August 14, 1866, General Grant accompanied President Johnson and other distinguished citizens to Philadelphia, where they were received by a great procession of militia and firemen.
The burial of General George G. Meade at Laurel Hill, Philadelphia, November 11, 1872, was the occasion of much mourning.
General Meade was the one conspicuous Philadelphian who stood out above all other Pennsylvanians in the Civil War, and in the years after the Rebellion he was an object of admiration to all the people. His death was regarded as a genuine public loss, and his funeral was attended with most impressive ceremonies.
The procession contained many of the greatest soldiers and civilians in the country, chiefest among whom was General Grant, President of the United States.
On December 18, 1875, President Grant, members of his cabinet and a large number of senators and representatives in Congress made a trip to Philadelphia to inspect the Centennial buildings, then nearly completed. They were entertained at a sumptuous banquet in Horticultural Hall, at which President Grant delivered the principal address.
President Grant was the guest of honor at the opening of the great exhibition, May 10, 1876, when simple but appropriate exercises were held. Four thousand soldiers escorted the President to the grounds. One hundred and fifty thousand people acclaimed the President and the Centennial Exposition.
On May 15, 1877, ex-President Grant started on his memorable trip around the world.
He sailed from the port of Philadelphia in the ship “Indiana.” His departure attracted much attention, and on the day previous he had held a public reception in Independence Hall.
He was accompanied down the Delaware River on the steamboat “Twilight” by a crowd of distinguished citizens, among whom were General Sherman, Senator Zachariah Chandler, Senator Simon Cameron, and others prominent in State and Nation.
He was accompanied by his wife and one son, and they made a tour of the whole civilized world, visiting especially the great countries of Europe and Asia, and receiving, as a soldier and civilian and the first citizen of the United States, all the honor which rulers and people could bestow. As the unofficial representative of his country, his bearing was such as to win universal admiration and respect.