“Mr. U.S. Grant: A Man & a Patriot,” June 22

Wednesday, June 22, 6 p.m.

East Moline Public Library, 740 16th Avenue, East Moline IL

On June 22, patrons of the East Moline Public Library are invited to meet the victorious general whose strategy and tenacity won the Civil War as writer/performer Dan Haughey presents his historical recreation Mr. U.S. Grant: A Man & a Patriot, a solo stage piece that focuses on Grant’s early life, his time as a citizen in Galena, Illinois, and his rise to Civil War fame.

Raised in Ohio, Grant graduated 21st in the class of 1843 and served with distinction in the Mexican-American War. In 1848, he married Julia Dent, and together they had four children. Grant resigned from the army in 1854 but joined the Union Army after the Civil War broke out in 1861, and rose to prominence after winning several early Union victories on the Western Theater. In 1863, he led the Vicksburg campaign that gained control of the Mississippi River, dealing a serious strategic blow to the Confederacy, splitting it in two. President Abraham Lincoln consequently promoted him to lieutenant general after his victory at Chattanooga, and for 13 months, Grant fought Robert E. Lee during the high-casualty Overland Campaign and at Petersburg. After Lee fled Petersburg, Grant defeated him at Appomattox, and on April 9 of 1865, Lee formally surrendered to Grant. A week later, Lincoln was assassinated and succeeded by Andrew Johnson, who promoted Grant to General of the Army in 1866. Later, Grant openly broke with Johnson over Reconstruction policies, and used the Reconstruction Acts – which had been passed over Johnson's veto – to enforce civil rights for recently freed African Americans.

A war hero drawn in by his sense of duty, Grant was unanimously nominated by the Republican Party and was elected president in 1868. As president, Grant stabilized the post-war national economy and supported Congressional Reconstruction, and he appointed African Americans and Jewish Americans to prominent federal offices. In 1871, Grant created the first Civil Service Commission, advancing civil service more than any prior president. The Liberal Republicans and Democrats united behind Grant's opponent in the presidential election of 1872, but Grant was handily re-elected. And although modern historians have been critical of his administration's scandals, they have also largely emphasized his two-term presidential accomplishments, including the prosecution of the Ku Klux Klan; his treatment of blacks as both human and American; his innovative Native American policy; and his peaceful settlements of the Alabama Claims and controversial 1876 presidential election.

The writer and performer of Mr. U.S. Grant: A Man & a Patriot, Dan Haughey holds an MFA in Playwriting and Play Production from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale and studied acting at the Florida State University-Asolo Conservatory for Professional Actor Training. At SIU-C, Haughey studied Civil War history with the late Dr. John Y. Simon, former Executive Director of the Ulysses S. Grant Association, and historical drama and playwriting with Dr. Christian Moe of SIU-C. Among his film and stage credits, Dan has toured Mr. U.S. Grant to schools, museums, and Civil War venues throughout the United States, among them the National Park Service; the War Memorial Museum of Virginia; the Tennessee Theatre in Knoxville; and the Old Market House and Grant Museum in Galena. The late Charles Bracelen Flood, former PEN American President and author of Grant & Sherman and the award-winning Lee: The Last Years, said of Haughey’s performance" I felt that it was an original and exceedingly worthwhile portrayal of a much misunderstood, underestimated man. This is fine theatre: this is Grant as he really was."

Haughey's solo performance of Mr. U.S. Grant: A Man & a Patriot will be presented locally on June 22, admission to the 6 p.m. program is free, and more information is available by calling (309)755-9614 and visiting EastMolineLibrary.com.