --> 01:07:15.659
he hails from, our sole reply shall be, he hails

01:07:15.659 --> 01:07:18.619
from Appomattox and its famous apple tree. Despite

01:07:18.619 --> 01:07:21.179
leading initial ballots, couldn't secure a majority.

01:07:21.739 --> 01:07:23.639
Opponents rallied against third -term precedent.

01:07:24.079 --> 01:07:27.019
After 36 ballots, delegates nominated compromise

01:07:27.019 --> 01:07:30.230
candidate James A. Garfield. Grant, loyal Republican

01:07:30.230 --> 01:07:32.750
supporting Garfield, later wept upon learning

01:07:32.750 --> 01:07:35.989
of Garfield's assassination in 1881. This post

01:07:35.989 --> 01:07:39.170
presidency period also saw his devastating financial

01:07:39.170 --> 01:07:42.309
ruin. Stark testament to precariousness of life

01:07:42.309 --> 01:07:45.369
even for former president then. No federal pensions.

01:07:45.570 --> 01:07:48.610
Grant's income mere 6 ,000 year depleted by world

01:07:48.610 --> 01:07:50.909
tour. Wealthy friends bought him house in NYC.

01:07:51.099 --> 01:07:53.320
Chartered Mexican Southern Railroad with Jay

01:07:53.320 --> 01:07:56.079
Gould, but venture failed spectacularly after

01:07:56.079 --> 01:07:58.579
Senate rejected free trade treaty. Then Grant's

01:07:58.579 --> 01:08:01.860
most devastating financial blow. Grant and Ward's

01:08:01.860 --> 01:08:05.500
scandal, 1884, profoundly illustrates how his

01:08:05.500 --> 01:08:08.579
trusting nature remained a vulnerability. 1883,

01:08:08.920 --> 01:08:11.480
son Buck opened Wall Street brokerage with Ferdinand

01:08:11.480 --> 01:08:14.019
Ward. A conniving man running a sophisticated

01:08:14.019 --> 01:08:16.539
Ponzi scheme. Grant, keen to secure family's

01:08:16.539 --> 01:08:19.699
future, joined firm, invested $100 ,000 of his

01:08:19.699 --> 01:08:23.300
own money, equivalent to $2 .78 million in 2023.

01:08:23.800 --> 01:08:26.359
Ward's deception inevitably led to firms impending

01:08:26.359 --> 01:08:28.699
bankruptcy. Ward, cynically assuming Grant was

01:08:28.699 --> 01:08:30.859
a child in business matters, assured him temporary

01:08:30.859 --> 01:08:33.479
shortfall. Grant, desperate, approached William

01:08:33.479 --> 01:08:35.399
Henry Vanderbilt, who gave him personal loan

01:08:35.399 --> 01:08:38.460
of $150 ,000. Grant invested it wasn't enough.

01:08:38.760 --> 01:08:41.340
Collapse triggered panic of 1884. Vanderbilt

01:08:41.340 --> 01:08:44.220
offered to forgive debt entirely, but Grant...

01:08:44.279 --> 01:08:47.479
compelled by unyielding personal honor, refused,

01:08:48.239 --> 01:08:50.859
impoverished, distraught, repaid what he could,

01:08:51.300 --> 01:08:53.779
selling Civil War mementos. Vanderbilt took title

01:08:53.779 --> 01:08:56.039
to Grant's home, allowed Grant's to reside there

01:08:56.039 --> 01:08:58.579
rent -free, pledged to donate souvenirs to federal

01:08:58.579 --> 01:09:01.920
government, insisted debt paid. Grant utterly

01:09:01.920 --> 01:09:04.420
devastated, asked privately how he could ever

01:09:04.420 --> 01:09:07.220
trust any human being again. Testified against

01:09:07.220 --> 01:09:10.939
Warden Fish, March 1885, outpouring of national

01:09:10.939 --> 01:09:14.460
sympathy followed. Summer 1884, Grant complained

01:09:14.460 --> 01:09:17.199
of sore throat. Late October, diagnosed with

01:09:17.199 --> 01:09:19.800
throat cancer, possibly from frequent cigar smoking,

01:09:20.340 --> 01:09:22.899
bravely kept seriousness from Julia. Learned

01:09:22.899 --> 01:09:25.699
grim truth from doctor. Knowing his desperate

01:09:25.699 --> 01:09:28.159
financial difficulties, Congress finally restored

01:09:28.159 --> 01:09:30.239
him to rank of General of the Army with full

01:09:30.239 --> 01:09:32.960
retirement pay, corrected anomaly from resigning

01:09:32.960 --> 01:09:35.439
commission. Congressional Act, not enough. Nearly

01:09:35.439 --> 01:09:37.779
penniless, consumed by worry about providing

01:09:37.779 --> 01:09:40.260
for wife after death, Grant began writing articles

01:09:40.260 --> 01:09:42.590
for the Century Magazine. His loyal friend Mark

01:09:42.590 --> 01:09:45.430
Twain, understanding Grant's dire state, recognizing

01:09:45.430 --> 01:09:48.750
literary talent, offered unheard of 70 % royalty

01:09:48.750 --> 01:09:51.310
for his memoirs, compared to magazine standard

01:09:51.310 --> 01:09:54.390
10%. Grant, facing own mortality, worked intensely

01:09:54.390 --> 01:09:57.109
on memoirs in NYC. Covered life through civil

01:09:57.109 --> 01:09:59.510
war, assisted by Adam Beddow, son Frederick.

