News Release

Ulysses S. Grant 200th Birthday Commemoration

Date: April 12, 2022
Contact: Ann Blumenschine, 804-732-3531 ext. 203

On Saturday, April 30, a special event will honor the 200th birthday of this nation’s 18th President, Ulysses S. Grant. The National Park Service, in partnership with the Sons of Union Veterans and the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), will host a two-hour program featuring guest speakers who will talk about the life of Grant. The free program will begin at 11:00 am on the east lawn of Appomattox Plantation. General Grant’s Headquarters Unit located at 1001 Pecan Avenue in Hopewell.

About Ulysses S. Grant at City Point

During the Siege of Petersburg, General Ulysses S. Grant made his headquarters 10 miles east of Petersburg at City Point, Virginia. From City Point, he would oversee all major military movements of the Union army during the final campaigns of the Civil War. He would also host several politicians from Washington, D.C. including President Abraham Lincoln. Among his most welcome visitors were his wife Julia and their son Jesse.

If you go
The General Grant’s Headquarters Unit of Petersburg National Battlefield is where Ulysses S. Grant made his headquarters during the 292-day siege of Petersburg. Signage focuses on the area’s importance to the Union army as one of the largest supply bases in the nation, as well as the lives of civilians, free and enslaved, who lived and worked at Appomattox Plantation prior to the Civil War. The visitor contact station is open seasonally when staffing permits. For more information, please contact Petersburg National Battlefield at [phone] ext. 200.