A Summary Of Grant's Assassination

890 Words2 Pages

At the age of 32, Grant had no civilian vocation. He again tried his hand at several failed business ventures. Grant’s father offered him a job at the tannery, with the stipulation that Julia and the children stay with Julia’s family for financial reasons. Grant and Julia opposed another separation, so Grant turned down the offer. In 1854, Grant turned to farming. He used the land of his brother-in-law and used slaves that were owned by Julia’s family. The farm however failed. They then moved to live on land owned by Julia’s father. At this juncture, Grant at acquired a slave of his own, named William Jones. With the birth of their fourth child in 1858, Grant and Julia decided to move once more. Grant freed Jones instead of selling him, even though slaves could bring in a lot of money. In 1860, Grant was once again offered the tannery …show more content…

Two days later, President Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers and a mass meeting was held in Galena to encourage recruitment. Grant, recognized as a military professional, was asked to lead the effort. Grant was not against the south secession, but he was scared for the onset of war. He however gained a new enthusiasm for the Union cause after listening to a speech by John Aaron Rawlins. Rawlins would later become one of Grant’s closest friends during the war. Grant had no official position in the army, but he accepted a position recruiting and training soldiers. He tried in vain to get a position in the formal army. Major General George B. McClellan refused to meet with Grant because of his past issues with drinking. Grant continued to train and recruit, until in 1861 Grant was promoted to colonel. Grant was put in charge of an unruly battalion, where to restore discipline he had one soldier bound to a post. After shaping up the troops, Grant was promoted by then president Abraham Lincoln to Brigadier

More about A Summary Of Grant's Assassination

Open Document