[87] Buchanan never mentioned it again until asked about it during the Civil War.[88] The effects and extent of Grant's drinking on his military and public career are debated by historians.[89] Lyle Dorsett said Grant was an "alcoholic" but functioned amazingly well. William Farina maintains Grant's devotion to family kept him from drinking to excess and sinking into debt.[90]

^ By comparison of consumer prices, $1,000 in 1859 would be equivalent to about $30,000 in 2020.[106]

^ Jesse's tannery business was known as "Grant & Perkins" in 1862.[111]

^ Rawlins later became Grant's aide-de-camp and close friend during the war.

^ Grant's position about civil war was made clear in an April 21 letter to his father; "we have a government and laws and a flag, and they must all be sustained. There are but two parties now, Traitors and Patriots ..."[121]

^ Frémont dismissed rumors of Grant's drunkenness years earlier in the regular army, saying there was something about Grant's manner "that was sufficient to counteract the influence of what they said.