01:09:59.909 --> 01:10:02.329
Moved to cottage in Mt. McGregor, NY, finished

01:10:02.329 --> 01:10:06.850
memoir July 18, 1885, just days before death.

01:10:07.149 --> 01:10:09.810
The personal memoirs of U .S. Grant became immediate

01:10:09.810 --> 01:10:13.069
critical commercial success. Julie Grant eventually

01:10:13.069 --> 01:10:16.310
received about $450 ,000 royalties, equivalent

01:10:16.310 --> 01:10:20.250
to $15 .7 million in 2024, secured her financial

01:10:20.250 --> 01:10:23.329
future. Memoir highly regarded by public, military

01:10:23.329 --> 01:10:25.750
historians, literary critics, Grant portrayed

01:10:25.750 --> 01:10:28.510
himself as honorable Western hero, candidly depicting

01:10:28.510 --> 01:10:31.229
battles against Confederates, internal army foes,

01:10:31.569 --> 01:10:33.710
powerful example of controlling narrative, securing

01:10:33.710 --> 01:10:37.229
families future in dire circumstances. of will,

01:10:37.630 --> 01:10:39.770
literary genius, written under immense pressure,

01:10:40.029 --> 01:10:42.329
battling terminal illness, cemented own legacy,

01:10:42.470 --> 01:10:45.029
powerful firsthand account, ensured family security,

01:10:45.350 --> 01:10:47.949
final profound victory. Grant died in Mount McGregor

01:10:47.949 --> 01:10:52.250
Cottage July 23rd, 1885. Commanding General Sheridan

01:10:52.250 --> 01:10:54.729
ordered day -long tribute. President Cleveland

01:10:54.729 --> 01:10:57.689
ordered 30 -day nationwide mourning. Quarter

01:10:57.689 --> 01:11:00.699
million viewed body in NYC. Tens of thousands

01:11:00.699 --> 01:11:03.100
veterans marched in funeral procession, over

01:11:03.100 --> 01:11:06.800
1 .5 million attendees. Massive display of national

01:11:06.800 --> 01:11:10.359
grief? Respect. profoundly powerful symbol of

01:11:10.359 --> 01:11:13.539
national unity. Pallbearers included Union General

01:11:13.539 --> 01:11:16.039
Sherman, Sheridan, and remarkably Confederate

01:11:16.039 --> 01:11:18.840
generals Simon Bolivar Buckner, Joseph E. Johnston,

01:11:19.199 --> 01:11:21.659
demonstrating depth of post -war reconciliation.

01:11:22.180 --> 01:11:24.260
President Cleveland, two former presidents attended,

01:11:24.619 --> 01:11:27.380
body laid to rest in Riverside Park, NYC, eventually

01:11:27.380 --> 01:11:30.079
General Grant National Memorial, Grant's tomb.

01:11:30.399 --> 01:11:32.500
Largest mausoleum in North America, his death

01:11:32.500 --> 01:11:35.199
funeral became national spectacle, moment's reflection,

01:11:35.520 --> 01:11:37.399
symbol of reconciliation. Grant initially hailed

01:11:37.399 --> 01:11:39.180
across North as general who saved the Union.

01:11:39.460 --> 01:11:41.920
Military reputation largely held up. Most successful

01:11:41.920 --> 01:11:45.119
general, Union or Confederate. However, reputation

01:11:45.119 --> 01:11:48.199
suffered soon after death. significantly damaged

01:11:48.199 --> 01:11:51.619
by Lost Cosmosology, spread by Confederate sympathizers

01:11:51.619 --> 01:11:54.579
romanticizing defeat, and Dunning School historians

01:11:54.579 --> 01:11:57.680
resenting his defeat of Lee, strong reconstruction

01:11:57.680 --> 01:12:00.600
enforcement. Reputation fell further early 20th

01:12:00.600 --> 01:12:04.039
century due to WWI casualties recalling 1864

01:12:04.039 --> 01:12:06.359
Virginia casualties and Harding administration

01:12:06.359 --> 01:12:09.260
scandals recalling Grant's own issues. For decades,

01:12:09.479 --> 01:12:12.119
often seen as unsuccessful president, unskilled,

01:12:12.300 --> 01:12:15.000
if lucky, general. What truly stands out here

01:12:15.000 --> 01:12:17.659
is how historical perspectives evolve. Beginning

01:12:17.659 --> 01:12:20.899
1950s, accelerating dramatically 21st century

01:12:20.899 --> 01:12:23.359
with new scholarship from historians like Ron

01:12:23.359 --> 01:12:26.239
Chernow, Grant's reputation improved markedly.

