I84054: Richard FLOOD FLUDD (1572

Notes

Led the union army in the invasion, destruction, cultural genocide and occupation of the Confederate States of America. Sanctioned Sherman's March to the Sea, total war on the Southern civilian population in Georgia and South Carolina. Continued to own slaves his wife had inherited long after the war and the proclamation, he stated: "Good Help is Hard to Get".

He was the eldest son of Jesse Root and Hannah (Simpson) Grant; grandson of Capt. Noah and Rachel (Kelly) Grant, and of John Simpson of Montgomery county, Pa.; great-grandson of Noah and Susannah (Delano) Gaunt, and of John Simpson, an early settler in Pennsylvania; great, great-grandson of Noah and Martha (Huntington) Grant; great, great, great-grandson of Samuel and Grace (Miner) Grant; great, great, great, great-grandson of Samuel and Mary (Porter) Grant; and great, great, great, great, great-grandson of Matthew and Priscilla Grant who left Plymouth, England on the ship Mary and John, landed at Nantasker, Mass., and purchased land of the Indians at East Windsor Hill, Conn., where the settlement and the farm remained the property of the Grant family and in 1900 was occupied by Roswell Grant. In the homestead built in 1697 the descendants of Matthew Grant have lived in peace except for two years during the Revolutionary war, when it was used as a prison for captured British officers. His father was a tanner and also was the owner of a small farm at Point Pleasant, and [p.364]Ulysses, preferring farm work and driving horses to work in the tannery, was indulged in his preference, and besides conducting the farm and grinding bark at the tannery, he cared for the horses, did the teaming and carried passengers between the neighboring towns. He attended the subscription school of the village and was sent for the term, 1836-37, to the academy at Maysville, Ky. At West Point He was a good mathematician and a superior horseman, but only an average student, and was graduated twenty-first in the class of thirty-nine in 1843. He had as companion officers in Mexico, Davis, Lee, Johnston, Holmes, Pemberton, Buckner, Longstreet, [p.365]Herbert and other noted Confederate leaders.

Married Julia daughter of Frederick T. Dent and a sister of Capt. Frederick T. Dent, a classmate at West Point. He was then stationed at Detroit, Mich., and Sacket Harbor, N.Y., and in July, 1852, he was ordered with the 4th U.S. infantry to San Francisco, Cal., and Fort Vancouver, Ore., by way of New York and the Isthmus of Darien. His position as quartermaster made his labors severe in crossing the isthmus, as the recruits were attacked by yellow fever. On Aug. 5, 1853, he was promoted captain at Fort Humboldt, Cal. Not finding army life in the far west congenial, he resigned his commission, July 31, 1854, and returned to New York, where he borrowed $50 of his classmate, S. B. Buckner, which sum enabled him to reach his father's home at Covington, Ky. He then went to St. Louis and settled on a farm near that city, which, together with three slaves, had been given to his wife as a wedding gift by her father. In May, 1860, failing to succeed either as farmer, a real estate agent, or a collector of taxes, he removed his family to Galena, Ill., where he was a clerk in his father's store, conducted by his two brothers and a brother-in-law. At the outbreak of the civil war he presided at a patriotic meeting held at Galena to raise a company for, service in the Federal army, and volunteered to drill the Jo Daviess guard, a company of volunteers then forming. On April 25, 1861, he took the company to Springfield, where Governor Yates secured his temporary services as mustering officer in the adjutant-general's office. He then wrote to the adjutant-general's office at Washington, D.C., offering his services to the government, but the war department never [p.366] answered his communication, and after visiting Cincinnati, Ohio, to see his classmate, George B. McClellan, and after offering his services to Governor Dennison at Columbus, Ohio, he returned to Springfield, Ill., and catered the volunteer service as colonel of the 21st Illinois infantry, June 17, 1861, which regiment he marched into Missouri.

