[16] Grant disliked the tannery, so his father put his ability with horses to use by giving him work driving wagon loads of supplies and transporting people.[17] Unlike his siblings, Grant was not forced to attend church by his Methodist parents.[18][c] For the rest of his life, he prayed privately and never officially joined any denomination.[20] To others, including his own son, Grant appeared to be an agnostic.[21] He inherited some of Hannah's Methodist piety and quiet nature.[22] Grant was largely apolitical before the war but wrote, "If I had ever had any political sympathies they would have been with the Whigs. I was raised in that school."[23]

Early military career and personal life
West Point and first assignment
Grant c. 1845–1847
Grant's father wrote to Representative Thomas L. Hamer requesting that he nominate Ulysses to the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point, New York. Despite political differences with Jesse Root Grant, Hamer, a Democrat, nominated his 17-year-old son to West Point in spring 1839.[24] Grant was accepted on July 1, although he doubted his academic abilities.[25] Hamer, unfamiliar with Grant, submitted an incorrect name to West Point. 