Grant’s Tomb July 15, 2018
Michele and I headed to Manhattan a while ago to visit the General Grant National Memorial, better known as Grant’s Tomb. The building is a massive monument to Ulysses S. Grant and his wife Julia Dent Grant and a memorialization of the Union Army he led and the achievements for civil rights won during his presidency. That is me standing at the top of the stairs in this nine story high tomb.
It had just poured rain a few minutes before Michele snapped this picture of the tomb and the huge plaza in front of it. For those who may have visited here in the 1970s, this is no longer the derelict refuge of prostitutes. It has been restored to its original beauty.
The two eagles, by the way, were not part of the original design. They were on the old Manhattan Post Office. When it was being demolished, they were given to the Tomb.
When Grant passed away on July 23, 1885 at a cottage at Mount McGregor in the Adirondacks, the question arose as to where his funeral would be held and where he would be buried. His wife Julia said that Grant had wanted his funeral to be held in New York City. He had not indicated a clear preference for the place of his burial, except to say that he wanted to be buried with his wife, precluding most military cemeteries.
Grant died at 8:08 AM on July 23, and by 8:14 AM the New York Times had posted an announcement of his passing on a window. By 9:30 AM, flags in New York flew at half-mast. President Grover Cleveland issued a proclamation:
The President of the United States has just received the sad tidings of the death of that illustrious citizen and ex-President of the United States, General Ulysses S. Grant, at Mount McGregor, in the State of New York, to which place he had lately been removed in the endeavor to prolong his life. In making this announcement to the people of the United States the President is impressed with the magnitude of the public loss of a great military leader, who was, in the hour of victory,
magnanimous; amid disaster, aster, serene and self-sustained; who, in every station, whether as a soldier or a Chief Magistrate, twice called to power by his fellow-countrymen, trod unswervingly the pathway of duty, undeterred by doubts, single-minded and straightforward. The entire country has witnessed with deep emotion his prolonged and patient struggle with painful disease, and has watched by his couch of suffering with tearful sympathy. The destined end has come at last, and his spirit has returned to the Creator who sent it forth. The great heart of the nation that followed him when living with love and pride bows now in sorrow above him dead, tenderly mindful of his virtues, his great patriotic services and of the loss occasioned by his death. In testimony of respect to the memory of General Grant it is ordered that the Executive Mansion and the several departments at Washington be draped in mourning for a period of thirty days, and that all public business shall, on the day of the funeral, be suspended, and the Secretaries taries of War and of the Navy will cause orders to be issued for appropriate ate military and naval honors to be rendered on that day. [From: Joan Waugh. U. S. Grant: American Hero, American Myth (Civil War America) (Kindle Location 2764). Kindle Edition.]
Cleveland appointed Major General Winfield Scott Hancock to arrange for the military funeral for Grant. On August 4, there was a small funeral service held at Mt. McGregor. The next day, the body was taken to Albany. Julia, overcome with grief, remained behind.
The interest in the funeral was so great that when word got out that Grant’s casket was being made at the Stein company in Rochester, 15,000 people went to see the casket before it was shipped to New York.
Grant, at his death, weighed less than 100 pounds.
When Grant lay in state in the Capitol in Albany, 80,000 people viewed it. The next day a funeral procession through the city’s streets took place to the train station, where the casket was placed on a train for New York City.
When the funeral train arrived in New York City, it was met by a procession led by General Hancock and the remains were taken to City Hall. A quarter of a million people filed past the casket during the two days of viewing at city hall.
Fred Grant, son of the president, encouraged the inclusion of former Confederates in the funeral program and FitzHugh Lee, Joe Johnston, and Simon Buckner all participated.
New York’s first Irish Catholic mayor, William R. Grace was instrumental in organizing the funeral. The Liederkrantz Society, a German singing group, provided hymns in German at City Hall. 1.5 million people lined the route of the procession uptown.
Grant was placed inside a temporary tomb. This was located immediately behind the current tomb.
The tomb is on top of a 270 foot tall hill overlooking the Hudson River. Before this part of New York was developed, visitors could look east and see Long Island Sound. The building itself is 160 feet high.
This shot was taken from the east side of the park looking over the children’s playground.
Almost immediately after Grant’s death, a debate arose over where Grant’s Tomb should be. Most presidents had been buried in the states of their birth. So Ohio was suggested, as was Illinois. Washington was the favorite of many veterans because it was near the scene of Grant’s Virginia victories. Julia decided New York would be the place because it had embraced Grant after his presidency. She might have also been attracted by its modernity and cultural vibrancy.
A committee of powerful and wealthy men was appointed to run the Grant Monument Association. They set themselves the task of raising 1 million dollars for the tomb. At first, the response was encouraging. But once 150,000 dollars was raised, money dried up. Many out-of-town newspapers called for their readers to refuse to donate for a “national” monument that would be in one city. The fact that the Association did not have a design for the monument also hurt fundraising.
After three years of anemic efforts from the Association, Grant’s friend Horace Porter took over. He promised to raise half a million dollars in just a few months, and he did so. Instead of a national fundraising campaign, he focused fundraising on New York. He also made an appeal to the working people of the city to give any amount, no matter how small. Porter raised the money from 90,000 people whose average contribution was about six dollars.
The Tomb was finally dedicated in 1897:
The heavy entry doors impress on their own.
The stone engraving was done largely by immigrant artisans working in Maine and Massachusetts granite. You can see the intricacy over the entryway.
