As March began, President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill into law reviving the army rank of lieutenant-general. Only two men in U.S. history had ever held such a rank: George Washington and Winfield Scott (brevet only). The bill had been introduced by Congressman Elihu Washburne from Grant’s home district around Galena, Illinois, and those voting in favor clearly had Grant in mind for the post.
Lincoln had long been a Grant supporter, not only because of his success in the field, but also because he hailed from Lincoln’s home state. But this was an election year, and Lincoln was troubled by rumors that Grant had become so successful that he might run for president against him in the fall. Lincoln directed various aides to investigate these rumors, and when he was assured that they were false, he put his complete support behind the measure.
Lincoln nominated Grant for the new post the next day, and the Senate quickly confirmed him. On March 3, Grant received a telegram at his Nashville headquarters from General-in-Chief Henry W. Halleck: “The Secretary of War (Edwin M. Stanton) directs that you report in person to the War Department as early as practicable, considering the condition of your command. If necessary you will keep up telegraphic communication with your command while en route to Washington.”
A second wire from Halleck explained the reason why he was to come to Washington: “The Secretary of War directs me to say to you that your commission as lieutenant-general is signed and will be delivered to you on your arrival at the War Department. I sincerely congratulate you on this recognition of your distinguished and meritorious services.”
Before leaving, Grant wrote his close friend, Major-General William T. Sherman:
“The bill reviving the grade of lieutenant general in the army has become a law, and my name has been sent to the Senate for the place. I now receive orders to report to Washington immediately, in person, which indicates a confirmation or a likelihood of confirmation… what I want is to express my thanks to you and (James B.) McPherson as the men to whom, above all others, I feel indebted for whatever I have had of success…The word ‘you’ I use in the plural, intended it for McPherson also…”
Sherman received the letter a few days later and thanked Grant on both his and McPherson’s behalf. He added, “You do yourself injustice and us too much honor in assigning to us so large a share of the merits which have led to your high advancement … My only points of doubt were as to your knowledge of grand strategy and of books of science and history, but I confess your common-sense seems to have supplied all this.”
Grant spent the next four days traveling to the capital with just two of his staff members (Chief of Staff John A. Rawlins and Lieutenant-Colonel Cyrus B. Comstock) along with his 13-year-old son Fred. Large crowds greeted Grant at every train stop, but the official White House greeting got bungled, and nobody met Grant when his train pulled into Washington on Tuesday the 8th.
Grant and Fred entered the Willard Hotel unrecognized, and the clerk told them that he could only give them a small room in the attic. But when Grant signed the registry, “U.S. Grant and Son, Galena, Illinois,” the clerk quickly gave him Parlor 6, the same room that Lincoln had stayed in before his inauguration three years ago. A journalist in the hotel lobby wrote of Grant, “He gets over the ground queerly. He does not march, nor quite walk, but pitches along as if the next step would bring him on his nose. But his face looks firm and hard, and his eye is clear and resolute, and he is certainly natural and clear of all appearance and self-consciousness.”
By the time Grant and his son unpacked and went downstairs to the dining room, everyone in the hotel knew who he was. The diners cheered him as he entered; Grant seemed uncomfortable with such attention as he acknowledged them with a bow. Word of Grant’s presence quickly reached the White House, where Lincoln sent a courier requesting that Grant come meet him that night.
Having lost the key to his trunk, Grant only had his traveling uniform to wear. But he did not want to decline a request from the commander-in-chief on his first day in town, so Grant put his son to bed and walked the two blocks to the White House with Rawlins and Comstock. The weekly public reception was underway, and the president was greeting people in the Blue Room when Grant and his staffers entered around 9:30 p.m. There was a “stir and buzz” when “it was whispered that General Grant had arrived.”
Lincoln heard the commotion outside the room and deduced that Grant had arrived. He quickly identified the general from his photographs and walked over to greet him: “This is General Grant, is it?” Grant replied, “Yes it is.” Lincoln exclaimed, “Well, this is a great pleasure, I assure you.”
Lincoln introduced Grant to Secretary of State William H. Seward, who presented the general to First Lady Mary Lincoln and then led him into the larger East Room. The guests hurrying to meet Grant almost caused a stampede; Navy Secretary Gideon Welles called the scene “rowdy and unseemly.” A reporter noted that this was “the only real mob I ever saw in the White House.” Women had their dresses torn in the melee, and some stood on furniture to avoid any further rough treatment.
Seward persuaded Grant to stand on a sofa, where he spent the next hour greeting the admiring throng. Noting Grant’s reluctance to garner attention, a journalist reported, “The little, scared-looking man who stood on the crimson-covered sofa was the idol of the hour.” Another contended that the general “blushed like a schoolgirl.” And another remarked, “For once, at least, the President of the United States was not the chief figure in the picture.”
Later that night, Seward introduced Grant to Welles; Secretary of War Stanton was also present, but he had already met Grant last November. They brought Grant back into the Blue Room to see Lincoln once more. The president told him, “Tomorrow, at such time as you may arrange with the Secretary of War, I desire to make to you a formal presentation of your commission as Lieutenant-General.”
Lincoln explained that he would deliver a brief speech, and he wanted Grant to make one of his own that included two points: “First, to say something which shall prevent or obviate any jealousy of you from any of the other generals in the service, and secondly, something which shall put you on as good terms as possible with the Army of the Potomac.” Grant asked if he would be expected to oversee this army, and Lincoln said probably yes.
Grant returned to the Willard Hotel to write a speech that consisted of just a few sentences. The ceremony was scheduled for 1 p.m. the next day.
Bibliography
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