Ulysses Grant

[Wild Bill]

For what it is worth, the old story is that Grant was named Hiram Ulysses Grant at birth. When the was accepted to West Point he saw his trunk with his initials on it: "HUG." Grant was aware of the cadets' penchant to give each other nicknames and was not about to be called HUG. So he told the congressman that his name was Ulysses Hiram Grant. The form for admission appointment called for a middle name. The congressman could not remember what it was and assumed it was his mother's maiden name, "Simpson." When Grant arrived to sign up he was denied admission because no Ulysses Hiram Grant existed, but a Ulysses Simpson did. Grant, ever practical, signed in as "US Grant" and so be became. His nickname was "Sam" because the US initials reminded the cadets of "Uncle Sam."