There are many different areas of a person’s life which allow them to be viewed as a success. A billionaire is considered a great success in the business world because of his financial acumen, while medals won in the Olympics reflect an athlete’s prowess and success. The ability to train, motivate, lead and unify an unskilled, untrained group of men to fight successfully for one cause, has been a highly regarded accomplishment for centuries. People who possess these gifts and character traits have sealed their legacies in the pages of history books as the financiers, political leaders, athletes and military leaders that forge the progress of a nation. One such figure who is known as a great military success is Ulysses S. Grant. Although Ulysses S. Grant’s performance at West Point was less than stellar, his ingenuity in the heat of battle led him to become one of the most revered leaders in both the Mexican-American War and the Civil War.
Grant was born April 27,1822, in Point Pleasant, Ohio. He wasn’t born into wealth or popularity; he was the oldest son of a simple, but successful tanner, Jesse Grant. He …show more content…
Ulysses S. Grant was an ordinary man, of average means, that had no great ambitions in any area of life. With no desire for a military career, he attended West Point Military Academy at his father’s prodding, where he graduated with a reputation of being an average student who was a great horseman. However, Grant’s dedication to learning from the failures and successes of his predecessors, enabled him to develop strategy and tactics that allowed his men to win many battles, and eventually the Civil War. Grant later became president, a job he wasn’t good at but his military career is in the history books as one of the greatest U.S. generals that have ever