On July 31 Colonel Grant was made commander of a sub-district under Gen. John Pope commanding the military district of Northern Missouri. He was made brigadier-general of volunteers, Aug. 7, 1861, by President Lincoln, at the request of Representative Washburne, his commission dating from May 17. He was sent to Ironton, thence to St. Louis, from there to Jefferson City, and back to St. Louis, all within eighteen days, and was finally assigned to the command of the district of Southeastern Missouri with headquarters at Cairo, Ill. He occupied Paducah, Ky., Sept. 6, 1861, and on the 7th day of Nov. he attacked the Confederate forces at Belmont, Mo., and with 2500 men drove out the enemy and captured their camp after a sharp battle in which he had a horse shot under him. The Confederates were reinforced and renewed the fight, forcing Grant to fall back to his transports before a force of upwards of 7000 men. He brought off with him 175 prisoners and lost 485 men, the Confederate loss being 642. He then conceived the plan of capturing Forts Henry and Donelson in Kentucky by a co-operation of the army with the navy represented by iron-clad gunboats under Commodore Foote. The consent of Gen. H. W. Halleck, the department commander, was reluctantly given after repeated urging, and on Feb. 6, 186?9, Fort Henry fell into the hands of the naval force under Admiral Foote. Fort Donelson with 15,000 men, increased on the 15th to 27,000, withstood a three days' assault and after a desperate effort on the part of the Confederate commanders to cut their way out of the fort, in which Generals Floyd and Pillow escaped in the night on a steamboat, and 3000 infantry and Forrest's cavalry escaped through the Union lines, Gen. S. B. Buckner unconditionally surrendered on Jan. 16, 1862, after some parley, conforming to the terms dictated by General Grant. The capture included 14,623 men, 65 cannon, and 17,600 small arms. The loss in killed and wounded was about 2000 on each side. On receiving his parole General Buckner received from Grant a sum of money which enabled him to reach his home with comfort, a thoughtful provision on the part of the conqueror to the conquered, and a return for the favor received by Captain Grant from Buckner in 1854. ........

