U.S. Grant The Real Thing

What historic heroes from the past come to real life for you today?

“Let their remembrance be as lasting as the land they honored.” (Daniel Webster)

I love to follow road trip itineraries that reveal authentic vestiges of the American Civil War. So a timely surprise awaited me during our summer road trip stopover at Lake George municipality in upstate New York. For I learned on our first day stay in this picturesque tourist region that a short distance south near the tiny hamlet of Wilton, a heavily marketed remembrance event would be happening at Grant Cottage honoring former U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant’s life. I knew beforehand that the esteemed Ulysses had perished there on July 23, 1885 so I jumped at the chance to experience such authentic American History on the exact day and place in which his death had occurred. Along with this free re-enactment celebration, I hoped to find ample opportunity to wander around the grounds to enjoy some  quiet moments of summer solitude and book a self guided tour of the historic interior of this house. 

I must confess to begin, that during this visit I learned more about Grant the person beyond what I previously had taught in textbooks to my students about his well documented fame as a Civil War general and U.S. President. In particular, I obtained what I believe to be an authentic characterization of Grant as he endured his inevitable decline from throat  cancer here in those final days of his life. To make such judgment clearer, a renowned Civil War impersonator of  Mr. Grant accompanied by his wife Julia, a Union officer and several dutiful army guards made quite a realistic impression on me during their visit to this site  that morning by making themselves available to mingle with myself and other tourists for group photos along the cottage lawn that morning.  

After a brief lunch break, Grant himself then took center stage again by portraying a more sickly version of himself from a wheelchair to a captive audience beneath a grassy shaded pavilion. His thoughts over that next hour got “straight to the  point” as he pleaded with those attending to believe  that he’d stayed strong and mentally determined to finish his life memoirs as his health was failing. During these moments, I also observed that he’d acted seriously disturbed at this end stage time of his life by an inability to pay off heavy debts he’d accumulated from poor investment decision – making in private life times. With strong emotion, he also shared with the crowd how he’d formed a close relationship with famed writer Mark Twain, who would help him to finish his memoirs and  sell them to book publishers to obtain for Grant some much needed financial relief. 

Upon final reflection of Ulysses S.Grant’s end of life trauma that day, I ponder how I might best cope with any physical decline sooner or later when it happens. Enjoy the event photos I witnessed on that occasion. I’ve also added his death mask image and a historic black and white enlargement of an ailing Grant sitting on the porch of Grant Cottage during those final days of his life.    

Blog Sources:

https://www.grantcottage.org/

https://www.whitehousehistory.org/bios/ulysses-s-grant