![]() Regardless, the first lady reportedly always insisted on being photographed in profile so her eyes wouldn’t draw so much attention. Julia wanted surgery to correct the condition before her husband convinced her it wasn’t necessary. Described in some circles as “plain,” she was also slightly cross-eyed and squinted a lot. Well-liked for her spirit and charm, Julia was not considered a traditional beauty. She hosted afternoon teas and public receptions at the White House and even held a wedding for her only daughter, Nellie, in the White House’s East Room in 1874. She read the president’s mail and was renowned for her hosting-a valuable skill in the Gilded Age. She not only attended Senate hearings, but met with cabinet members, senators, diplomats, and justices alike. His first order of business was overseeing Reconstruction, a lengthy and often controversial process. He’d ran as a Republican with running mate Schuyler Colfax as Vice President. Ulysses Grant was sworn in as the 18 president of the United States on March 4, 1869. That was the night Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth. The Grants narrowly escaped death five days later when they declined an invitation from the Lincolns to attend a play at Ford’s Theater in Washington, D.C. On April 9, 1865, Confederate General Robert Lee (1807-1870) surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Court House in Virginia, effectively ending the Civil War. Letters between Julia Grant and her husband show she was a trusted confidante for him, and Grant even invited President Abraham Lincoln, first lady Mary Todd Lincoln and their son, Tad, to visit him at the front at Julia’s suggestion. Julia Grant visited her husband’s encampments often, sometimes traveling alone and sometimes with their children in tow, who were watched over by her slave, Jule-an interesting choice for the spouse of the leader of the Union Army fighting to preserve the Union and abolish slavery. ![]() Grant was appointed lieutenant-general by Lincoln on Maand given command of all U.S. In July 1863, Grant’s forces captured Vicksburg, Mississippi, a Confederate stronghold, earning him a promotion from President Lincoln. ![]() Grant earned the nickname “Unconditional Surrender Grant” after winning a major victory over the Confederates in the Battle of Fort Donelson in Tennessee in February 1862. Later that summer, President Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) made Grant a brigadier general. Ulysses Grant volunteered for the Union cause and became a colonel of the 21st Illinois Volunteers. The American Civil War began in April 1861. READ MORE: 10 Things You May Not Know About Ulysses S. (known as “Buck”), Ellen “Nellie” Grant and Jesse Root Grant. Julia Grant and Ulysses Grant had four children: Frederick Dent Grant, Ulysses S. The outbreak of the Civil War changed their fortunes, as Grant’s success as Union commander eventually provided a Julia with a more comfortable lifestyle. ![]() By 1860, the family was forced to move to Galena, Illinois, where Grant worked in his father’s leather goods store. However, the process of turning the farm into a profitable venture proved difficult from the early stages and was rendered virtually impossible following the Panic of 1857. Given 80 acres of land by her father as a wedding gift, Julia embraced the role of farmer’s wife in the 1850s. Grant (center) sits for a family portrait with his wife, Julia Dent Grant, and their children and grandchildren at his last home, in New York, circa 1883. Grant finally asked Dent for permission to marry Julia in 1845 and received approval, but the outbreak of the Mexican-American War delayed the wedding until August 22, 1848.įormer Civil War General and U.S. The two wrote letters to one another, including an 1844 note where Grant poked fun at the error Ohio Congressman Thomas Hamer made when he inadvertently added an “S” as Grant’s middle initial in his nomination letter for West Point: “Find some name beginning with “S” for me,” he joked to Julia, “You know I have an “S” in my name and don’t know what it stands for.” However, the two kept the engagement hidden from Colonel Dent, who was unhappy with Grant’s meager pay as a soldier. Ulysses Grant met his bride-to-be at White Haven early in 1844, where the two rode on horseback and walked the grounds together. Her future husband, Ulysses Grant, was a classmate of Julia’s older brother Fred at West Point. ![]() She painted an idyllic picture of her upbringing in her memoirs. The future first lady was well educated, attending the Mauro Boarding School for seven years and taking a liking to literature. Louis, Missouri, she enjoyed outdoor activities such as fishing and riding horses. Raised on the White Haven plantation approximately 12 miles from St. She was the fifth of seven children born to “Colonel” Frederick and Ellen Wrenshall Dent. Julia Grant was born Julia Boggs Dent on January 26, 1826. ![]()
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