.....moving by the left to Cold Harbor on the 27th he assaulted Lee's entrenched army and was repelled with a loss of 7000 in killed, wounded and missing. During these thirty days of vigorous campaigning Grant had received 40,000 men to reinforce his constantly depleting army and it stood at the end of the campaign numerically the same as the army he commanded at the beginning. Meanwhile Sherman was within thirty miles of Atlanta, Ga.; General Hunter, who had succeeded Sigel, had seized Staunton, Va.; and Grant's army was being moved to the south of the James to cooperate with Butler against Petersburg and Richmond. The transfer occupied three days, June 13-15, 1864, and the advanced troops attacked Petersburg June 15 and the assault continued during the 16th, 17th and 18th, when the outworks had been captured, but further advance was checked by the arrival of Lee's army. Grant established his headquarters at City Point and sent out the cavalry to destroy the railroads both north and south of Petersburg. With Grant south of the James the Confederates began a vigorous campaign against the forces under Hunter at Staunton, driving him back to the Kanawha river, and Early drove the opposing Federal forces back by way of Hagerstown and Frederick, and on July 11, 1864, began to assault the fortifications defending the National capital on the north. General Grant at once hastened forward the 6th army corps to the defence of Washington and Early's forces withdrew. On July 30 the mine under the Confederate defences of Petersburg was exploded and a deadly assault along the entire front followed, but the Confederates were promptly reinforced and Grant withdrew his forces with considerable loss. Early continued to threaten the unprotected borders of Pennsylvania and Maryland and Grant ordered Sheridan on August 6 to assume command of all the forces concentrated in Maryland. On Aug. 14, 1864, Hancock's corps made a demonstration at Deep Bottom on the north of the James to prevent the reinforcement of Early, and on the 18th Warren's corps seized and held the Weldon railway and was reinforced by the 9th corps when severely attacked by Lee's army in its efforts to recover the road on the 21st. The battle of Reams's Station was fought August 25, and the Federal forces were obliged to fall back. On Sept. 2, 1864, Sherman entered Atlanta. On September 19, Sheridan routed Early at Winchester and on the 22d won the battle at Fisher's Hill. On September 29, Butler's forces captured Fort Harrison with fifteen guns and several hundred prisoners and his army within the fort, was assaulted by Lee's army in a three days' siege without disturbing his position. On September 30-October 1-2, Meade repulsed an attack and advanced his line beyond the Weldon road. On October 19 Early gained a victory at Cedar Creek over the army of Sheridan during his absence, but the retreating Federals were met in their route by Sheridan who had learned of the battle while at Winchester, twenty miles away; and his presence and coolness turned defeat into victory and he captured 24 guns, 300 wagons, and 1600 prisoners. On October 27 Butler made a demonstration against the enemy on his front and Meade moved out to Hatcher's Run where the Confederates were entrenched and after an unsuccessful assault Meade withdrew to his former position. Sherman started from Atlanta on his march to the sea, Nov. 16, 1864, and Hood turned his army north, marched into Tennessee, and fought the battle of Nashville, December 15 and 16, in which he was defeated by Thomas, who captured 53 of his guns, took 4462 of his men prisoners, and drove him south of the Tennessee river. Sherman reached the seacoast near Savannah December 13, having destroyed 200 miles of railroad and property estimated at over $100,000,000. Butler with Porter's fleet attacked Fort Fisher, N.C., December 25, and after a vigorous bombardment from the fleet the land forces advanced to the fort, gained the parapets and were fighting their way into the works with every prospect of success, when the army was ordered to fall back and re-embark. On reaching Fort Monroe, December 27, Butler was relieved of his command and the army of the James passed to the command of General Ord who fitted out a second expedition under Gin. A. H. Terry, which with the fleet of Admiral Porter sailed from Hampton Roads, Jan. 6, 1865. On the 13th the fleet moving in a circle again directed [p.369] its fire against the fort and General Terry's force was landed, entrenched, and on the 15th under protection of the guns of the fleet assaulted and captured the works with 169 siege guns and the entire garrison. On Dec. 27, 1864, Sherman's army of 60,000 men with 2600 wagons and 68 guns took ap their march from Savannah through the Carolinas to prevent the retreat of Lee to the south, and on Jan. 7, 1865, Schofield was ordered from Clifton, Tenn., to the seacoast. He reached Washington, January 31, the mouth of Cape Fear river, February 9, Wilmington, N.C., February 22, and made a junction with Sherman at Goldsboro. Sheridan defeated Early at Waynesboro, March 2, and scattered his entire command, destroyed the James River canal, passed to the north of Richmond destroying the railroads, reached White House, Va., on the 19th, and joined the army of the Potomac. Sherman captured Columbia, S.C., on February 17, and compelled the evacuation of Charleston, and after various skirmishes reached Bentonville, N.C., on March 19, 1865, where the was assaulted six times by the army of Johnston and each time repulsed the Confederates. This obliged Johnston to fall back and on the 23d Sherman joined Schofield's army at Goldsboro, where for the first time since he had left Savannah, his army had communication with the seacoast. On March 20 Stoneman commenced his march from East Tennessee toward Lynchburg, Va., Canby moved