General Grant

General Grant National Park Service U.S. D e p a r t m e n t of t h e Interior National M e m o r i a l N e w York Among the Most Revered of Men T his large, classically proportioned mausoleum honors the Civil War general who saved the nation from dissolution and the president who worked to usher in a new era of peace and equality for all Americans. Ulysses S. Grant, a plainspoken unassuming man who studiously avoided pomp and ceremony, had volunteered his services for the Union effort when the Civil War erupted in 1861. In doing what he considered simply his duty, he emerged after four years of zhting as one of the great military leaders in history. Aggressiveness, speed, tenacity, and the ability to adjust his plans in the face of unexpected impediments all helped to bring him victory. ternational disputes by arbitration rather than by threat of war. At the time of his death in 1885, Grant was universally respected by northerners and southerners alike. Because of Grant's status as a national hero, most Americans assumed he would be buried in Washington, D.C., but his family preferred New York City. Grant himself had no strong preference; his only desire was for his wife Julia to be buried next to him. The funeral on August 8,1885, was one of the most spectacular events New York had ever seen. Buildings all over the city were draped in black. An estimated one million people crowded sidewalks, filled windows, stood on rooftops, and climbed trees and telephone poles for a view of the procession, which stretched seven miles and took five hours to pass. As great as he was in war, Grant showed magnanimity and compassion in peace. He granted humane and gener- Grant's remains were placed in a temporary vault until an approous terms when Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to him on priate memorial could be funded and built. On April 27,1897, the April 9,1865, at Appomattox Court House. As president he par75th anniversary of Grant's birth, thousands of people, including doned many former Confederate leaders, at the same time indiplomats from 26 countries, attended the dedication ceresisting on protecting the full political equality of formony for the completed memorial. The dedication pamer slaves. He was also concerned that American , ^ rade, led by President William McKinley, was Indian tribes be treated with dignity and realmost as large as Grant's funeral parade. spect. His fundamental desire for peace Julia Grant reviewed the ceremony sitwas reflected in his efforts to solve inting next to President McKinley. She was laid by her husband's side after her death in 1902. r Ulysses S. Grant and his wife Julia rest in red granite coffins in an open crypt in the center of a circular gallery inside the memorial. Niches in the wall surrounding the coffins contain busts of Grant's best generals. MEMORIAL IMAGES, NPS / MARK MUSE; US. GRANT INSET, LIBRARY OF CONGRESS Milestones of Grant's Presidency C i v i l a n d H u m a n R i g h t s Grant supported efforts to ensure justice and equality under the law for African Americans so that someone like Hiram Revels of Mississippi (left) could become the first black elected to the U.S. Senate (1869). Passage of the 15th Amendment (1870) guaranteed voting rights to African American males and enforced legislation to curb violence by white supremacists like the Ku Klux Klan. To curb abuses by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Grant replaced corrupt agents and chose a Seneca Indian, Ely Parker (right), as Commissioner of Indian Affairs. And to end patronage, he introduced reforms later used by President Chester A. Arthur as a model for the Civil Service Commission instituted in 1883. REVELS. LIBRARY OE CONGRESS. MEMORIAL DOME. NPS / MARK MUSE; PARKER, NATIONAL ARCHIVES C o n s e r v a t i o n On March 1,1872, President Grant signed a law declaring that Yellowstone (right, in Thomas Moran's 1872 painting Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone) would forever be "dedicated and set apart as a public park or pleasuring ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people." This, America's first national park, has been called the best idea the nation ever had and it laid the foundation for creating the national park system. Passage of the Timber Culture Act in 1873, a sequel to the 1862 Homestead Act, granted settlers 160-acre plots if they would cultivate trees on one-fourth of the land for 10 years. The act revealed the growing public concern with conserving forest resources and provided a boost to a growing conservation movement. SMITHSONIAN AMERICAN ART MUSEUM. LENT BY THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR MUSEUM BRIT1SHFLAG.US F o r e i g n A f f a i r s The May 8,1871, treaty with Great Britain, known as the Treaty of Washington, was the most important event in foreign policy during Grant's presidency. It helped resolve several boundary and other disputes between the United States, Canada, and Great Britain, especially over the damages inflicted upon the United States by the CSS Alabama and other Confederate cruisers built and equipped in England during the Civil War. The Treaty of Washington, which demonstrated the value of resolving problems through negotiation instead of war, has been called "the greatest treaty of actual and immediate arbitration the world has ever seen." Publication of the massive 128-volume Official Records of Union and Confederate armies was authorized during Grant's second term as president. CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY A Grateful Nation The Grant memorial was designed by architect John Duncan. Rising to an imposing 150 feet from a bluff overlooking the Hudson River, it took 12 years to build and remains the largest mausoleum in North America. Its great size was meant to express the profound admiration Americans felt for the Civil War commander and president who, credited with saving the nation from dissolution, was propelled to the forefront of America's pantheon of heroes and declared the equal of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Planning your visit Subway Take the #1 train to the 116th Street/Columbia University stop at Broadway. Walk six blocks north to 122nd Street and two blocks west to Riverside Drive. Riverside Drive is also accessible from the Henry Hudson Parkway at several points. Parking is permitted near the memorial. Service animals are welcome. The memorial is open from 9 am to 5 pm daily. For information or to arrange for group visits call 212-666-1640. More Information General Grant National Memorial 122nd St. and Riverside Drive New York, NY 10027 www.nps.gov/gegr For firearms laws and policies, check the park website. Spearheaded by the Grant Monument Association, some 90,000 people from around the United States and the world donated over $600,000 to construct the memorial, the largest public fundraising effort up to that time. Initial fundraising was led by Richard T. Greener (left) , first black graduate of Harvard and a Grant supporter who credited the general with his advancement. Many African Americans contributed to the building fund. A PUBLIC DOMAIN Riverside Park in 1909. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS Circle is subway line (Red Line #1 Train) K J Squares are bus lines (example: Blue Line #M4 Bus) General Grant National Memorial is one of over 390 parks in the National Park System. To learn more about national parks, visit www.nps.gov. cGPOUOTO—357-940/80524 Printed on recycled paper.