The majority of the discussion for today was on General Grant, leader of the Union Army towards the end of the Civil War. It was told that he was near the bottom of his class at West Point and due to his drinking he was booted out of the army before the Civil War. The Union Army was in desperate need of soldiers to lead the armies into war with the south the government reinstated Grant.
What was not discussed in class was bits and pieces of what I had heard from my own research on Grant. His father was a very proud man and wanted his son to go to West Point. Grant really was not interested in a military career at all. He went just to please his father but he wanted out as soon as he could. He ended up marrying the daughter of a southern family. For a wedding gift they gave the newlyweds a few slaves. Grant couldn't keep a job. They ended up moving in with his wife's family. No wonder he was tipping the booze bottle more than he should. He was deemed a failure.
Little did Grant know at the time that he was destined for something great. He just had to wait for time to pass for his moment to shine on America. He had to walk in his path of failures before his great moment of leading the north to victory. Many people didn't like him because of his policies and his drinking. It was those policies, however, that helped the nation glue back together.
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