Ulysses S. Grant was born Hiram Ulysses Grant on April 27, 1822, in Point Pleasant, Ohio. He was always called Ulysses and when he enrolled in West Point he put down his name as Ulysses H. Grant, which was then mistakenly recorded as Ulysses S. Grant.

Grant was raised in Georgetown, Ohio, on a farm with his father, Jesse Root Grant, and his mother, Hannah Simpson Grant. His father was a tanner and merchant. Grant helped out on the farm though he hated assisting with the tanning as he could not stand the sight of blood.

Grant attended local schools, then went to the Presbyterian Academy and was later appointed to West Point Military Academy. Though not necessarily the best student, he was good at math and working with horses. Due to his equestrian skills, Grant wanted to be assigned to the cavalry. However, his low grades and class rank resulted in him being placed in the infantry.