9th Annual U. S. Grant Symposium in St. Louis

By Professor Earnest Veritas · Originally published September 2022 · pp. 4–5

9th Annual U. S. Grant Symposium in St. Louis

by Professor Earnest Veritas Special Correspondent to the -Western Theater-

The Missouri Humanities doubly ensured the memory of Ulysses S. Grant’s death is not forgotten by providing an opportunity for U.S. Grant symposium participants and attendees, to place wreaths at the impressive statue of General Grant on the grounds of City Hall. The solemn and moving ceremony took place on the morning of July 23, the anniversary of the death of General and President Grant. Dr. Curt Fields and Frank Scaturro placed a ceremonial wreath at the foot of General Grant’s statue. Marty Aubuchon from the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, U.S. Grant Camp #68 and also representing the Grand Army of the Republic, St. Louis, then laid a GAR wreath. A representative of St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones presented the group a Mayoral Proclamation

Dr. Sylvana Saddli.

Frank Scaturro.

declaring the day as “Ulysses Grant Day.” The participants and attendees then spent an informative day enjoying a very successful U. S. Grant Symposium held in the famed and beautiful Soldier’s Military Museum building. This event was the 9th U. S. Grant symposium put on by the Missouri Humanities. Eighty-five people attended the program and 70 more attended via the internet, including some in England. Four speakers gave a wide-ranging look at Grant, both as soldier and as a politician, with the reverberations both those historic roles have in our history into the present day. Their presentations were informative and thought-provoking. From Grant’s engagement where he first led troops, to what transpired later with the unprecedented three surrenders he took during the Civil War, the topics were well-chosen and designed to inform and provoke thought. Greg Wolk, Missouri Humanities Heritage Programs Coordinator said of this year’s Symposium: “Frank Scaturro,

Curt Fields and Frank Scaturro help carry wreath to Grant statue.

L to R: Curt Fields, Mark Sundlov, Greg Wolk, John Samson, and Frank Scaturro.

Curt Fields and Frank Scaturro place wreath at Grant statue.

President of the Grant Monument Association, was a worthy successor to past keynote speakers, John Marszalek, Ronald C. White Jr., Frank Williams, and Timothy B. Smith. Scaturro, already a force in the movement to rehabilitate Grant’s reputation, presented a powerful case for Grant’s oft overlooked successes as president. This proved a major theme of the ninth annual U. S. Grant Symposium, as Professor Silvana Siddali of St. Louis University chose to discuss Grant’s commitment to the passage and ratification of the 15th Amendment. John Samson, a St. Louisan who serves on the Board of the Ulysses S. Grant Association, provided an interesting and engaging new look at Grant’s Battle of Belmont, while Dr. Curt Fields, “batting” fourth in this lineup, brought the crowd to its feet with a rousing performance as General Grant, depicting the only man in American history to accept the surrender of three entire armies. The Soldier’s Military Museum is in a beautiful art deco, 1930’s building. Built in downtown St. Louis to honor the WWI

CivilWarNews.com veterans of St. Louis, it was totally renovated in 2016-17. It is a stunning place to visit and enjoy how St. Louis honored its citizens who fought and suffered in the ‘War to end all wars.’ For information about the Soldier’s Memorial Museum contact:: mohistory.org The wreath-laying participants and the symposium presenters collectively represented: the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library, the Ulysses S. Grant Association, The Ulysses S. Grant Boyhood Home, The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, The Grand Army of the Republic, and the Grant Monument Association. The statue of General Grant was sculpted by Robert Binghorst who is reputed to be the first professional sculptor to live in St. Louis. The plaque inset on the pedestal is a relief of the Battle of Lookout Mountain. The statue was dedicated in 1918 as a gift from the Grant Monument Association of Missouri.

Grant’s Statue in Washington Square Park. The sculptor, Robert Binghorst.