On the 170th anniversary of their wedding, Grant Cottage Site Coordinator Ben Kemp takes a look at the relationship of Ulysses and Julia Grant.
On the morning of July 23, 1885, Ulysses Grant was surrounded by his loving family as he took his final breaths. “Mrs. Grant still held the General’s hand…the General opened his eyes and glanced about him, looking into the faces of all. The glance lingered as it met the tender gaze of his companion.” (New York Times July 24, 1885) Julia was now a widow.
In the spring of 1885 as an ailing Ulysses Grant sat at Drexel Cottage on Mt. McGregor contemplating his legacy, he received many heartwarming letters of support. Though the surrender of General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court House, VA had occurred 20 years before it was fresh in his mind since he had just written about it for his memoirs.
“I took a family member for a pre booked tour and it was magnificent. Steve was our tour guide, and it was just two of us on his tour. Many great individual stories about the Grant family and some new artifacts on display. We brought lunch and enjoyed that on the overlook, on a clear day with that spectacular view. Everyone locally needs to visit this well preserved historic site, whether for a tour, enjoy a program, or just to enjoy the property. Linger a while in the gift shop, too.”
-BennCoah, TripAdvisor May 2022
Ulysses S. Grant Cottage
1000 Mt. McGregor Rd.
Wilton, NY 12831
Mailing Address:
Ulysses S. Grant Cottage
PO Box 2294
Wilton, NY 12831
(518) 584-4353 info@grantcottage.org
The Friends of the Ulysses S. Grant Cottage is the 501(c)(3) non-profit organization which manages the daily operations & programming at Grant Cottage. Your generous support helps us keep history alive as we tell the story of Ulysses S. Grant's time on Mt. McGregor.