01:12:26.260 --> 01:12:29.479
Reassessed not as brute force, Victor, but skillful

01:12:29.479 --> 01:12:31.979
modern strategist, truly exceptional commander,

01:12:32.220 --> 01:12:34.260
understanding total nature of warfare. Modern

01:12:34.260 --> 01:12:36.479
views of his presidency now show better appreciation

01:12:36.479 --> 01:12:38.920
of his personal integrity, vigorous enforcement

01:12:38.920 --> 01:12:40.779
of civil voting rights for African Americans,

01:12:41.319 --> 01:12:43.329
genuinely intended peace policy. toward Native

01:12:43.329 --> 01:12:46.420
Americans, even when flawed. 2021 C -SPAN survey

01:12:46.420 --> 01:12:49.899
ranked Grant 20th out of 44 presidents, significant

01:12:49.899 --> 01:12:53.479
jump from 33rd in 2017, attributed to receiving

01:12:53.479 --> 01:12:56.340
more credit for reconstruction in his diplomacy

01:12:56.340 --> 01:12:58.859
than condemnation for his alleged corruption.

01:12:59.220 --> 01:13:01.239
And if we connect this to the bigger picture,

01:13:01.699 --> 01:13:04.079
Grant's changing legacy powerfully demonstrates

01:13:04.079 --> 01:13:06.819
the ongoing, often politically charged process

01:13:06.819 --> 01:13:09.739
of historical interpretation, underscores importance

01:13:09.739 --> 01:13:13.699
of continuously revisiting primary sources, diverse

01:13:13.699 --> 01:13:16.880
perspectives. history isn't static, it's a lying

01:13:16.880 --> 01:13:19.199
dialogue. We've journeyed through the remarkable

01:13:19.199 --> 01:13:21.680
life of Ulysses S. Grant. From humble beginnings,

01:13:22.180 --> 01:13:24.119
profound civilian struggles marked by poverty,

01:13:24.479 --> 01:13:26.859
personal challenge, to military genius on Civil

01:13:26.859 --> 01:13:28.899
War battlefields. We've seen him as president

01:13:29.069 --> 01:13:31.810
deeply committed to civil rights, national unity,

01:13:32.029 --> 01:13:33.970
battling corruption with its own administration,

01:13:34.550 --> 01:13:37.109
navigating complex foreign domestic policies.

01:13:37.470 --> 01:13:39.949
We also witnessed his post presidency challenges

01:13:39.949 --> 01:13:42.130
culminating in that powerful act of literary

01:13:42.130 --> 01:13:44.689
redemption, securing his family's legacy. Grant's

01:13:44.689 --> 01:13:48.010
story is a profound reminder that even celebrated

01:13:48.010 --> 01:13:51.189
figures are complex, multifaceted individuals

01:13:51.189 --> 01:13:55.350
shaped by their times, own human flaws, encourages

01:13:55.350 --> 01:13:57.649
us to look beyond simplistic narratives of hero

01:13:57.649 --> 01:14:00.960
or villain. Appreciate Full Spectrum. His resilience

01:14:00.960 --> 01:14:04.380
facing immense personal financial hardship, unwavering

01:14:04.380 --> 01:14:07.119
commitment to vision of reunited America, efforts

01:14:07.119 --> 01:14:09.479
to secure civil rights for African Americans

01:14:09.479 --> 01:14:12.699
facing overwhelming opposition, offer powerful

01:14:12.699 --> 01:14:15.380
enduring lessons. Absolutely. And this raises

01:14:15.380 --> 01:14:17.880
an important question for all of us. Given the

01:14:17.880 --> 01:14:20.039
dramatic shifts in Grant's historical reputation

01:14:20.039 --> 01:14:22.960
and the active, often politically motivated efforts

01:14:22.960 --> 01:14:25.640
to tarnish his legacy by those disagreeing with

01:14:25.640 --> 01:14:28.199
his progressive policies, how should we approach

01:14:28.199 --> 01:14:30.390
stories of other figures whose place in history

01:14:30.390 --> 01:14:33.550
is debated or deliberately misrepresented. What

01:14:33.550 --> 01:14:36.090
responsibility do we as informed citizens have

01:14:36.090 --> 01:14:38.329
in seeking out and promoting a balanced evidence

01:14:38.329 --> 01:14:40.430
-based understanding of the past, especially

01:14:40.430 --> 01:14:42.350
when those narratives continue to shape our present

01:14:42.350 --> 01:14:44.350
and influence our future? Something to think

01:14:44.350 --> 01:14:44.649
about.