Lincoln Nominates Grant as Lieutenant General

That happened on Feb. 29, and the Senate confirmed him on March 2, which is 155 years ago tomorrow.

Feb. 29 also was the date Lincoln signed a bill reviving the rank of lieutenant general  which was sponsored in the House by Elihu Washburne, home state representative and friend of both Lincoln and Grant. Washburne had assured Lincoln that Grant would not run for president against him in 1864. 

In 1869, Washburne would begin serving as President Grant's longtime ambassador to France. Unfortunately, both men had presidential ambitions in 1880, which ended their friendship -- the thought of which flickers across the general's mind in The Last Circle of Ulysses Grant.

Winfield Scott, George McClellan and Henry Halleck had played similar command roles already in the war, with varying degrees of success. Grant, like them, would have failures on his watch, notably at Cold Harbor and the Crater, and was saved by Halleck's caution from a faulty personnel decision at Nashville (i.e. almost firing George Thomas). 

But he had larger successes. Some came through hand-picked subordinates, mainly Sherman, who was permitted by Grant to march to Savannah. Yet the final campaign was under his own control, ending the war at Appomattox.