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General Grant's saddle box is on display at the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg, PA.

Very cool!

My wife has a 1868 imprinted tool chest that belonged to her g-g-grandfather, that is constructed in much the same manner and style as this one - perhaps another foot wider. I would guess that it is a re-purposed carpenters chest - which would be perfect for this use. The ruggedness of these chests cannot be over-estimated, as well as the sheer weight. The externally mounted handles are different - many have the flush-fit handle assemblies.

I wonder about that name. As most of you know, Grant's name was Hiram Ulysses. He sort of adopted the "S." middle initial for publicity -- a sort of stage name -- (it did NOT stand for Simpson, as some suggest although that was his mother's maiden name). So the question is, did he actually mark his personal possessions with the stage name, and if so, when did it start?

The initials came from Grant being mistakenly enrolled at West Point as "Ulysses Simpson Grant." He liked the initials and, I suspect, it was easier to keep the mistaken name than have the army change their records.

http://presidentialham.com/u-s-presiden ... -with-ham/

Philip S wrote:The initials came from Grant being mistakenly enrolled at West Point as "Ulysses Simpson Grant." He liked the initials and, I suspect, it was easier to keep the mistaken name than have the army change their records.

http://presidentialham.com/u-s-presiden ... -with-ham/

Interesting link - almost derogatory in tone at some points.

For more insight into US Grant, I would recommend Grant's autobiography, finished at on his death bed, is an excellent read and curiously lacking in the usual 19th century effusiveness.

Slight of stature, he was certainly not slight as a person or in the wealth of life experience even as a young man entering WP. Given amazing liberty and freedom even as a young child, he became a savvy horseman and horse trader at very young age, which served him well later.

Amusing anecdote from his autobiography relating to his trip to West Point from Ohio - he traveled to NYC and stayed for an extended time (about three weeks iirc) essentially to party it up. A telegram from home was required to get him back on track and propel him upriver. He stated clearly that he had no expectation of any success at the academy, and believed that he would either quit, fail or be booted out within a year.

Todd wrote:

Philip S wrote:The initials came from Grant being mistakenly enrolled at West Point as "Ulysses Simpson Grant." He liked the initials and, I suspect, it was easier to keep the mistaken name than have the army change their records.

http://presidentialham.com/u-s-presiden ... -with-ham/

Interesting link - almost derogatory in tone at some points.

For more insight into US Grant, I would recommend Grant's autobiography, finished at on his death bed, is an excellent read and curiously lacking in the usual 19th century effusiveness.

Slight of stature, he was certainly not slight as a person or in the wealth of life experience even as a young man entering WP. Given amazing liberty and freedom even as a young child, he became a savvy horseman and horse trader at very young age, which served him well later.

Amusing anecdote from his autobiography relating to his trip to West Point from Ohio - he traveled to NYC and stayed for an extended time (about three weeks iirc) essentially to party it up. A telegram from home was required to get him back on track and propel him upriver. He stated clearly that he had no expectation of any success at the academy, and believed that he would either quit, fail or be booted out within a year.

Grant is an interesting character. It seems to me that a lot of the common portrayals of him managed to get his basic character wrong, and even some of the widely believed negative traits of his character aren't really understood accurately at all.

He was an excellent horseman, something that is often not noted about him, and his staff had a really hard time keeping up with him in the field for that reason.

See photograph of Lieutenant Ulysses S. Grant and Alexander Hays during the Mexican War: http://www.vahistorical.org/collections ... -grant/war

Couvi wrote:See photograph of Lieutenant Ulysses S. Grant and Alexander Hays during the Mexican War: http://www.vahistorical.org/collections ... -grant/war

Interezting photo partially showing hays' spanish saddle. Interesting shabraque cover obscures lot of detail tho.

Todd wrote:

Couvi wrote:See photograph of Lieutenant Ulysses S. Grant and Alexander Hays during the Mexican War: http://www.vahistorical.org/collections ... -grant/war

Interezting photo partially showing hays' spanish saddle. Interesting shabraque cover obscures lot of detail tho.

Notice the stirrup. Yes, Interesting photo.
RT

Todd wrote:

Couvi wrote:See photograph of Lieutenant Ulysses S. Grant and Alexander Hays during the Mexican War: http://www.vahistorical.org/collections ... -grant/war

Interezting photo partially showing hays' spanish saddle. Interesting shabraque cover obscures lot of detail tho.

Think I may have seen a closeup of that one elsewhere at one time.

It would be nice if the two museums could link up their exhibits. General Grant’s saddle is in the Army Quartermaster Museum.


http://www.qmmuseum.lee.army.mil/AOM_APR_2012.html