Vignetted studio bust portrait albumen CDV. Washington, D.C.: Mathew Brady, circa 1864. Photographer’s imprint to mount recto and verso. SIGNED WITH RANK BY GRANT: "U.S. Grant / Lt. Gen. U.S.V." 

A signed CDV of Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885) taken by Mathew Brady. Based on the signature and his shoulder boards, this photograph was taken after 2 March 1864, when President Abraham Lincoln promoted Grant to lieutenant general and gave him command of all Union armies. 

Grant had a storied military career prior to his presidency. After graduating from the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, he served with distinction in the Mexican War. Grant resigned from the army in 1854 but rejoined in 1861 shortly after the Civil War began, quickly rising to prominence. He secured victories for the Union at the Battles of Fort Henry, Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Chattanooga, as well as the Vicksburg Campaign, rightfully earning his lieutenant general role. 

After the Overland Campaign, the Siege of Petersburg, and General Robert E. Lee’s surrender, the Civil War ended, yet Grant remained in command of the army. Grant stayed as commander until securing the Republican nomination for president, and eventually being inaugurated as president, in 1868 and 1869, respectively. Grant was a pioneer in postwar Reconstruction, advocating for civil rights by signing the Naturalization Act and ratifying the Fifteenth Amendment. 

An incredible addition to Grant, Brady, or Civil War enthusiasts. 

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