Tag: Grant (Julia B.)

Wikipedia says: Julia Boggs Grant (née Dent; January 26, 1826 – December 14, 1902) was the first lady of the United States and wife of President Ulysses S. Grant. As first lady, her time marked a turning point in her life, when she became a national figure. Her memoirs, The Personal Memoirs of Julia Dent Grant were published in 1975.

At the beginning of the Civil War, Ulysses helped organize volunteers and he soon took command of the Illinois troops. He was promoted to brigadier general and then major general. Lonely without his wife, Ulysses sent for Julia. She left the children with relatives and over the course of the Civil War she stayed with Ulysses during campaigns at Memphis, Vicksburg, Nashville and Virginia. Julia covered more than 10,000 miles in four years – and nearly 4,000 in just the first year – to be with her husband. At one point, Julia lived at Walter Place, an Antebellum mansion in Holly Springs, Mississippi. When Confederate General Earl Van Dorn raided the house, he was not permitted by the pro-Union owner to enter before she went outside. Julia’s presence lifted her husband’s spirits and buoyed his confidence. In 1864, when Lincoln appointed Grant commander of the Union armies, the president sent for Julia to join her husband, aware of the positive effect she had on him.

Children

Ulysses Grant and Julia Dent with their four children: Jesse, Ulysses Jr., Nellie, and Frederick in front of their cottage in Long Branch, New Jersey.

The Grants had three sons and a daughter:

Frederick Dent Grant (1850–1912)—soldier, public official.

Ulysses Simpson Grant, Jr. known as “Buck” (1852–1929)—lawyer.

Ellen Wrenshall Grant known as “Nellie” (1855–1922)—homemaker.

Jesse Root Grant (1858–1934)—engineer.