Today in 1822, Military leader and President Ulysses S. Grant is born. Grant never figured he would be joining the army when he was a young boy, however with no drive to enter the family business his father enrolled him at West Point. After graduating West Point in 1843, Grant served in the Mexican-American War. Grant would continue work in the Military, being stationed out West in California and Oregon. However despite the quiet nature of the West, Grant grew lonely and bored which lead to a drinking problem and later a resignation from the army. Living life away from the Military was difficult for Grant, he found himself working in the family business.
Grant seemed to be a shell of his former self, however when the Civil War broke out there was a chance for redemption. Grant would begin to make a name for himself again, as he won several battles and tracked down Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Now a war hero, Grant’s next phase would be entering the political circuit and becoming President.