<Tr> <Td> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> <P> Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant, April 27, 1822--July 23, 1885) was a prominent United States Army general during the American Civil War and Commanding General at the conclusion of that war . He was elected as the 18th President of the United States in 1868, serving from 1869 to 1877 . As Commanding General, Grant worked closely with President Abraham Lincoln to lead the Union Army to victory over the Confederacy . After Lincoln's assassination, Grant's assignment in implementing Reconstruction often put him at odds with President Andrew Johnson, Lincoln's successor . Twice elected president, Grant led the Republicans in their effort to remove the vestiges of Confederate nationalism and slavery, protect African - American citizenship and civil rights, implement reconstruction and support economic prosperity . Grant's presidency has often been criticized for its scandals and for his failure to alleviate the economic depression following the Panic of 1873, but modern scholarship regards him as a president who performed a difficult job during the early post Civil War era . </P> <P> Grant graduated in 1843 from the United States Military Academy at West Point and served in the Mexican--American War . After the war, he married Julia Dent in 1848, and together they had four children . Grant retired from the Army in 1854 and struggled financially in civilian life . When the Civil War began in 1861, he rejoined the U.S. Army and quickly rose through the ranks . In 1862, Grant took control of Kentucky and most of Tennessee, and led Union forces to victory in the Battle of Shiloh, earning a reputation as an aggressive commander . In July 1863, after a series of coordinated battles, Grant defeated Confederate armies and seized Vicksburg, giving the Union control of the Mississippi River and dividing the Confederacy in two . After Grant's victories in the Chattanooga Campaign, Lincoln promoted him to lieutenant general and Commanding General of the Army in March 1864 . Grant confronted Robert E. Lee in a series of bloody battles, trapping Lee's army in their defense of Richmond . Grant coordinated a series of devastating campaigns in other theaters, as well . In April 1865, Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox, effectively ending the war . Historians have hailed Grant's military genius, and his strategies are featured in military history textbooks, but a minority contend that he won by brute force rather than superior strategy . </P>

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