Ulysses S. Grant grew to national fame because of the work that he did as a general during the Civil War. He was known for being a very compassionate man. As the story goes, when Robert E. Lee surrendered to officially end the Civil War, Grant allowed the Confederate soldiers to keep their weapons and their horses so they could just go home. On a unique note, however, Grant is the only President to receive a fine for driving his horse too fast. Here are some other interesting facts about this President.
1. He Could Have Been Assassinated
The night that Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, Grant had been invited to sit with the Lincolns in their balcony at Ford Theater. Instead of attending the show, the Grants decided that they’d go over to New Jersey instead so that they could see their children. Considering the military background of Grant, had he attended, one of two different outcomes may have been achieved. He could have been assassinated as well or he could have saved Lincoln’s life. No one will ever know.
2. Blood Made Him Sick
Although Grant saw some of the worst battles in American history in terms of loss of life and injuries to soldiers, he couldn’t handle the sight of blood at all. Just being around a rare steak would make him feel sick to his stomach. When he would cook meat, he would make sure it was more than well done. His food was often charred so he wouldn’t have to cope with any blood.
3. He Got Cancer, But Didn’t Smoke
Grant had a cigar habit, but it was a chewing habit, not a smoking habit. He would chew through up to 10 cigars per day. His habit made the newspaper one day and in return, people began sending Grant cigars as gifts. At one point, he received over 20,000 free cigars. It isn’t proven, but there is a good chance that this habit is how he developed throat cancer.
4. Bankruptcy Would Have Helped
After being President, Grant lost all of his money on a bad investment. It left his family with nearly nothing. In his era, the President didn’t receive any pension after being in office. As a military officer, he would have received a pension, but Grant had to forfeit this in order to become President. Mark Twain came to save the day when Grant was diagnosed as being terminal. He wrote Grant’s memoirs and sold over 300,000 copies. The work netted Grant’s family $450k.
5. It’s Not His Name
Ulysses S. Grant was actually given the first name Hiram. When he wanted to get into West Point, the Congressman who wrote the nomination letter for Ulysses S. Grant instead of Hiram Ulysses Grant. West Point wouldn’t allow the name to be changed from the letter, so Grant just adopted the new name. Many people think the “S” stands for Simpson, which was his mother’s maiden name, but it actually doesn’t stand for anything.