against Mobile the same day, and in the far west Pope drove Price beyond the Red river. General Sherman, Admiral Porter and General Grant held an informal conference at City Point, March 27, 1865. On the 25th Lee made a determined effort to break the Federal lines and gain a line of retreat toward Danville by assaulting Grant's right. He captured Fort Stedman and several batteries, but the same day was driven back and the fort was recaptured. On the 29th Grant ordered a general advance: Sheridan was sent to Dinwiddie Court House, and the 5th corps was advanced, but on the 31st was driven back when the 2d corps came to its aid and drove the Confederates to their south works. Sheridan was forced to remain at Dinwiddie to repel repeated attacks of the Confederate infantry and cavalry and the 5th corps came to his help. On April 1 the Confederates opposing Sheridan fell back toward Five Forks, taking up a position on Lee's extreme right where Sheridan and the 5th corps achieved a victory, capturing their works, 6 guns and nearly 6000 prisoners. At daylight tin April 2 General Grant made an assault on the entire line of works around Petersburg and carried them by storm closing in cut the inner works defending the city. He captured Forts Gregg and Whitworth with 12,000 prisoners and 50 guns and the same night both Petersburg and Richmond were evacuated and the Federal forces took possession on the morning of April 3, 1865. Sheridan's cavalry and the advance of the 5th corps reached Danville to cut off Lee's retreat in the afternoon of the 4th and intrenched. The army of the Potomac reached there on the 5th and the army of the James under Ord marched rapidly toward Burkesville. Lee left Amelia Court House in the direction of Farmville and on the 6th his army was overtaken by Sheridan's cavalry and the 6th corps at Sailor's Creek, and several general officers and 7000 men were captured. The 2d corps captured 4 guns, 1700 prisoners, 13 flags and 300 wagons, the cavalry and the 6th corps were later defeated north of the Appomattox but were reinforced by the 6th corps on the 7th and the same night Grant sent a note from Farmville to Lee, asking for the surrender of his army. On the morning of the 8th Lee sent his reply that, while his cause was not hopeless, he would learn the terms proposed. Grant replied from Farmville that he would insist on but one condition, that the men and officers surrendered should be disqualified for taking up arms until properly exchanged. Meanwhile the 2d and 6th corps were pursuing Lee's troops in full retreat on the north side of the Appomattox, and Sheridan, Ord and the 5th corps were equally active on the south side to prevent Lee from escaping toward Lynchburg. It was toward midnight that Grant received a note from Lee proposing a meeting at 10 o'clock the next morning, the 9th, to make terms that might lead to peace. Grant replied that he had no authority to treat on the subject of peace, but that if the south would lay down their arms, such an act would save thousands of lives and hundreds of millions of property and do much toward hastening the event. Lee's advance reached Appomattox Court House early in the morning of the 9th of April, and Ord, Sheridan and Griffin reached the same point at the same time and Lee attacked the Federal cavalry, but finding infantry also on his front he sent in a flag of truce with a note to General Grant asking for an interview. This note was received while Grant was on the road approaching Appomattox Court House and he replied that he would move forward and nicer the Confederate leader at any place he would designate. The reply from Lee led Grant to a house in the village where, on the afternoon of April 9, 1865, the terms of surrender were drawn up by General Grant and accepted by General Lee, after a conference of three hours. The army of 28,356 men were paroled and afterward 20,000 stragglers and deserters came in and were also paroled. Grant promptly suppressed all demonstration of rejoicing on the part of the [p.370] victorious army on the field and on April 10 the started for Washington to hasten the disbanding of the armies and stop needless expense to the government. He left Washington to visit his family on the morning of April 14, and consequently was not in the city on the night of the assassination of the President and the attempted assault on members of the cabinet. He went to Raleigh, N.C., upon learning of Sherman's unacceptable terms for the surrender of Johnston's army and after consulting with General Sherman allowed that commander to renew negotiations and receive the surrender in modified terms, April 26, 1865, when Sherman paroled 31,243 of Johnston's army. General Canby captured the de-fences of Mobile, Ala., April 9, and the city was evacuated on the 11th leaving 200 guns and 4000 prisoners, after 9000 of the garrison escaped. Wilson's cavalry operating in Alabama captured Selma on April 2, Tuscaloosa on the 5th, occupied Montgomery the capital on the 14th, captured West Point and Columbus, Ga., on the 16th and Macon, Ga, surrendered on the 21st. The command of Kirby southwest of the Mississippi surrendered on the 26th and the rebellion was ended. The people of the whole country were anxious to see and do honor to the hero of Appomattox and he visited the northern states and Canada in June, July and August, 1865, and was everywhere received with civic, military and social honors. The citizens of New York city welcomed him in November by a banquet and reception in which the enthusiasm knew no bounds. In December he made a tour of the southern states and his observations made the basis of the reconstruction laws passed by congress. He defended the rights of paroled military officers of the late Confederacy against the action of the U.S. courts in cases of indictment for treason, and claimed that the