Ulysses S. Grant
What failed
He resigned his army commission suddenly at thirty-two, giving up the only stable career he had. Why is still unclear; some accounts say he had been drinking to excess. He failed as a farmer, and spent winters selling firewood on St Louis street corners in his shabby work clothes. In December 1857 he pawned his gold watch and chain. His real-estate partnership dissolved after he proved unable to collect rent, and he was passed over for county engineer. At thirty-eight he took a clerk's job in his father's leather shop, working under his own younger brothers. When war came he wrote to the Adjutant General offering his services, and never received a reply.
What happened next
He took a state volunteer regiment instead. Within a year he had taken Fort Donelson, the Union's first major victory. Vicksburg followed, then command of the whole army, then Lee's surrender, then the presidency.
The point
This is the rare case where the motivational version is roughly accurate. What it leaves out is that nothing about the sequence looked like preparation. He was not building toward anything in 1858. He was selling firewood.
The sequence
7 documented failures, shown with the successes in between. Every entry carries its own source — the wins are part of the record, and leaving them out is how these stories get distorted.
- 1854
He resigns his commission at thirty-two, giving up his only stable career.
- 1857
He sells firewood on St Louis street corners in his working clothes.
- 1857
Farming fails. He cannot make a living from the land.
- 1857
Two days before Christmas he pawns his gold watch and chain.
- 1859
His property partnership dissolves after he cannot collect rent, and he is passed over for county engineer.
- 1860
At thirty-eight he takes a clerk's job in his father's shop, under his younger brothers.
- 1861
He writes to the Adjutant General offering to serve. Nobody replies.
- 1861
In June he is appointed colonel of the 21st Illinois Volunteer Infantry.
- 1862
He takes Fort Donelson — the Union's first major victory.
- 1863
Vicksburg surrenders to him, and with it an army of more than 27,000 men.
- 1864
Lincoln makes him lieutenant general, in command of all the Union armies.
- 1865
Lee surrenders to him at Appomattox Court House.
- 1868
Eight years after clerking in his father's shop, he is elected President.
Sources
- Ulysses S. Grant: Life Before the Presidency (Miller Center, University of Virginia)
He also ran into financial problems, became depressed, and, according to some accounts, began to drink to excess. In 1854, Grant resigned suddenly from the Army. It is still unclear what precipitated his resignation.
- Grant at White Haven (National Park Service)
During the winter, Grant sold wood in nearby St. Louis, often standing on street corners in his shabby work clothes.
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