Posted on Mar 10, 2021
President Lincoln signs Ulysses S. Grant’s commission to command the U.S. Army
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On March 10, 1864, President Abraham Lincoln signs a brief document officially promoting then-Major General Ulysses S. Grant to the rank of lieutenant general of the U.S. Army, tasking the future president with the job of leading all Union troops against the Confederate Army.
The rank of lieutenant general had not officially been used since 1798; at that time, President John Adams assigned the post to former President George Washington, in anticipation of a possible French invasion of the United States. One of Grant’s predecessors in the Civil War, Winfield Scott, had briefly earned the rank, but the appointment was only temporary—really, use of the rank had been suspended after George Washington’s death in 1799.
READ MORE: 10 Things You May Not Know About Ulysses S. Grant
In 1862, Lincoln asked Congress to revive the rank of lieutenant general in order to distinguish between the general in charge of all Union forces and other generals of equal rank who served under him in the field. Congress also wanted to reinstate the rank of lieutenant general, but only if Lincoln gave the rank to Grant. Lincoln had other ideas.
Lincoln preferred to promote then-Commanding General Henry Halleck to lead the Union Army, which had been plagued by a string of ineffective leaders and terrible losses in battle. He was reluctant to promote Grant and risk boosting the general’s popularity; at the time Washington was abuzz with rumors that many northern senators were considering nominating Grant instead of Lincoln at the 1864 Republican National Convention. After Grant publicly dismissed the idea of running for the presidency, Lincoln submitted to Congress’ choice and agreed to give Grant the revived rank. As lieutenant general of the U.S. Army, Grant was answerable only to Lincoln. Well-respected by troops and civilians, Grant earned Lincoln’s trust and went on to force the South’s surrender in 1865.
Although Grant enjoyed a distinguished career in the military, he later wrote that he never consciously chose the life of a soldier. As a student at West Point, he never expected to graduate, let alone lead the entire U.S. Army in a desperate but ultimately successful struggle to preserve the Union.
In 1869, Grant became the 18th president of the United States.
On March 10, 1864, President Abraham Lincoln signs a brief document officially promoting then-Major General Ulysses S. Grant to the rank of lieutenant general of the U.S. Army, tasking the future president with the job of leading all Union troops against the Confederate Army.
The rank of lieutenant general had not officially been used since 1798; at that time, President John Adams assigned the post to former President George Washington, in anticipation of a possible French invasion of the United States. One of Grant’s predecessors in the Civil War, Winfield Scott, had briefly earned the rank, but the appointment was only temporary—really, use of the rank had been suspended after George Washington’s death in 1799.
READ MORE: 10 Things You May Not Know About Ulysses S. Grant
In 1862, Lincoln asked Congress to revive the rank of lieutenant general in order to distinguish between the general in charge of all Union forces and other generals of equal rank who served under him in the field. Congress also wanted to reinstate the rank of lieutenant general, but only if Lincoln gave the rank to Grant. Lincoln had other ideas.
Lincoln preferred to promote then-Commanding General Henry Halleck to lead the Union Army, which had been plagued by a string of ineffective leaders and terrible losses in battle. He was reluctant to promote Grant and risk boosting the general’s popularity; at the time Washington was abuzz with rumors that many northern senators were considering nominating Grant instead of Lincoln at the 1864 Republican National Convention. After Grant publicly dismissed the idea of running for the presidency, Lincoln submitted to Congress’ choice and agreed to give Grant the revived rank. As lieutenant general of the U.S. Army, Grant was answerable only to Lincoln. Well-respected by troops and civilians, Grant earned Lincoln’s trust and went on to force the South’s surrender in 1865.
Although Grant enjoyed a distinguished career in the military, he later wrote that he never consciously chose the life of a soldier. As a student at West Point, he never expected to graduate, let alone lead the entire U.S. Army in a desperate but ultimately successful struggle to preserve the Union.
In 1869, Grant became the 18th president of the United States.
President Lincoln signs Ulysses S. Grant’s commission to command the U.S. Army
Posted from history.comPosted in these groups: 
American History
Civil War
Office of the President (POTUS)
Abraham Lincoln
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American History Civil War Office of the President (POTUS) Abraham Lincoln GEN
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 5
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One of the best moves of a president that made a lot of them.
Off the topic, I have never understood why the South fought on after Vicksburg surrendered to Grant. The writing was on the wall. Well over half the casualties of the war could have been avoided with a little common sense. The Mississippi was lost, and Lee's army had just been irrevocably damaged at Gettysburg, yet they fought on almost two more years. Were they all just insane?
Off the topic, I have never understood why the South fought on after Vicksburg surrendered to Grant. The writing was on the wall. Well over half the casualties of the war could have been avoided with a little common sense. The Mississippi was lost, and Lee's army had just been irrevocably damaged at Gettysburg, yet they fought on almost two more years. Were they all just insane?
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SPC Terry Page
I think about it as War being the LAST resort, after all of other rational actions have been tried-and-failed. Sometimes our position is so compelling war becomes necessary; the-final-option. It's our duty to make sure the reason is so compelling that we can look at the people we love most, parents, other family members, clergy, mentors and our children and acknowledge our participation proudly. The South... their then-way-of-life, economy, and understanding of their own sovereignty (states-rights) all play into it. Regardless of the societal progress made since that war, we need to transport ourselves back and put ourselves in their shoes to understand their thinking. Maybe they thought those then-current-principals and way of life were worth dying for.
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1SG Steven Imerman
SPC Terry Page - Well, a whole heap of them did die for them, and long after there was any hope of winning.
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PFC David Cheney
Just like now the greedy evil and corrupt never want to lose their gig and the poor who need more are susceptible to them
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