Ulysses S. Grant began his world tour in May 1877, only a couple of months after his second presidential term had ended. After serving as a general during the Civil War, and as president for two consecutive terms during the turbulent Reconstruction era, Grant was ready for a vacation from the years of stress that war and politics had brought him. Now in his late fifties, he looked forward to the tour with great enthusiasm. With his wife Julia and a retinue of close colleagues and friends, Grant traveled the world for more than two and a half years. The Grants had a flexible itinerary and visited a variety of places and prominent people, including Pope Leo XIII, Queen Victoria, Otto von Bismarck and several other heads of state. Grant was often received by cheering crowds as "General Grant" the Civil War hero and in some cases was met with official greetings and huge celebrations.
During the tour abroad, Grant was encouraged by his successor President Rutherford B. Hayes to represent the United States in an unofficial diplomatic capacity; this involved resolving international disputes, which was an unprecedented role for the relatively young country. Many of the countries Grant visited, particularly in Asia, were unfamiliar to most Americans and often lacked formal diplomatic relations with the U.S.; his travels subsequently attracted considerable popular interest. As a courtesy to Grant, his touring party was often transported to their destinations by the U.S. Navy. When he returned to the U.S. in December 1879, he was received in grand formality as he journeyed across the country. By the time Grant had completed his world tour, he had brought the United States into the realm of international prominence in the eyes of much of the world.
Preparation and launch
Grant had assumed the presidency in 1869 with reluctance, doing so only because he did not want to leave " ... the contest for power for the next four years between mere trading politicians ... ". When he finally stepped down from the presidency after eight years of hectic political life, and after years of civil war, he was relieved, and later stated, "I was never so happy in my life as the day I left the White House. I felt like a boy getting out of school." Grant was looking forward to a long vacation, anticipating the prospect of travel abroad with enthusiasm. After leaving the White House, and wanting to remain in Washington to be close to his daughter Nellie, who was expecting a baby, Grant accepted an invitation from his former Secretary of State, and friend, Hamilton Fish, to stay at his residence in Washington. After leaving the Fish residence in late March, Ulysses and Julia embarked on a sentimental visit to various towns and cities of their earlier days, including Cincinnati and Galena. Grant had left the White House with very little money to his name but thereafter had accumulated money given to him by his many admirers, which he invested in a mining project that yielded a profit that amounted to approximately $25,000. Grant had sacrificed his military pension when he became president.
In Cincinnati, Grant was received with great fanfare and celebration and was lauded as an icon of American history, second only to George Washington. Thereafter he returned to Brown County in Ohio where he was raised and where he had not been in decades and visited with old friends.
Faced with idle retirement, Grant sought to fill the void in his post-presidential life and decided to embark on a world tour with his wife, Julia – an idea he had often entertained for some years. He would use the money he had earned from his investment to pay for the tour. During the week before he departed on his tour he arrived at Philadelphia on May 9, and stayed in the home of his close friend, George Childs. On the 14th a reception for Grant was given at the Union League Club, which concluded with a review of the First Regiment Infantry of the National Guard of Pennsylvania.
The next ceremony occurred on the 16th when a procession of soldiers' orphans, all wards of the State, marched past Childs' residence while Generals Grant and Sherman stood on the steps of the house, extending their good wishes to the children as they passed. Later that day Grant was received by a group of twelve hundred veteran soldiers in Independence Hall. After the event Grant had a luncheon with Governor John F. Hartranft at Childs' residence. From there Grant stopped off in Elizabeth, New Jersey, to visit his widowed mother, Hannah. Preparing for the tour, the Grants arrived in Philadelphia on May 10, 1877, and were again honored with celebrations during the week before their departure.
On May 16, Grant and Julia began their world tour and left for England aboard the American Line steamer SS Indiana voyaging across the Atlantic Ocean. Among those who accompanied the Grants on the tour was John Russell Young, a journalist from the New York Herald, invited on for purposes of documenting the various visits and events as they went along. Also present was Adam Badeau, U.S. Consul in London and former general staff member for Grant during the Civil War, acting as an observer, aide and adviser. With the United States and political life behind him, Grant's personal aspect soon changed from quiet and serious to one more friendly and talkative. The prospect of a leisurely world tour and being free from the daily stresses of political life gave Grant much relief. Grant's aide, Adam Badeau, noted that any final encouragement to return to politics was now being rebuffed by an enthusiastic Grant looking forward to seeing the world.
