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Ulysses S. Grant owned one slave in his life, during his brief interlude in civilian life that was marked by poverty and failure. During his time at Hardscrabble, his farm on his father-in-law’s land he owned one slave his wife’s father gifted to him.
Grant owned William Jones from 1858-1859. Grant had no appetite for owning another human for their labor and rather than selling Jones for thousands, at a time when he really needed the money, Grant freed him.
I think the way people go about saying Lee didn’t “own” slaves (he did though) is that when his father-in-law died in 1857 he became the executor of his wife’s father’s will, he managed hundreds of slaves. Cruelly, and beyond the terms stated in his father in law’s will.
Custis, his father in law, directed that his slaves be freed upon his death, at the discretion of the executor no later than five years after his death. Lee took a leave of absence from the army so he could oversee the plantation and get as much money out of those slaves.
He went to court to fight to be able to keep the slaves beyond the five years dictated in the will, so he could pay off legacies associated with the estate. He had runaways beaten, he separated families through sale, he owned slaves. Lost Causers can’t deny it.
