There’s something appealing about this pensive photograph of
Ulysses S. Grant, from his somber clothes to his wistful gaze.
He doesn’t seem like someone who saw some of the bloodiest
fighting at Shiloh. Unlike many of our other featured Facial
Hairs of the Civil War era, Grant’s beard is not a runaway
avalanche of hair, nor is it attempting to creep out from under
his collar and up his face. Grant’s beard is neatly trimmed, and
his hair tidily slicked back. It’s an oddly timeless look. When
I go to museums and look at portraits of Americans, I like to
imagine them in modern clothes. Some people, like the
Leavenworth inmates, seem firmly rooted in thier time. But I can
imagine Grant in modern-day clothes, perhaps headed off to teach
a college history class. This month marked the sesquicentennial
anniversary of the Civil War. For Grant, April would be an
important month. On April 9, 1865, Robert E. Lee surrendered his
28,000 troops to Grant, ending the Civil War. Of course, General
Grant went on to other things