General Orders, No. 12 (Headquarters of the Army)

March 17, 1864

On March 17, 1864, Lieutenant-General Ulysses S. Grant issued General Orders No. 12, taking command of the armies of the United States, as authorized by President Abraham Lincoln.

Portrait of Ulysses S. Grant

On March 17, 1864, Lieutenant-General Ulysses S. Grant issued General Orders No. 12, taking command of the armies of the United States, as authorized by President Abraham Lincoln. [Wikimedia Commons]

HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMIES OF THE UNITED STATES, NASHVILLE, Tenn., March 17, 1864.

GENERAL ORDERS, No. 12. — In pursuance of the following order of the President:

EXECUTIVE MANSION, WASHINGTON, D.C., March 10, 1864. — Under the authority of the Act of Congress to appoint the grade of Lieutenant-General in the army, of February 29, 1864, Lieutenant-General ULYSSES S. GRANT, U.S.A., is appointed to the command of the armies of the United States.

(Signed) ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

— I assume command of the armies of the United States. Headquarters will be in the field, and, until further orders, will be with the Army of the Potomac. There will be an office headquarters in Washington, D.C., to which all official communications will be sent, except those from the army where the headquarters are at the date of their address.

(Signed,) U.S. GRANT,

Citation Information

The following information is provided for citations.

  • Article Title General Orders, No. 12 (Headquarters of the Army)
  • Date March 17, 1864
  • Author
  • Keywords Ulysses S. Grant
  • Website Name American History Central
  • Access Date December 11, 2023
  • Publisher R.Squared Communications, LLC
  • Original Published Date
  • Date of Last Update May 5, 2022

General Orders, No. 12 (Headquarters of the Army) is Part of the Following on AHC