Hiram Ulysses Grant was born on April 27, 1822 in Point Pleasant, Ohio. Ulysses grew up loving horses. He loved riding, and taking care of them. His father Jesse Root Grant was a tanner and made a good living for his family. His mother Hannah Simpson Grant was said to be a mysterious and distant woman who didn't offer much Support or affection to young Ulysses. Nonetheless his parents had very high Expectations of him. His father wanted him to attend school and become a successful businessman.

Ulysses Grant arrived at West Point on May 29, 1839 as a 17 year old youth who had been coerced by his father into attending the Academy. Ulysses seemed to have a love/hate relationship with his association to West Point. He wrote a letter to his cousin back home in Ohio describing his feelings about the academy. "I was just thinking that you would be...