GRANT, Ulysses S. (1822-1885). Autograph endorsement signed ("U.S. Grant") as Brigadier General, Headquarters, District of Cairo, Fort Henry, TN, 6 February 1862, comprising seven lines, plus signature and rank.

One page, 82 x 112mm (endorsement excised from the formerly-attached note, tipped at the corners to a blue sheet, light staining).

After the capture of Fort Henry, Grant forwards a note to Flag Officer Foote, permitting the damaged ironclad Essex to return to their base of operations at Cairo. The ironclad steamer Essex, alongside six other gunboats commanded by Flag Officer A.H. Foote, cooperated with the Union Army to capture Fort Henry on the date in which this endorsement was penned. The capture of Fort Henry was Grant's first important victory in the Western Theatre, opening Upper Tennessee to the Union and propelling Grant into the national spotlight. During the conflict, Essex suffered a hit that severely damaged her boiler, sending scalding steam throughout the ship, wounding 32 crewmembers and disabling her for the rest of the campaign.