Ulysses S Grant was, in my opinion, one of the most over-rated characters in US history. Certainly, he was vital in the Civil War, but even then he was not the brightest light among the generals. His popularity and reputation were more due to his being in the right place at the right time than due to inherent ability or skill.

Certainly, he was a lousy president, probably in the bottom 5 of all time. But, his popularity from the Civil War was unassailable, and he was easily elected to two terms in the Presidency. Even though those were a failure, he was adored in retirement, and he is the single exception to the rule that only presidents who die in office get large monuments.

The Grant Monument in New York City (location selected, I believe because he had his retirement home a couple hours north of NYC), is the largest mausoleum in North America (I read that somewhere though I don’t know what is mean by “largest”—tallest? Largest dimensions?—or by “mausoleum”—is Lincoln’s tomb a mausoleum in the same sense? I don’t know….regardless, it’s a big honkin’ gravesite).

I like this monument, because its designers had a strong sense of history. It is patterned after the tombs of several great military leaders of the past, including Napoleon (whose gravesite is quite similar) and the Roman emperor Hadrian. His coffin is surrounded by busts of many of the generals who served with him.