Deadly battles of the Civil War had been raging for nearly three years when Ulysses S. Grant was promoted to general of the Union Army. His victories at the Battles of Shiloh, Vicksburg, and Richmond sealed the fate of the South and led to a Confederate surrender. Grant s military success made him one of the most admired men in America. In 1868, he was elected 18th president of the United States, a position he would hold for eight years.".