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Ulysses S Grant as Brigadier General

1861

An early-war photograph of Grant taken at Cairo, Illinois in 1861, before he became a famous Union commander.

This photograph depicts Grant early in the Civil War, before the fame that led to his presidency.

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Sepia oval portrait of a bearded man in a dark military-style uniform with two rows of light buttons and shoulder straps. He wears a dark hat with a round badge, sits facing the camera, and rests his hands on a sword hilt at his waist.
Ulysses S. Grant as Brigadier General, photographed at Cairo, Illinois, 1861.

About this source

What it is

This is a photograph of Ulysses S. Grant taken in 1861 at Cairo, Illinois, when he held the rank of Union Brigadier General, early in the Civil War.

Why it matters

The photograph shows Grant before the victories that would make him famous, including his later command of all Union armies and his eventual presidency. It offers a glimpse of a less well-known Grant, newly risen in rank, at a stage when his future career was far from certain.

Look closer

  • How does this early portrait compare to later images of Grant as a famous general or president?
  • What does his uniform and pose suggest about military rank and status at the time?
  • Why might this photograph have been taken and kept, if Grant was not yet widely known?

This photograph is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Ulysses S Grant on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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