not
move, and the boy for a time knew not what to do. At last he took his
hand-ker-chief, tied it o-ver the colt's eyes, and so drove him home.
Folks near the Grant home said there was no horse which young U-lys-ses
could not ride; he was a boy who had a firm will and strong nerves; and
was at the head in all sports or games; for young boys soon learn which
one of them must take the lead.

He did not stand so high in school, but did his tasks well; and in 1839
he went to West Point. Here he soon had ma-ny friends; and they gave him
a name which clung to him for life; he was called "Uncle Sam," from the
U. S. in his first two names. At West Point, he read a great deal of
war, and the men who had done brave deeds for their coun-try; and
when he left there he was, at heart, as well as in name, a sol-dier of
his coun-try. He at once took his place with the troops, who were at war
with the In-di-ans in the West; but his first big fight was at Pa-lo
Al-to in 1846. At the close of this war Grant, who had shown much skill,
and knew no fear, was sent to the West once more to force the In-di-ans
to keep peace.

[Illustration: ULYSSES S. GRANT.]

He was in Cal-i-for-ni-a while the gold craze was at its height, to try
and make the rough men who came in search of gold keep the laws of the
land. Then, from 1854, he had a few years of peace, and start-ed to tan
hides and skins, in Ga-le-na, Il-li-nois; but his life was ev-er at his
coun-try's call; and he was one of the first men to take up arms in the
Civil War. He was made a gen-er-al soon af-ter the war broke out; and
one of his first acts was to block all the streams and roads near his
post at Cai-ro, on the O-hi-o River, so that the South could get no food
or arms. Grant was known as a brave fight-er, and oft-en was in the
midst of the fight at the head of his men. At a great loss of life to
his troops, he took two strong forts from the South, Forts Hen-ry and
Don-el-son; and then came that great fight at Shi-loh; where the troops
of the South were cut down, and the North won the day; Grant was now put
next to the head of the whole ar-my; and at once tried to take the cit-y
of Vicks-burg. The siege of this cit-y was hard for those in its walls,
and for the troops in front of it; for Grant and his men could get no
food from the North, and the cit-y was quite cut off from help. The
cit-y made a brave stand for two long months; but had to give in at
last, and at the end of that t