Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885) served as the commanding general of the Union Army during the Civil War and later became the 18th president of the United States, serving two terms. Born in Ohio near the Ohio River, Grant developed a natural affinity for horses from an early age, which allowed him to ride, train, and manage them in an exceptional capacity.
His father, Jesse R. Grant, had great confidence in his ability and gave him tasks involving horses that were considered difficult, especially for a youth. At age five, he was noted for performing difficult stunts bareback, and soon after, he was also performing chores, hauling timber, and driving teams of horses for long distances by himself. From boyhood through his military career, Grant had a well-established reputation for training and managing horses. As a cadet, he set a high-jump record at West Point that stood for 25 years.
Horses played an important role throughout Grant's military career, carrying him with dispatches, accompanying him as he inspected and encouraged troops, and taking him into battle, sometimes resulting in his horse being shot from underneath him. During his lifetime, he mostly owned and rode large and powerful horses. Noted for his love of and ability to ride and manage horses, Grant was occasionally given some of the best horses available as gifts from friends and admirers.
Frontier Youth
Ulysses S. Grant was born on April 27, 1822, in Point Pleasant, part of the Ohio frontier.White, 2016, pp. 9, 18. Grant's first experience on horseback occurred at a circus visiting Georgetown when he was two years old.Dowdall, 2012, p. 1 Watching the horses in the ring, Ulysses asked his parents if he could sit on top one of the ponies and ride it, to which his parents acquiesced.Simpson, 2000, p. 5 It was a happy event for Grant as he rode around the ring.Richardson, 1868, p. 52 When Grant was little more than a toddler, he was often found by his father's shop with the teams of horses, restlessly crawling and playing about their legs and swinging from their tails. On one of several such occasions, a worried neighbour once noted this activity and exclaimed to his mother, Hannah S. Grant, "Mrs. Grant, do you know where your boy is? He is out there swinging on the tails of Loudon's horses!" Calmly, Hannah would typically reply, "horses seem to understand Ulysses."Garland, 1898, p. 6.Smith, 2001, p. 23.
When he was young, Grant was always eager for any work that involved riding a horse or driving a team of horses.Garland, 1898, p. 9. At the age of five, he proved to be a skilled and daring rider. Riding at a fast pace, he would stand on one leg while holding the reins, maintaining his balance as the horse galloped—a feat that amazed his onlookers.Chernow, 2017, pp. 13–14. At age seven, while his father was away for the day, Grant harnessed a restless three-year-old colt, which had never been broken except to the saddle, to a sleigh. He then drove the young horse about, hauling loads of brushwood throughout the day. Upon his father's return, he discovered that his son had managed to bridle and harness the colt, amassing "a pile of brush as big as a cabin" all by himself.White, 2016, p. 18.
When he was about nine years old, Grant had acquired a reputation for fast riding and stunts. Jockeys whose steeds suffered from what was called "a distemper" would bring their animals to Georgetown for Grant to ride them hard and fast, a technique known to raise the horse's body temperature, curing the illness. Local farmers would also bring their problem horses for him to train. These challenges delighted the boy very much.Richardson, 1868, pp. 55–56. Biographer Hamlin Garland commented that Grant had a "mysterious" ability to communicate with horses, and that "he could train a horse to trot, rack, or pace, apparently at will."Garland, 1898, p. 13. Grant, reflecting on his youthful experiences with horses, would later write in his Personal Memoirs:
Grant's father began assigning various chores that required horses to Grant by the time he was eight years old. He soon became a proficient teamster, working every day, hauling wood or bark. At ten, Grant would drive a pair of horses by himself from his home in Georgetown to Cincinnati, forty miles away, often bringing home passengers. Jesse did not insist on his working about the barkmill, provided there was other available work, and often entrusted Grant with a team of horses on his own. He also allowed him to manage the horses on the farm and participate in the farming.Garland, 1898, p. 10.Brisbin,1868, p. 27.
When Grant was eleven, he established a reputation among his peers and neighbors by riding a trick pony belonging to the circus that came to town. The pony had been trained to throw off anyone who attempted to mount him. After several other boys tried and failed, Grant came forward and said, "I believe I can ride that pony." He mounted the restless animal, having no reins and its mane cut short, and wrapped his arms firmly around its neck. After a frantic effort to buck him off, the pony finally abated, and Grant rode it around the ring for a couple of minutes, earning himself a round of applause from the spectators and the five-dollar prize promised to anyone who could stay on the pony.Garland, 1898, p. 13.White, 2016, pp. 18–19.
Grant's father viewed horses pragmatically. As a tanner and leather goods merchant, horses to him were simply beasts of burden and a potential source for hides. By contrast, Grant viewed them as wonderful individuals, each with their own temperament. He was able to assess any horse he was working with and possessed a temperament of his own that allowed him to best employ any given horse.McFeely, 1981, p. 10.
