Towards the end of a highly successful and public visit to New York City, Lieutenant-General U.S. Grant, his family, and staff, were hosted at a grand reception at the Fifth Avenue Hotel in the city. Around two thousand luminaries from the army, congress, and city government were invited and began to arrive around 7:30 p.m. in what the press reported as one of the most remarkable social events in the city's history. (By John Osborne)