U.S. GRANT SYMPOSIUM

ST. LOUIS, MO. April 22, 2014 - Ulysses S. Grant's St. Louis roots will once again be celebrated the first weekend of May 2014. After previous events held in April as part of the Greater St. Louis Humanities Festival, The U.S. Grant Symposium will continue on May 3rd and 4th with new lectures and tours focused on St. Louis' favorite military son and the history that connects him to the city.

The May session of the Symposium will be held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Ulysses S. Grant Association from Mississippi State University. Executive Director of the Association and Mississippi State Professor Emeritus, John F. Marszalek, will give an address, sponsored by Lindenwood University, at the Central Library on May 3rd. "Warriors of the New Warfare, Ulysses S. Grant and William T. Sherman" will focus on the bond that formed between the two generals during the war, and how this bond played a key role in both the success of the Union and the making of two heroes.

Also on May 3rd, Douglas D. Scott, known as one of the founders of battlefield archeology, will present an archeology forum entitled, "Ulysses S. Grant: The Archeological Record," both sponsored by and hosted at the Missouri History Museum. His lecture will focus on how archeological evidence can illuminate the past, particularly in terms of Grant's life and career in this area.

Events continue on May 4th with guided tours of Bellefontaine Cemetery and a "Footsteps of Grant" Bus Tour. Bellefontaine Cemetery is home to numerous Civil war grave sites, both Union and Confederate, as well as the burial site of Grant's in-laws. The Footsteps of Grant Bus Tour, led by Renegade Tours, will take participants through three historic homes: Campbell House Museum, The Eugene Field House, and the Chatillon-DeMenil Mansion. Along the way, guest tour guide Gregory Wolk, Executive Director of Missouri's Civil War Heritage Foundation and author of Friend and Foe: A Tour Guide to Missouri's Civil War, will discuss the footprints Grant left throughout the Downtown and Soulard neighborhoods.

The May weekend of the U.S. Grant Symposium is largely free, with the exception of the bus tour, which will cost $35 a person, with an option to purchase a copy of Friend and Foe Alike for an additional $10 (a $28.95 retail value). A full description of events along with ticket requests can be found on the internet at symposium.mocivilwar.org.