Which Union general later became the 18th President of the United States?

The Union general who later became the 18th President of the United States was Ulysses S. Grant.

Grant joined the Union Army after the Civil War began and rose quickly through victories in the Western Theater. His campaign captured Fort Donelson in Tennessee in February 1862, producing one of the Union’s first major victories and earning him the nickname “Unconditional Surrender” Grant. He later captured Vicksburg, Mississippi, on July 4, 1863, giving the Union control of the Mississippi River.

After Grant’s victory at Chattanooga, President Abraham Lincoln promoted him to lieutenant general and placed him in command of all Union armies in March 1864. Grant coordinated simultaneous offensives across the Confederacy and personally directed the Overland Campaign against Robert E. Lee. Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865.

Grant won the presidency in 1868 and served two terms, from 1869 to 1877. He is sometimes confused with William T. Sherman, another prominent Union commander, but Sherman never became president. Grant’s wartime reputation rests on strategic coordination, persistence, and his willingness to accept heavy losses to maintain pressure.