Audio
US Grant Biography - Early Military and Marriage
Transcript
EARLY MILITARY LIFE AND MARRIAGE Ulysses graduated from West Point in 1843. The army assigned him to the 4th U.S. Infantry regiment. They went to Jefferson Barracks near St. Louis, Missouri, for military training. Ulysses' roommate at West Point had been Fred Dent. Fred had grown up at a plantation called White Haven. /historic colorized photo of house/ It was near Jefferson Barracks. The Dent family invited Ulysses to visit their home. During a visit in February 1844 he met one of Fred's sisters, Julia Dent Grant. The two fell in love and became engaged. They were married in 1848 in St. Louis.
From 1848 to 1852 Julia Grant went with her husband as he moved from one army post to the next. During this time, the Grant’s first-born child, Fred, was born. Being with his family was very important to Ulysses. Unfortunately, in 1852, the army assigned him to a faraway post. The journey was too difficult for Julia and baby Fred, so they stayed at White Haven in St. Louis. Ulysses missed his family and wrote them letters. He learned about the birth of his second son, Ulysses Jr, while he was away.
Finally, in 1854 he left the army. He moved back to St. Louis to be with his family. He became a farmer. Ulysses and Julia’s last two children were born while they were living at White Haven. /early photo of the whole Grant family/ They were named Nellie and Jesse. Ulysses loved his family and enjoyed playing with them at home.
The Grant family lived with Julia’s father, Colonel Dent. Also living on the property were as many as 30 enslaved African Americans owned by Dent. The enslaved people at White Haven took care of all the household jobs such as cooking, cleaning, and laundry. Many of them were women and children. The young, enslaved men worked in the fields on the 850-acre plantation. The enslaved people were not able to leave White Haven. They were not free. They were considered to be the property of their owner. Ulysses was the owner of an enslaved man named William Jones. We do not know much about William except that Ulysses freed him in 1859.
At times some of the enslaved African American men owned by Julia’s father worked with Ulysses. They plowed, sowed, and harvested the crops. They grew wheat, oats, potatoes and corn. They also took care of fruit orchards and vegetable gardens. Ulysses took fruit, vegetables and eggs from the farm into St. Louis markets to sell. Farming was difficult for Ulysses and other farmers living in the area. Farming didn’t provide Ulysses with enough money for his family. In 1859 he decided to stop farming and find another job.
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Audio recording of the short biography of Ulysses S. Grant for Junior Rangers
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