After only a couple of months into Grant's tour, the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 occurred, and he began receiving numerous letters from America with references to the overall situation, many of them expressing the general idea that a "strong man fitted to cope with the emergency" like himself, was presently lacking in the U.S. government. The crisis did not persist long, but Badeau estimated that if it had, Grant was likely to have returned out of a sense of duty. After the strike ended, the idea of entertaining a third attempt at a presidential nomination had quickly become an unlikely consideration. By March 1878, Grant wrote to Badeau, that since the railroad crisis ended "Most every letter I get from the States, like Porter's to you, asks me to remain abroad", suggesting it was best for Grant to spare himself any political trouble and inquiry.
1877 England
Bound for England, the Indiana made the Atlantic crossing in eleven days, arriving at Liverpool on May 28, where large crowds greeted the ex-president and his small entourage, which included his wife Julia and nineteen-year-old son Jesse, along with New York Herald correspondent John Russell Young. Grant was lauded as the "Hero of Appomattox" and the Union general who defeated the Confederacy. Throughout June, Grant toured England's countryside while officials from the various townships along the way were often waiting to extend their greetings and any hospitality they could afford the touring party.
On his way to Manchester he stopped at Leicester and gave a speech.
While in Manchester Grant gave a memorable speech to workers who came to see him, impressed by Ulysses' moving oration on human rights. Arriving in London, Grant was guest of the Prince of Wales at Epsom Downs Racecourse, meeting with the Duke of Wellington. Sunday, Grant attended the "divine service" at Westminster Abbey. On June 18, Grant had breakfast with authors Matthew Arnold, Anthony Trollope, and Robert Browning. Controversy ensued when Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli believed that Grant was officially just a commoner. Grant's appointed minister to London and former Attorney General, Edwards Pierrepont, now under the Hayes administration, solved the problem by maintaining that since Grant was once a President he was "always a President".
On June 26, after solving matters of protocol, Grant was recognized and later introduced as "President Grant". The Grants met and dined with Queen Victoria at Windsor Castle. Grant's premier visit was also the first time England was receiving a former U.S. president in a royal capacity and subsequently proper protocol in this situation had not yet been fully established. With matters of protocol generally resolved, the Grants and Pierreponts were formally received by the Queen in the long quadrangle of the castle, while Grant was formally introduced as "President Grant" by the protocol chief. At the royal dinner, Grant's son Jesse took personal exception to the arrangement that had him dining with the Royal servants, however, with Grant's encouragement, the Queen acquiesced and allowed him to sit at her table. Although the Queen complained about Jesse's silent protest and critical of Julia's "funny American way", the dinner at Windsor Castle was overall a congenial event which strengthened the Anglo-American relationship. In a speech at Liverpool Grant declared that Americans and Britons were "of one kindred, one blood, one language, and one civilization". Grant's pivotal dinner with Queen Victoria gave Grant the diplomatic clout to meet with other European dignitaries on his world tour. The U.S. was seen as a burgeoning great power.
Germany, Switzerland, Italy
After celebrating the Fourth of July at the American embassy in London, Grant and his party crossed the English Channel from Folkestone to Ostend, Belgium. Due to political turmoil in Paris, Grant traveled directly to Germany visiting Cologne, traveling up the Rhine to Frankfurt, and then to Heidelberg. Looking forward to visiting Switzerland, Grant arrived in Geneva, the city where he once played a major role during his presidency in settling the Alabama claims with the United Kingdom.
In August, Grant toured Italy, visiting Lake Maggiore and traveling down the Italian coast. Grant read Homer aloud, tracing the legendary path of Ulysses, the Homeric sojourner whose name he bore.
Scotland, return to England After a tour on the continent, the Grants visited Scotland arriving at Edinburgh on August 31. Grant, who had Scottish ancestry on both sides of his family, was the first US president to visit Scotland. He was received by the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, becoming his guest while visiting Scotland. Grant visited the memorial of the Prince Consort, the commercial Bank of Edinburgh, its public gardens and library and the site of Sir Walter Scott's birthplace, a favorite poet of Grant who had read his poems to Julia while they were courting. Next, the Grants paid a visit to the Edinburgh Castle, where Colonel Mackenzie, of the 98th Highlanders, received Grant and escorted him about the large castle, showing him all the objects of interest.
Grant was given the freedom of Inverness, where he was greeted as a returning member of the Clan Grant. On September 4, Grant traveled to Dunrobin Castle, paying his respects to the Duke of Sutherland, and was received as his guest at his home a short distance from the castle. Grant declined an offer to go deer hunting, saying that he had killed wild animals twice before and had regretted it. After stopping at Dornoch's horticultural fair he ventured to Thurso Castle, on the 7th, accompanied by the Duke. There Grant was received and honored by Sir Tollemache Sinclair and a guard of volunteers belonging to the local military corps. On the 13th of September, after other minor stops Grant visited Glasgow on the 13th and that afternoon was bestowed with the Freedom of the City, at Glasgow's City Hall, among the largest public buildings in the city, which was filled with spectators.