On Location: Grant Cottage

Today is the anniversary of Ulysses S. Grant’s death in 1885. He died just days after finishing his memoirs—a writing project he undertook to save his family from destitution as he was dying of throat cancer. It’s a compelling story. Today, I go On Location to Grant Cottage, the scene of Grant’s last days, as he wrote under the ultimate deadline.

For more information: 

First, I need to give a big shout-out to the wonderful Friends of Grant Cottage.

I’ve had the opportunity to visit Grant Cottage on several occasions, including a trip in October 2015.

The clock in Grant’s death room still reads 8:08 a.m.

After his body was removed from Mt. McGregor, he was eventually buried in New York City. Today, Grant’s Tomb is a must-visit for Civil War buffs who go to the city. (The folks there have been great supporters of ECW, too!)

The story of Grant on Mt. McGregor is one of my favorite Civil War-related stories. I was privileged to be able to tell it in my book Grant’s Last Battle: The Story Behind the Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant. I wrote about writing the book here and here.

For more on Grant and his struggle with cancer, check out this post from October 2015.

And of all things, I was able to find some information about the company that catered Grant’s last days.



2 Responses to On Location: Grant Cottage

  1. Nice and very informative video. I also visited the link for your 2015 article on Grant’s Cottage and really enjoyed it. It’s nice to read about Civil War sites that are just day trips from where I live in Mass.

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