conditions of surrender placed such officers outside the jurisdiction of civil courts. In this he opposed the administration, and when it became a personal matter between himself and the President he declared his intention to resign his position in the army if the armistice granted by him should he disregarded by the courts or the President. This decision resulted in the abandonment of the position taken by the executive and judicial branches of the governments. He visited Buffalo, N.Y., in June, 1866, and there took effective measures to stop the invasion of Canada by Fenians, accredited citizens of the United States in sympathy with Irish patriots. On July 25, 1866, he was made general of the U.S. army, a grade higher than had ever before existed in America and created by act of congress as a reward for his services in the suppression of the rebellion. President Johnson in his official position of commander-in-chief of the army ordered General Grant to proceed on a special mission to Mexico and subsequently to the far west, both of which orders Grant disregarded as not included in his duties as a military officer and not suggested for the benefit of the army or of the country, but made in a spirit of pique because he had refused to approve the policy of the President toward the south. On March 4, 1867, the 39th congress, in order to protect General Grant in his action, passed an act providing that "all orders and instructions relating to military operations shall be issued through the general of the army," and further provided that the general of the army should "not be removed, suspended or relieved from command or assigned to duty elsewhere than at the headquarters at Washington, except at his own request, without the previous approval of the senate." The clause was attached to the army appropriation bill which received the signature of the President under protest against this clause. The attorney-general declared the clause unconstitutional and the President undertook to send out this opinion to the district commanders through the secretary of war, who refused to distribute the opinion, and the President issued it through the adjutant-general's office. General Sheridan in command of the 5th military district sought the advice of the general of the army who replied that a "legal opinion was not entitled to the force of an order," and therefore he was at liberty "to enforce his own construction of the law until otherwise ordered," and in duly congress passed an act making the orders of district commanders "subject to the disapproval of the general of the army." In this way Grant became superior to the President in shaping the affairs of reconstruction in the southern states and the President met the situation by removing General Sheridan immediately after the adjournment of congress and appointing Gen. W. S. Hancock in his place. Subsequently some of the orders of Hancock were revoked by the general of the army and this caused some bitterness between the two officers, which, however, was not lasting, as when congress undertook to muster Hancock out of the U.S. service for his acts in Louisiana, Grant opposed the measure and it was defeated, and he soon after recommended Hancock to promotion to the rank of major-general in the regular army and secured his appointment. On Aug. 12, 1867, President Johnson suspended Secretary of War Stanton and [p.371] appointed Grant secretary ad interim. Grant protested against this action, but retained the position until the senate had refused to confirm the suspension, Jan. 14, 1868, when Grant informed the President that he could not hold the office in opposition to the will of congress and General Thomas was appointed in his place. The Republican national convention of 1868 on its first ballot unanimously nominated General Grant for the presidency and in his letter of acceptance he made use of the famous words, "Let us have peace." In the general election in November, 1868, the electors on his ticket received of the popular vote 3,015,071 to 2,709,615 for the Democratic electors and on the meeting of the electoral college in 1869 he received 214 votes to 80 for Horatio Seymour, three states, Mississippi, Texas and Virginia, not voting. He was inaugurated the eighteenth President of the United States, March 4, 1869. He called to his aid as executive advisors Elihu B. Washburn of Illinois as secretary of state, and on his resignation the same year to accept the mission to France, Hamilton Fish of New York; George S. Boutwell of Massachusetts as secretary of the treasury; John A. Rawlins of Illinois as secretary of war, and on his death, Sept. 9, 1869, William W. Belknap of Iowa; Jacob D. Cox of Ohio as secretary of the interior, and on his resignation in December, 1870, Columbus Delano of Ohio; Adolph E. Borie of Pennsylvania as secretary of the navy, and on his resignation, June 22, 1869, George M. Robeson of New Jersey; John A. J. Creswell of Maryland as postmaster-general; and Ebenezer R. Hoar of Massachusetts as attorney general, and on his resignation, June 23, 1870, Amos T. Akerman of Georgia, and on his resignation, Dec. 14, 1871, George H. Williams of Oregon.

My Southern Family

Richard FLOOD FLUDD

1572 - ____

ID Number: I84054

Sources

Benjamin BIBB

ABT 1686 - 1768

ID Number: I93337

Notes

Sources

MARY de BURGH

ABT 1565 - ____

ID Number: I103324

Sources

Alice DUNCAN

ABT 1870 - ____

ID Number: I16833

Sources

Rev. John T. FLANDERS

ABT 1820 - 1851

ID Number: I2685

Notes

Sources

Gen. Hon. Ulysses Simpson GRANT 18th President of USA

27 Apr 1822 - 23 Jul 1885

ID Number: I68133

Notes

Sources

Thomas STREET Esq.

ABT 1780 - ____

ID Number: I45358

Notes

Sources

Jane TYREE

AFT 1769 - ____

ID Number: I32754

Sources

Dr. William Bruce de VAULT M.D.

27 Apr 1847 - 10 Sep 1898

ID Number: I80733

Notes

Sources