At age twelve, Grant's father sent him into the forest with a team of horses and a wagon to pick up a load of timber. The men at the lumber camp were supposed to load the wagon but were nowhere to be found when Grant arrived. Not wanting to return empty-handed, Grant devised a method by hitching the logs and pulling them aboard the wagon one at a time using the horses. After securing the load, Grant hitched the team back to the wagon and returned home, which amazed his father.Chernow, 2017, p. 14. Biographer James McClure described Grant's "remarkable self-possession of mind" on an occasion when he was transporting two women in a two-horse wagon across a creek swollen from heavy rain, where he found the water level much deeper than usual. Upon crossing, he suddenly found the water to be so deep that the horses were almost swimming, while the water was up to the wagon's deck level. The women became greatly alarmed and began to scream, but Grant, though in a very precarious situation, remained calm, looked over his shoulder, and assured the ladies by saying, "Don't speak, I will take you through safely," and continued on without further incident.McClure, 1879, p. 32.
Military
Grant also gained a reputation for excellent horsemanship during his military career,Brisbin, 1868, p. 62.Dowdall, 2012, p. 24. and consequently would sometimes receive horses as gifts from admirers.Dowdall, 2012, pp. 96, 99. In the Mexican–American War, he performed remarkable feats on horseback during battle. During the American Civil War, Grant owned several horses, riding them on scouting missions while inspecting troops and formations, and using them in battle. At times, he would retire one horse and use another during long campaigns. Grant was known to take exceptional care of his mounts and always kept them brushed "smooth as silk" with all the trappings in perfect order.Garland, 1898, p. 293.
A war correspondent, having often observed Grant's horsemanship, once characterized his overall military involvement with horses: "Roads are almost useless to him, for he takes short cuts through fields and woods, and will swim his horse through almost any stream that obstructs his way. Nor does it make any difference to him whether he has daylight for his movements, for he will ride from breakfast until two o'clock in the morning, and that too without eating. The next day he will repeat the dose, until he finishes his work."Brisbin, 1868, p. 288.
West Point
At the age of 17, Grant was nominated to attend West Point in the spring of 1839. After being accepted, he made his way across Pennsylvania to New York City and traveled up the Hudson River to West Point, arriving and signing the register on May 29.White, 2016, p. 25.Simpson, 2000, pp. 10–11. There he soon surpassed all the cadets at the academy in horsemanship.Fuller, 1929, p. 68. Just as Grant was brought horses at Georgetown, cadets brought Grant their unruly horses. Grant's classmate Ingalls said Grant got along with horses, "not by punishing the animal...but by patience, and tact, and his skill in making the creature know what he wanted to have to do."White, 2016, pp. 33-34.
Among the horses at the academy was a dark bay horse that was so untamable it was about to be condemned. Grant selected it as his horse. Every day he would devote time to it, bridling, mounting, and riding it with ease, while the entire class would watch and admire his command of the horse.
Horsemanship was an important part of the curriculum at West Point. in June 1843, the cadets assembled in the riding hall during their final graduating exercises, where all members performed their riding exercises before Superintendent Richard Delafield and a large assembly of spectators. The academy riding master, Henry Hershberger, approached the high-jump bar, raised it another foot (), higher than an average man's head, and then called out, "Cadet Grant," prompting a low murmur of wonderment from among the crowd. From among the cadets, all mounted on their horses, Grant sprang forward, riding a large and powerful chestnut mount. The cadets all recognized the horse as York, a horse that no one else was able to ride. Grant moved to the far end of the hall, and as he turned his mount towards the bar, silence fell over the crowd. He dashed forward, gauging his pace, and with a great leap, horse and rider cleared the bar with apparent ease. Hershberger cried out, "very well done, sir," as the assembly applauded.White, 2016, p. 43. Grant had set a high-jump record at West Point that stood for 25 years.Chernow 2017, pp. 24, 27.Smith 2001, p. 28.Simpson, 2000, p. 17.
Grant's personal biographer Albert D. Richardson said of Grant's horsemanship: "There was nothing he could not ride. He commanded, sat, and jumped a horse with singular ease and grace; was seen to the best advantage when mounted and at a full gallop; could perform more feats than any other member of his class, and was, altogether, one of the very best riders West Point had ever known."Richardson, 1868, p. 92.
Grant's classmate, the future Confederate General James Longstreet, said of Grant that, "In horsemanship, however, he was noted as the most proficient in the Academy. In fact, rider and horse held together like the fabled centaur..."Ulysses S. Grant Homepage, Essay. and that he was "the most daring horseman in the academy." General Rufus Ingalls later recalled that when an unruly or stubborn horse was added to the string of academy horses, Grant was always called upon to tame it.Catton, 1968, p. 24. After graduation, Grant requested service in the cavalry, but despite his great horsemanship, there was no opening available, and he was assigned to the 4th Infantry Regiment, his second choice.
Mexican–American War
During the Mexican–American War, Grant expressed his amazement at the great herds of feral mustangs roaming between the Nueces and Rio Grande rivers, moving about like buffalo in a continuous mass. "The country was a rolling prairie, and from the higher ground the vision was obstructed only by the earth's curvature." Grant estimated that to corral a herd of this size, an area the size of the state of Delaware would be required.Smith, 2001, p. 41.