"In every battle there comes a time when both sides consider themselves beaten then he who continues the attack wins."
Grant joined the U.S. Army during the American Civil War on June 17, 1861, and was appointed a Colonel of the 21st Illinois Infantry. On August 9, 1861, a commission was signed by President Abraham Lincoln making Grant a brigadier general. The first Union victory of strategic importance in the war was when Grant took Fort Donelson, Tennessee on February 16, 1862. After his victories at Shiloh and Vicksburg, Grant received his commission as Lieutenant General from President Lincoln on March 9, 1864 and on March 12, he was appointed General in Chief of all the U.S. armies. After a series of draws and defeats while fighting Grant, Lee finally surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, therefore ending the Civil War.