Former POTUS Ulysses Grant Arrives In Constantinople After the San Stefano Treaty On This Date 1878

This surviving autographed letter shown from former President Ulysses S. Grant describing his 1879 stop in Constantinople offers a vivid entry point into one of the most revealing episodes of his post‑presidential world tour. After leaving office in 1877, Grant spent more than two years traveling across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, where he was consistently received as an unofficial ambassador of a rising United States. By the time he reached the Ottoman capital in early 1879, he had already met with emperors, kings, and prime ministers, and his reputation as a global statesman preceded him.

From 1877-1879 New York Herald correspondent John Russell Young traveled with the Grants, making notes that included recordings of sightseeing, high-level diplomatic meetings, and candid, intimate conversations with Grant about politics and the Civil War.  What emerged is a fascinating account published in a two volume tome titled "Around the World With General Grant" in 1879.

Young includes a recorded and poignant observation from Grant on his arrival in the great city only a few days after the signing of the San Stepano Treaty ending the Russo-Turkey [Ottoman Empire] War:

"I found the authorities in Constantinople looking and feeling very gloomy, but the appearance of a successful foe immediately outside the gates of the city did not seem to effect the population generally. In a small portion of the city is stowed away in the Mosques and public buildings, probably more than a hundred thousand refugees, men women and children who have fled to the capital before a conquering army. They are fed entirely by charity and mostly by foreigners. What is to become of them is sad to think of. Beside these many tens of thousands have been shipped to places in Asia Minor and turned loose upon the inhabitants.

The San Stephano treaty created a large, autonomous Bulgarian principality and recognized the independence of Serbia, Romania, and Montenegro, significantly reducing Ottoman influence in the Balkans. 

Grant arrived in Constantinople at a moment of profound strain for the Ottoman Empire. The Russo‑Turkish War of 1877–78 had ended only months earlier with the Treaty of San Stefano, which redrew borders and left the empire politically weakened and socially destabilized. In his letter, Grant notes the overwhelming presence of refugees—Muslims, Jews, and other displaced groups—who had fled advancing Russian forces. He toured crowded mosques and public buildings converted into makeshift shelters, observing firsthand the hunger, illness, and dependence on foreign charitable aid that defined the city’s humanitarian crisis.

Despite the turmoil, Grant received a ceremonial welcome befitting a head of state. Ottoman officials arranged receptions, military honors, and a formal audience with Sultan Abdul Hamid II, who viewed Grant’s visit as an opportunity to signal goodwill toward the United States. The Sultan presented him with an Arabian horse, a traditional diplomatic gift Grant accepted with modest reluctance. Newspapers across Europe and America covered the visit extensively, portraying Grant as a figure whose presence carried symbolic weight far beyond official diplomacy.

The letter captures Grant’s mixture of curiosity, compassion, and strategic insight, offering a rare personal window into how he understood an empire in transition and America’s expanding place in the world.