This Day in History — Military Leaders

On March 9th, 1864, President Abraham Lincoln appointed Ulysses S. Grant as Commanding General of the U.S. Army, placing him in charge of all Union forces during the Civil War. His aggressive strategy and coordinated campaigns across multiple fronts would ultimately weaken the Confederacy and help lead the Union to victory.

In 1815, Europe believed Napoléon was finished. Exiled to Elba, he escaped with a small loyal force and landed in France, marching toward Paris. Instead of resistance, soldiers joined him and towns welcomed him. Without a major battle, he reclaimed the throne, beginning the dramatic “Hundred Days” that shocked the world.

In February 1945, after weeks of relentless urban combat, American forces under General Douglas MacArthur finally entered Manila, fulfilling a promise made years earlier and bringing an end to nearly three years of Japanese occupation. The once-beautiful capital lay scarred by fire and artillery, its streets reduced to rubble and smoke, yet hope moved through the city alongside the advancing troops. Civilians emerged cautiously from shattered buildings, some waving flags, others weeping with relief, as liberation replaced fear for the first time in years. Though the cost had been devastating, the fall of Manila marked a decisive turning point in the Pacific war—a powerful symbol that the tide had shifted and that freedom, long delayed, had at last returned to the Philippines.