Lost Chapters
Ulysses S. Grant: Garnet Character
Ulysses S. Grant was the Union general who led the United States to victory in the Civil War and then served two terms as the 18th president. As president he pressed for the 15th Amendment and used federal power to protect Black Southerners from the Ku Klux Klan.
- Cost
- 6 crystals
- Type
- Character · Soldier
- Power / Health
- 6 / 5
- Color
- Garnet (Rebels, Pirates & War)
- Rarity
- Ultra-Rare (Legacy)
- Set
- Liberty & Lightning (Set 1)
- Keywords
- Double Chapter
Relentless general whose military brilliance was matched only by his political naivety and impressive whiskey consumption.
The real history
Hiram Ulysses Grant was born on April 27, 1822, in Point Pleasant, Ohio, the son of a tanner. He graduated from West Point, fought in the Mexican War and resigned from the Army in 1854. For years he struggled at farming and other jobs, then went to work in his family's leather goods store in Galena, Illinois.
When the Civil War began in 1861, the Army needed experienced officers, and Grant returned. In February 1862 he captured Fort Henry and Fort Donelson in Tennessee. At Fort Donelson he accepted the surrender of an entire Confederate force, which earned him the nickname Unconditional Surrender Grant and made him known across the country.
In 1863 he marched his troops down the far side of the Mississippi River, crossed below Vicksburg, Mississippi, and cut loose from his supply lines. After winning a string of battles, he laid siege to the city. On July 4, 1863, Confederate General John C. Pemberton surrendered Vicksburg and an army of more than 27,000 men, giving the Union control of the Mississippi.
In the last year of the war Grant besieged Robert E. Lee's army at Petersburg, Virginia. On April 9, 1865, the two generals met in the McLean House at Appomattox Court House, where Lee surrendered.
Grant won the presidency in 1868 and a second term in 1872. He worked for the 15th Amendment's promise of voting rights regardless of race and sent troops to protect Black citizens from Klan terror. Scandals among men he appointed also damaged his administration. After leaving office he lost his savings in a financial scandal and learned he had throat cancer. Determined to provide for his family, he wrote his memoirs and finished them just days before he died.
Sources
- Ulysses S. Grant: Life Before the Presidency, Miller Center, University of Virginia
- Ulysses S. Grant: Life in Brief, Miller Center, University of Virginia
- McLean House, Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, National Park Service
In the game's story
In the game's invented story, Grant arrives in Marginalia in a muddy coat with a cigar in his teeth and is mistaken for a dockhand for three days. He studies the Echo of the Siege, an endless zigzag of trenches east of Errata, asks about the supply roads and quietly helps the Reader plan the battle that ends it, saying Vicksburg taught him that sieges are won by patience and supply. He is also keeping a Marginalian journal in his plain, clear style.
How the card plays
Ulysses S. Grant costs 6 crystals and is a 6/5 Ultra-Rare Garnet Soldier, so he counts as a Legacy card. His one keyword is Double Chapter: when he hits an enemy Leader, that Leader loses 2 Life cards instead of 1. There is no other text, just a big body that ends games fast.
He fits Garnet decks led by Blackbeard. Land him around turn 6, then charge on your next turn when your rival has few ready blockers.
Whiskey Rebellion Whiskey Rebellion rests every enemy character, and rested characters can't block, so Grant's charge can reach the Leader. Lexington & Concord Lexington & Concord gives Soldiers +1/+0, pushing him to 7 power. Keep Parley Parley ready to cancel the counterattack.
- Playable in decks led by Edward Teach "Blackbeard", and by any Traveler Leader whose colors include Garnet.
- In the Blackbeard starter deck (1 copy). Deck code:
LC2-Aj4BPwFAAUEBQgFDAUQCRQFGAkcBSAFJAkoBSwFMAU0BTgFPAlACUQFSAVMCVAFVAVYBVwFYAVkBWgFbAVwBXQJeAW9C - A deck holds up to 3 copies of this card.
Questions about Grant
Why was Grant called Unconditional Surrender Grant?
The name came from Fort Donelson in Tennessee, where in February 1862 he accepted the surrender of a whole Confederate force. It was the first real Union victory of the war and turned Grant into a national figure.
Did Ulysses S. Grant write his own memoirs?
Yes. Dying of throat cancer and nearly broke, he spent his final days on his porch, wrapped in blankets and in great pain, writing in pencil. The book was a huge success and gave his family financial security.
Card art
The standard version of Ulysses S. Grant. The Full Art above is a rare version that can appear in packs.
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