Joe's Daily U.S. History Lesson -- April 27

APRIL 27 1822-=- Happy birthday The Butcher! On April 327, 1822, Hirum Ulysses Grant was born in Ohio to a tanner. Growing up he would watch disgustedly as his father would turn animal hides into leather using really smelly chemicals. Grant decided early on he would not take that route. He went to West Point and graduated in the middle of his class. At West Point, he learned the skills of horseback riding like few others. He met and married his roommate’s sister Julia and by 1944 the two were engaged. The wedding would have to wait however, until the end of the Mexican-American War. During the war he fought under Zachary Taylor and alongside someone he would eventually fight against – Robert E. Lee. At the end of the war he spent some time with his new family but now had four kids with Julia and they were seriously struggling for money. He finally had to work for his brother in the tanner business, exactly what he was hoping not to do.

Then the Civil War broke out. Little by little he won victories using a strategy that none of the other Union generals seemed to be trying, the strategy of fighting to win and not to try and regain southern territory. President Lincoln was frustrated with general after general, especially McLellan, who would seemingly have superior firepower over the enemy but not the will to win. In 1862 he took Ft. Henry, and when he attacked Ft. Donelson, he accepted nothing but unconditional surrender. At Shiloh, he fought an extremely bloody battle, and though victorious in the battle, there were too many casualties to win overall approval. But Lincoln knew he was the only man who would fight and appointed Grant General-in-Chief. He defeated General Lee’s Army of the Potomac in Virginia, then went down to Mississippi and eventually achieved victory at Vicksburg. Lee eventually surrendered, ending the Civil War.

The two men famously met near the Appotomax courthouse, and Grant shockingly allowed Lee to let his men and horses go back home instead of taking them prisoners of war. Anyway, that was General Grant. President Grant ran the country pretty much the same way he ran the Army. Elected the 18th President, Ulysses Grant wasn’t without problems. He fought with Andrew Johnson to the point of siding with the Radical Republicans.

Although he had some major accomplishments during his two terms, including the 1q5th amendment and the National Parks service, his administration suffered scandals. He took presents that often appeared to be bribery and appointed non-scrupulous men. Upon retiring from the presidentcy, Grant discovered he had cancer and work wed with Mrak Twain o publich his memoirs, which turned out to be a big hit. Grant did not live long enough to see its popularity.

1956-Rocky Marciano retires. He was boxing’s World heavyweight champion from September 23-1952, up until his retirement. He’s the only person to hold the heavyweight title without a bout tie or defeat during his entire career. Marciano defended his title six times, against Jersey Joe Walcott, Roland La Starza, Ezzard Charles (twice), and Archie Moore. He’s been ranked by many boxing historians as one of the bst heavyweight boxers of all time.

1903 – The Long Island Jamaica race track opens. It was a thoroughbred horse racing facility operated by the Metropolitcan Jockey Club in Jamaica, Queens, New York. Legendary Hall of Fame horse trainer Sunny Jim Fitzimmons was the first toe trainthere and Native Dancer made a winning debut in 1952. It’s attendance record peaked onMemorial Day, 1945. These days, it’s a housing project.