You’ve seen the face. It’s on the fifty-dollar bill. It’s in every history textbook you ever fell asleep on in high school. But honestly, most people have a completely warped idea of who the man was based on just one or two famous portraits. When you look at a picture of Ulysses S. Grant, you aren't just looking at a general; you’re looking at one of the most photographed men of the 19th century who basically hated being the center of attention.
He was messy. He was quiet. He was a guy who would rather be brushing a horse than sitting for a fancy oil painting.
The 1902 Fake: The "Photoshop" Before Computers
Let’s start with the big one. There is a very famous image often titled "General Grant at City Point." It looks epic. He’s on a horse, looking stoic, with a massive army camp behind him.
Except it’s a total lie.
Back in 1902, a guy named Levin Corbin Handy—who was actually the nephew of the legendary Civil War photographer Mathew Brady—decided he needed a more "heroic" shot of Grant to sell. So, he basically invented the composite image. He took a picture of Ulysses S. Grant from a 1864 sitting at Cold Harbor (just the head), slapped it onto the body of Major General Alexander McDowell McCook, and then used a background of Confederate prisoners captured at Fisher's Hill.
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If you look closely at the horse, it has a white "sock" on its leg. Grant’s favorite horse, Cincinnati, didn’t have that. People didn't catch on for decades. It's kinda wild to think that one of the most iconic "photos" of the Civil War is basically a Frankenstein's monster of three different snapshots.
The Cold Harbor Stare
If you want the real Grant, you have to look at the photos taken by Edgar Guy Fowx in June 1864. This was right after the disaster at Cold Harbor. Grant had just lost thousands of men in a failed assault. He wrote in his memoirs that it was the one attack he truly regretted.
In this picture of Ulysses S. Grant, he’s leaning against a pine tree. His uniform is dusty. His hat is pushed back. He isn't looking at the camera. He’s looking off into the distance, and he looks like he hasn't slept in a week.
- The Uniform: He usually wore a private’s blouse with general’s stars pinned on. He hated the "pomp" of military life.
- The Pose: Unlike Lee or Sherman, who often posed with a certain "warrior" grace, Grant usually just stood there.
- The Eyes: Historians like Bruce Catton often mentioned how Grant had "mysterious" depths. In the 1864 photos, you see a man who is carrying the weight of the entire Union on his shoulders.
Why He Always Looked a Little "Off"
One thing people always comment on in a picture of Ulysses S. Grant is that he looks a bit disheveled. His beard is often trimmed unevenly. His coat is usually unbuttoned.
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There’s a famous story about him arriving at Appomattox to accept Robert E. Lee’s surrender. Lee showed up in a pristine, brand-new uniform with a ceremonial sword. Grant showed up in a mud-spattered field uniform because his luggage was far behind the lines. He looked, as one staffer put it, like a "fly on a shoulder of beef."
But that was Grant. He was a "lifestyle" guy before that was a term. He cared about the work, not the look. He was an expert horseman—probably the best in the Army—and his photos with horses are some of the only times he looks truly at peace.
The Last Photo: July 19, 1885
The most heartbreaking picture of Ulysses S. Grant was taken just four days before he died. He was at Mount McGregor, New York, dying of throat cancer. He was broke, having been cheated by a business partner, and was racing to finish his memoirs so his wife, Julia, wouldn't be left in poverty.
In this photo, he’s sitting in a wicker chair, wrapped in a blanket, wearing a top hat. He’s reading a newspaper. He looks incredibly frail, a shadow of the man who broke the back of the Confederacy. Yet, he finished those memoirs. He won that final battle.
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Actionable Insights for History Buffs
If you’re looking to find authentic, high-quality versions of these images, don't just use Google Images. Go to the source:
- Library of Congress: Search the "Brady-Handy Collection." You can find the high-res scans where you can actually see the dirt on his boots.
- National Portrait Gallery: They hold the original "mourning band" portrait from 1865, taken right after Lincoln's assassination.
- Check the Stars: If you see a photo of Grant with three stars on his shoulder but it's dated 1863, it’s been tampered with. He didn't get that third star until March 1864.
The next time you see a picture of Ulysses S. Grant, look past the beard and the cigar. Look for the guy who was terrified of the sight of blood but could out-ride anyone in the country. That's the real Grant.
To see the progression of Grant's physical changes during the war, you can compare the 1861 portraits (clean-shaven or short beard) to the 1865 images where his hair had significantly greyed from the stress of the Overland Campaign.