William A. Crafts, Life of Ulysses S. Grant: His Boyhood, Campaigns, and Services, Military and Civil.

[125] and tactician, his power of combination and of execution, his talent for command, united with his energy and persistency, in a word, his military genius, could no longer be doubted, and received the encomiums, not only of a grateful people, but of able soldiers and military critics abroad. Except Napoleon, no man of recent times had achieved so many brilliant successes, or accomplished such splendid results on so extended a field.

The thanks of the government, of the states, of popular assemblies, were freely tendered to him, and he received substantial tokens of public gratitude and private appreciation. Swords and medals were voted him by states, and among the more costly gifts presented to him, by private individuals, was an elegant house in Washington, completely furnished, an admirable library, and a munificent sum of money. These gifts were thrust upon him out of honest gratitude and admiration, and were accepted with a modest dignity characteristic of the man, and becoming his position and his relations to the givers.

Subsequently, in July, 1866, upon reorganizing the army, in order to reward him by a higher honor than the service then allowed, the grade of General of the army, the highest rank yet created in the American service, was established by act of Congress, and invested with unusual powers. The rank was created expressly for the then Lieutenant General, and though President Johnson would have preferred to select another, the universal verdict of the people, and the unmistakable purpose of the act, compelled him to nominate Ulysses S. Grant. It is needless to add that