Visited: July 2024
Nearby city: New York City, NY
"Grant is a man of a good deal of rough dignity; rather taciturn; quick and decided in speech.
He habitually wears an expression as if he had determined to drive his head through a brick wall, and was about to do it. I have much confidence in him.
-Union Col. Theodore Lyman, in a letter to his wife, March 1864
General Grant National Memorial (aka "Grant's Tomb") is the final resting place of Ulysses S. Grant, the commanding general of the Union Army during the Civil War and the nation's 18th president.
It is the largest mausoleum in North America. It is located in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, just east of Riverside Park.
You can read about the life and times of Grant in our post detailing our visit to Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site just outside of St. Louis, Missouri. That site preserves his father-in-law's home, and where the Grant family lived before the war, from 1854 to 1859.
Upon leaving the White House in 1877, Grant and his wife, Julia, embarked on a highly publicized world tour of nearly two and half years, visiting dignitaries in Europe, the Middle East, and the Far East. Grant was given a hero's welcome when he returned to San Francisco on September 20, 1879. After a failed attempt to run for a third term as President in 1880 (he lost the Republican nomination to dark-horse candidate, James A. Garfield), Grant settled in a home on New York City's Upper East Side.
In 1883, Grant invested heavily in his son's Wall Street brokerage firm. Unfortunately, his son's business partner, Ferdinand Ward, was running a Ponzi scheme. The business folded and Grant was left virtually penniless. In the summer of 1884, Grant began to complain of a sore throat, but put off seeing a doctor about it until October 1884. Grant was diagnosed with throat cancer, likely due to years of cigar smoking. In March 1885, the New York Times announced that Grant was dying of cancer, causing nationwide concern. The US Congress restored Grant to the rank of General with full retirement pay to help their financial situation (when Grant assumed the presidency he was required to resign his army commission and forfeit his pension).
Grant was only 63 years old and was deeply concerned how Julia would be supported once he passed on. Grant approached The Century Magazine and wrote a number of articles detailing his Civil War campaigns for $500 a piece. The articles were well received and the magazine's editor suggested that Grant write a memoir. Grant's friend, the famous Mark Twain, offered to publish Grant's memoirs. Twain, who was acutely aware of Grant's dire financial situation, offered Grant an extremely generous royalty of 70%. Upon doctor's advice to get cleaner air, Grant moved to a friend's cottage at Mount McGregor in upstate New York. While there, Grant worked furiously on his memoirs, finishing them on July 18, 1885. The memoirs, published after Grant's death, were enormously popular and Julia was able to live comfortably on the royalties for many years.
Grant passed away on July 23, 1885 (a mere week after finishing his memoirs), at the age of 63. President Grover Cleveland announced a thirty-day period of mourning. It is reported that over one million people attended Grant's funeral in Riverside Park.
Shortly after Grant's death, the Grant Monument Association was created and raised funds to build a mausoleum. Grant's body laid in a temporary tomb at Riverside Park, pending completion of the mausoleum. The cornerstone was laid in 1892, and the mausoleum was completed on April 27, 1897, what would have been Grant's 75th birthday.
the mausoleum is 150 ft tall and its base measures 90 x 90 ft
this is the original battleflag of the 11th Indiana Infantry used from 1863 to 1864
The flag has 35 stars, representing the then-newly formed state of West Virginia
the 11th Indiana Infantry fought under Grant's command at Fort Donelson and Vicksburg
interior of the dome
final resting place of Gen. Grant and his wife Julia
Julia Dent Grant passed away in December 1902 at the age of 76
looking down into the crypt
there are three mosaic murals in the tomb.
This one depicts Grant at Battle of Vicksburg, a crucial Union victory
Battle of Chattanooga
Lee surrendering to Grant at Appomattox
sarcophagi of Ulysses and Julia
In the crypt are five niches containing busts of five Union generals.
Philip Sheridan (1831-1888) was instrumental in the Shenandoah Valley campaigns of 1864 and forcing Lee's surrender at Appomattox in 1865.
James McPherson (1828-1864) served under Grant at the Battle of Shiloh in 1862. McPherson was killed during the Battle of Atlanta in 1864.
William Tecumseh Sherman (1820-1891) served under Grant at the Battles of Fort Henry, Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Vicksburg, and Chattanooga. In 1864, when Grant became General-in-Chief of the entire Union Army, Sherman succeeded him as commander of the Western Theater. Sherman subsequently captured Atlanta and led the "March to the Sea"
Edward Ord (1818-1883) served under Grant at Appomattox.
George Henry Thomas (1816-1870) was a Virginian who fought for the Union. He served under Grant during the Chattanooga Campaign. His stalwart defense at the Battle of Chickamauga saved the Union Army from being completely routed and earned him the nickname "The Rock of Chickamauga"
The National Park Service took over operation of Grant's Tomb in 1959.
Across the street from the Tomb is Riverside Church
If visiting New York City, take some time and pay respects to the General that saved the Union.
More info: https://www.nps.gov/gegr/index.htm
