Casting a dramatic new light on the events that defined a nation, from the conflicts and rivalries of a fast-growing young republic to the fitful efforts at reconstruction after a terrible Civil War, the New-York Historical Society presented the major exhibition Grant and Lee in War and Peace from October 17, 2008 through March 29, 2009. Designed by Archimuse, organized by the New-York Historical Society in collaboration with the Virginia Historical Society, the exhibition explored the most critical decades in American history through the lives of two towering men. By telling the stories of Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885), commander of the Union armies and later 18th President of the United States, and of Robert E. Lee (1807–1870), commander of the Confederate forces, the exhibition brought to life not only these two compelling figures but the forces that have shaped America, in their time and our own.