Above the entryway are Grant’s words from his acceptance of the Republican nomination “Let Us Have Peace.” On the left is an allegory for victory and on the right is one for peace.
Across the street is a small classical viewing site to take in the Hudson River. This had been derelict for a number of years. The city completed renovations in 2011. It doubles as a bus shelter.
It is one of those places where you will not feel like you are in New York.
On the lower level of the Lookout is a small NPS visitor’s center. Here you will find restrooms and a place to shelter while waiting for the tomb to open. The tomb itself opens at 10 AM Wed to Sunday, but it is only open to the public on even hours. So the tomb itself is open (currently) 10-11, Noon to 1, 2-3, and 4-5. The visitors’ center is open from 10-5 Wed thru Sunday. Of course, right now it is closed during the COVID Pandemic.
There are a couple of small exhibits in the center. These uniforms are reproductions. A short film focuses on Grant’s military career, his marriage, and his record on Black civil rights.
From its opening until the 1920s, Grant’s Tomb was the most visited monument in New York City, outdrawing even the Statue of Liberty. Most years it drew half a million visitors or more.
Many visitors would arrive from Downtown, Brooklyn, and New Jersey by ferry at the piers shown in this postcard, visit the tomb and picnic in Riverside Park. In addition to lovely views, the park offered recreation facilities to urban dwellers of all classes.
The first time I saw Grant’s Tomb was when I was a boy on the old Hudson River steamer Alexander Hamilton, which looked something like this one. These once popular ways to visit sites along the river ceased operation in the 1970s. Glad I can still recall the massive coal fired steam engines.
The tomb was a regular site of military commemoration during both the Spanish American War and World War I. The Grand Army of the Republic held regular ceremonies there every year, maintaining popular interest in the site. In 1929 the last GAR memorial was held there and after that visitation and popular awareness of Grant’s Tomb declined. The Depression contributed to a sharp fall in Tomb tourism.
One fortunate effect of the Depression was the creation of the WPA. The New Deal program was used to provide some badly needed restoration work on the Tomb.
The monument association ran out of money to maintain the site in the 1950s and the NPS took it over, but they did a poor job. Visitation slipped to below half a million a year. There was a brief bump up during the Civil War Centennial as Grant became a focus of Bruce Catton’s readers, but many visitors brought back stories of the generally bad condition of the tomb and the park it was in. From 307,000 visitors in 1961, the site declined to under 100,000 by 1969. By 1979 the area was a hangout for drug users and only 35,000 people visited, a 93% drop from seven decades earlier.
The restoration work on the site was the result of Columbia student Frank Scuttaro’s activism in challenging the neglect. Begun in the 1990s, it was “completed” in 2011. I say “completed” because there is new construction going on where the temporary tomb once stood. Here is what the dome in the tomb looks like today:
At the base of the dome are four allegories of the stages of Grant’s life:
When the NPS took over the site, it agreed to install three paintings in spaces under the dome which had always been intended to be filled with art, but for which the association lacked the funds. These were painted in the 1960s. They are easily seen from the main floor but tough to photograph because of the way the light comes into the building. There is no signage to tell you what they represent.
Here are Grant and Major General Thomas at Chattanooga:
Grant at Vicksburg. Gotta confess, I only know that because the volunteers on duty told me.
Appomattox:
Beneath the main floor are the remains of the Grants in polished red granite cases. Michele Ascione took this photo:
On the main floor, on either side of the viewing gallery of the sacophagus, are two rooms with vaulted ceilings filled with flags associated with the Civil War.
The flags are housed in ornate glass cases under a beautiful dome.
Around the sarcophagii are busts of Grant’s subordinates. These were commissioned by the Federal government as part of its WPA work on the site in the 1930s. I think that the NPS should break with the original design of the tomb and place signage explaining why these are here and who these men are. This can be done discretely and would not take away from the purpose of the site.
When I visited, about half of the thirty or so people visiting at the same time appeared to be immigrant families and while they appreciated the impressive building and knew who Grant was, they likely did not know Thomas. I understand that this is not a museum, but it does have some interpretive opportunities that could lead to a more meaningful visitor experience.
Sherman is among those represented.
Excellent article and pictures of my favorite general. I visited with my family when I was a child. I am looking forward to going back soon. Thank you, so very much appreciated.
Thanks Bonnie!
Most informative article I’ve read about the tomb. Excellent work, thank you
A terrific photo easy and the narration was most welcome. Thank you. Wasn’t there a statue of a Union private at the peak of the dome?
Very good article and pictures. Felt like I was taking a tour. Very well written.
Thanks.
Why is there a 2-line inscription somewhere on the grounds of the tomb that calls Grant a MAJOR general?
He was promoted to lieutenant general by Lincoln in 1863 and to general by Johnson in 1866.
Thank for all your words & beautiful pictures. I would have never known they’re remains were above ground. The polished granite cases are a beautiful memorial.
Excellent photos and articles
.Just finished reading.. the paperback book on.Grant. by Ron Chernow about 1000.pages
Really enjoyed this story. He was such a hero to me.
visited there in the early 80’s and it was a dump. Someone wrote “this will come down during the revolution” in the guest book. Did not know how right they were.
Thank you so much for sharing the pictures and narrative. It was much like being along on a family vacation! So glad for the improvement made since I was there in 1985.
Arnold Nelson