Tucked away in an amendment to the FY 2023 U.S. defense authorization bill - yet to be approved by the Senate - is an instance of congressional bipartisanship to President Ulysses S. Grant. If approved, the measure would posthumously promote Grant to the rank of General of the Armies of the U.S., making him only the third person – with John J. Pershing and George Washington - to be awarded the nation’s highest military honor. Anne Marshall, Executive Director of the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library, believes the promotion would be more than symbolic. It would highlight the overlooked legacy of Grant, a man who fought to end the last vestiges of slavery. During the war, Grant administered the enlistment of African American men into United States Colored Troops units during the Vicksburg campaign. The Grant Presidential Library is located in Mississippi, a Deep South state he once conquered. (The Conversation 12/11/22) Marshall, an associate professor in the Mississippi State University's Department of History, is executive director of the Ulysses S. Grant Association and the U.S. Grant Presidential Library. Both are housed in the university’s Mitchell Memorial Library and curate the 18th president’s papers, while preserving a vast array of artifacts and memorabilia. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's pending promotion sheds new light on his overlooked fight for equal rights after the Civil War (theconversation.com)
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