Ulysses Grant and His diplomatic achievements in Civil War Essay

Ulysses Grant and His diplomatic achievements in Civil War - Essay Example It is at this civil war that Ulysses Grant emerged as one of the most successful war commanders of his time after he prevented the secession from taking place. He would later become elected as the 18th president of the United States of America. Ulysses began his career in military action by first serving as a cadet after enrolling at West Point Military Academy at the age of 17 years. After graduation from the military academy, where he emerged at number 21 out of 39 cadets, Grant went on to serve in the American Mexican war. Being under generals such as Zachary Taylor and Winfield Scott, Grant was able to learn the strategies of war. He retired from active service in 1854, and was working at his father’s tannery as a clerk, when the civil war began. Born Hiram Ulysses Grant, he had to change his name due to a clerical error when at the military academy in West Point. According to Bunting and Schlesinger (2004), Grant grew up under easy discipline and devoted attention (p10). Therefore, it was not hard for him to adapt to the demands of military action. His parents were rather opposites in opinions, with his father Jesse praising the young boy at every opportunity he had while his mother Hannah, was an unbeliever in praise (Bunting and Schlessinger 10). His boyhood and education was conventional at the time (Bunting and Schlessinger 11). ... st Point but his wedding had to delay due to the threat of war with Mexico, which he later took part in unknowing that this would be an important phase of his career as a soldier. His performance in the war was exemplary, and lead to his promotion to first lieutenant due to his bravery. He played a huge part in the capture of Mexico City and his experience at this Mexico-American war would later come as an advantage to him during the civil war (Hickman Para 3). The Civil War The civil war began in 1861 when Grant was serving in his father’s tannery, and this offered him the chance he was so much willing to take- that of getting back to military action. In 1852, Grant had been stationed in Fort Vancouver, a place he considered lonely and could not take his family with him. Due to this, he started drinking heavily, and was charged for it though no formal evidence emerged. He later had to resign to avoid getting the boot. On coming back to the civil war, Grant served in the union army that was seeking to end the confederates reign. At the union army, Grant began as a trainer for the new recruits in the army and was promoted to colonel in June 1861, where Major General Fremont later appointed him as commander of the district of Cairo in Illinois. President Lincoln would later appoint him as Brigadier General of the army after serving for the adjutant in Illinois. His diplomatic achievements would start early on in his career as a civil war soldier, where after training the new recruits as commissioned by Governor Yates, he was successful in convincing congressman Elihu B Washburn to appoint him as colonel (Patterson et al 150). His colonel duty saw him lead the Illinois infantry a largely unruly unit, but was able to reform the unit into the best fighting unit in the