USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Message of President Abraham Lincoln Nominating Ulysses S. Grant to Be Lieutenant General of the Army, February 29, 1864; Records of the U.S. Senate, RG 46.

Detailed explanation-2: -President Lincoln wanted a commanding general who would take initiative and responsibility and act independently, freeing Lincoln from having to make military decisions. Grant was happy to oblige. He quickly put his senior command in place and set his basic strategy.

Detailed explanation-3: -Grant was appointed lieutenant general in March 1864 and was entrusted with command of all the U.S. armies. His basic plan for the 1864 campaign was to immobilize the army of Gen. Robert E. Lee near the Confederate capital at Richmond, Virginia, while Gen.

Detailed explanation-4: -Shown here is Grant’s commission as lieutenant general, which was presented to him by President Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) on 10 March 1864, shortly after Congress had revived the rank at Lincoln’s request.

Detailed explanation-5: -On this day in 1864, President Abraham Lincoln promoted Ulysses S. Grant, a major general in the U.S. Army, to the rank of lieutenant general. The document placed Grant, who would go on to become the nation’s 18th president, in charge of all Union troops pitted against Confederate forces during the Civil War.