Grant Cottage near Saratoga, NY

Just a few miles north of Saratoga, NY sits Grant Cottage, the last home of Civil War General and President Ulysses Grant. Grant arrived in June 1885, in an effort to finish his memoirs before terminal throat cancer claimed his life . Grant came north to escape the summer heat of New York City. Philadelphia banker Joseph Drexel owned the cottage nestled into the side of Mt. McGregor and lent it to the Grants that summer.

Despite his frail health, Grant was in a hurry. He was rushing to finish his memoirs so that his wife and family would be financially secure after his death. He had lost much of his money after he left The White House when some investments went bad. Mark Twain offered to publish the memoirs, promising 75% profits to Grant's widow.

For much of the time, he dictated his recollections to a stenographer, but as his condition worsened he was unable to speak. On July 16th, he finished. Days later, Grant asked to be taken in his wheelchair to the ridge next to the cottage overlooking the Hudson Valley and the Adirondaks. A marker stands at the spot where Grant last enjoyed the view. You'll see why he wanted one last look before he died on July 23, 1885: on a clear day, you can see north to Lake George, east to Vermont, and south to Albany. Be sure to take the two-minute walk from the house to the overlook.

As the memoir was ready for printing, Twain's company sent salesmen (many of whom were Civil War veterans who made sales calls in their uniforms) around the country to sell the two-volume set. It was a huge success, selling hundreds of thousands of copies in its first printing alone. Julia Grant and her family realized immense royalties from the sales of the memoirs and remained financially secure for the rest of her life.

In Washington, Grant was memorialized atop his horse Cincinnatus, in a prime location just below the Capitol. He anchors the east end of the Mall, just as the Lincoln Memorial anchors the west end. Our Civil War tour is a comprehensive audio guide of Washington during the Civil War. In a strange historical twist, the memorial's designer, Henry Shrady, was the son of Grant's primary physician when he died on Mt. McGregor.

If you visit Grant Cottage: the docents at the cottage give informative tours, and there are several of Grant's personal items still in the house, including his clothes, toiletries and even some preserved floral arrangements sent after his death. Look for the clock on the mantel that Fred Grant stopped at just after 8 on the morning he died. Grant Cottage now sits on the property of a minimum security correctional facility (I am not making this up), so you may have show identification as you drive up the hill to the cottage. Admission, which includes a short film, is $4 for adults and kids are free.