Ulysses S. Grant Bicentennial Recognition Act
Bill: S.J.Res.26 | Sponsor: Sen. Blunt, Roy (R-MO)
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Ulysses S. Grant Bicentennial Recognition Act
This joint resolution authorizes the President to posthumously appoint Ulysses S. Grant to the grade of General of the Armies of the United States, effective on April 27, 2022.

117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. J. RES. 26

  To provide for the appointment of Ulysses S. Grant to the grade of 
              General of the Armies of the United States.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

           September 22 (legislative day, September 21), 2021

 Mr. Blunt (for himself and Mr. Brown) introduced the following joint 
 resolution; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the 
                               Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                            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 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 Establishment Act without reference 
        to the grade (7th Congress, Session I, Chap. 9, Sec. 3).
            (3) On July 1, 1843, Ulysses S. Grant graduated 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 volunteers 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 victories including Fort Henry 
        (February 1862), Fort Donelson (February 1862), Shiloh (April 
        1862), the Vicksburg Campaign (November 1862-July 1863), 
        Chattanooga (November 1863), the Wilderness Campaign (May 1864-
        June 1864), the Petersburg Campaign (June 1864-April 1865), and 
        the Appomattox Campaign (April 1865).
            (6) On February 29, 1864, Congress reestablished 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, Session 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 Winfield 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 advice and consent of the Senate, to General of 
        the Army of the United States for his role in commanding the 
        Union armies during the Civil War.
            (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 implementation 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 ``precedence 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
            (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.
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