When he arrived in Washington, D.C. on March 8, Grant was tired and disheveled. He and his teenaged son, Fred, dined at their hotel, only to be greeted by cheers of “Grant! Grant! Grant!” by other patrons. Then they were whisked to a gala reception at the White House, where an exuberant Lincoln met Grant for the first time. Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles recalled that the scene was so “rowdy and unseemly,” that Grant was forced to stand on a sofa as he shook hands with the adoring crowd.

On March 9, Lincoln announced Grant’s appointment in a formal ceremony. “As the country herein trusts you,” Lincoln addressed his new general, “so under God, it will sustain you.” His voice shaking with nervousness, Grant replied, “It will be my earnest endeavor not to disappoint your expectations.” Lincoln knew that Grant would live up to his words. In a private conversation after the ceremony, Lincoln gave Grant the authority to act without his knowledge or approval. After three costly, agonizing years, the President finally found a general who would lead the Union to victory...with decisiveness, determination, and dignity.