More from the Smithsonian site:
"The old army coat is the only indication of the military in his attire. He is represented in an easy pose with one hand carelessly thrust in the pocket of his trousers. A bas-relief is on the back base, and "represents not the citizen but the soldier, surrounded by his staff and grasping the hand of the vanquished Confederate leader."
Dimensions: Approx. 8 x 2 x 2 ft. (4 tons).
Inscription: (Base front:) GRANT/OUR/CITIZEN (Base east side:) SHILOH/ VICKSBURG/CHATTANOOGA/SPOTSYLVANIA/PETERSBURG/APPOMATTOX (Base west side:) PALO ALTO/MONTEREY/MOLINO DEL REY/CHAPULTEPEC/BELMONT/FORT DONELSON (Back of base:) APPOMATTOX unsigned"
Galena reveres Grant as a favorite son. Here's a bit more about Ulysses S. Grant:
Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822 – July 23, 1885) was the 18th President of the United States (1869–1877) following his highly successful role as a war general in the second half of the Civil War. Under Grant, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military; the war, and secession, ended with the surrender of Robert E. Lee's army at Appomattox.
From Grant’s Home website (visit link
Grant and his family arrived in Galena in the spring of 1860 and rented a small Federal style brick house. He had ended a fifteen year military career six years earlier, but had enjoyed little business success as a civilian. He hoped to reverse his economic misfortune by moving to northwestern Illinois, where he would work in the Galena store owned by his father and managed by his younger brothers, Simpson and Orvil. Grant was a clerk in name only; he spent considerable time away from the store, "traveling through the Northwest considerably during the winter of 1860-61. They had customers in all the little towns in south-west Wisconsin, south-east Minnesota, and northeast. Iowa." Until he left Galena in the spring of 1861 to serve in the Civil War, Grant and his wife, Julia, rented a modest brick home on the west side of the river for approximately $100.00 a year.
The Hero's Homecoming - In 1861, at the outbreak of the Civil War, Grant left Galena to join the U.S. Army, ending a seven-year hiatus from the military. He was commissioned colonel of the 21st Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment and was promoted to progressively significant commands of Union forces. A strong and capable leader, Grant engineered the Union victory at Vicksburg in 1863, which helped turn the tide of the war. In March 1864 Grant was appointed lieutenant general and commanded the Union army to war's end. On April 9, 1865, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered his troops to Grant at Appomattox Court House, and Grant's image as a war hero was complete.
Grant family, ca.1865 - On August 18, 1865, the citizens of Galena greeted the return of its victorious General with a grand celebration. A "grand triumphal arch" spanned Main Street, and a holiday atmosphere prevailed with a jubilant procession, speeches, and evening fireworks. Julia Grant recalled that "there was a tremendous and enthusiastic outpouring of people to welcome him. After a glorious triumphal ride around the hills and valleys, so brilliant with smiles and flowers, we were conducted to a lovely villa exquisitely furnished with everything good taste could desire."
Also in the park is the Soldier's Monument and two artillery pieces, all waymarked.