IA 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. J. RES. 58 
To provide for the appointment of Ulysses S. Grant to the grade of General 
of the Armies of the United States. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 14, 2021 
Mrs. WAGNER (for herself, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Ms. STEFANIK, Mrs. BUSTOS, and 
Mr. GUEST) submitted the following joint resolution; which was referred 
to the Committee on Armed Services 
JOINT RESOLUTION 
To provide for the appointment of Ulysses S. Grant to the 
grade of General of the Armies of the United States. 
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives
of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This joint resolution may be cited as the ‘‘Ulysses 
S. Grant Bicentennial Recognition Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) On March 3, 1799, Congress created the 
grade of ‘‘General of the Armies of the United 
States’’ as the commander of the Army of the 
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United States (5th Congress, Session III, Chap. 48, 
Section 9). 
(2) On March 16, 1802, Congress effectively 
dissolved the grade of General of the Armies of the 
United States when it passed the Military Peace Es-
tablishment Act without reference to the grade (7th 
Congress, Session I, Chap. 9, Sec. 3). 
(3) On July 1, 1843, Ulysses S. Grant grad-
uated from the United States Military Academy at 
West Point, and, on July 31, 1854, Grant resigned 
from the Army at the grade of Captain. 
(4) Following President Abraham Lincoln’s 
April 15, 1861, proclamation calling for 75,000 vol-
unteers to suppress Confederate forces, Ulysses S. 
Grant rejoined the Army and helped recruit and 
train volunteer soldiers for the Union. 
(5) Over the course of the American Civil War, 
Ulysses S. Grant commanded a cumulative total of 
over 620,000 Union soldiers and achieved major vic-
tories including Fort Henry (February 1862), Fort 
Donelson (February 1862), Shiloh (April 1862), the 
Vicksburg Campaign (November 1862—July 1863), 
Chattanooga (November 1863), the Wilderness Cam-
paign (May 1864—June 1864), the Petersburg 
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Campaign (June 1864—April 1865), and the Appo-
mattox Campaign (April 1865). 
(6) On February 29, 1864, Congress reestab-
lished the grade of ‘‘Lieutenant-General of the 
United States Army’’ and authorized the President 
to appoint, by and with the advice and consent of 
the Senate, an officer who was ‘‘most distinguished 
for courage, skill, and ability’’ (38th Congress, Ses-
sion I, Chap. 14, Sec. 1); that same day, President 
Abraham Lincoln nominated Ulysses S. Grant to be 
Lieutenant-General. 
(7) On March 10, 1864, President Abraham 
Lincoln formally appointed Ulysses S. Grant to the 
grade of Lieutenant-General of the Army, a position 
previously held by only George Washington and Win-
field Scott, although Scott’s promotion was a brevet 
appointment. 
(8) On July 25, 1866, Congress established the 
grade of ‘‘General of the Army of the United 
States’’ (39th Congress, Session I, Chap. 232), and 
Ulysses S. Grant was appointed, by and with the ad-
vice and consent of the Senate, to General of the 
Army of the United States for his role in com-
manding the Union armies during the Civil War. 
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(9) On March 4, 1869, Ulysses S. Grant was 
sworn in as the 18th President of the United States. 
(10) Throughout his two terms as President, 
Ulysses S. Grant secured the ratification of the 15th 
amendment to the Constitution, the creation of the 
Department of Justice, and the passage and imple-
mentation of the Civil Rights Act of 1875. 
(11) On October 11, 1976, Congress enacted 
Public Law 94–479, which re-established the grade 
of ‘‘General of the Armies of the United States’’ to 
posthumously request the appointment of George 
Washington to General of the Armies of the United 
States and made clear that this grade has ‘‘prece-
dence over all other grades of the Army, past or 
present’’. 
(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this joint resolution 
is to— 
(1) honor Ulysses S. Grant for his efforts and 
leadership in defending the union of the United 
States of America; 
(2) 
recognize 
that 
the 
military 
victories 
achieved under the command of Ulysses S. Grant 
were integral to the preservation of the United 
States of America; and 
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(3) affirm that Ulysses S. Grant is among the 
most influential military commanders in the history 
of the United States of America. 
SEC. 3. APPOINTMENT. 
The President is authorized and requested to appoint 
Ulysses S. Grant posthumously to the grade of General 
of the Armies of the United States, such appointment to 
take effect on April 27, 2022. 
Æ 
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