HAIL! TO THE CHIEF
Presidential Visits to the University of Michigan
Ulysses S. Grant
As the commanding general of the Army of the Potomac, Ulysses S. Grant made at least two very brief stops in Ann Arbor following the Civil War.
Grant made whistle-stops on Aug. 15, 1865, and Sept. 5, 1866. He did not speak publicly during either visiting, but shook hands with citizens who turned out at the train station.
Grant’s 1865 stop came four months after Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army surrendered to him to end the Civil War.
A Republican, Grant joined President Andrew Johnson for the 1866 visit to Ann Arbor. He succeeded Johnson as president in 1869.
Source: Chicago Tribune
Photo: Library of Congress