Ulysses S. Grant avoided war with Spain over the Virginius Affair.
Ulysses S. Grant . Additionally , Grant and Fish avoided war with Spain over the Virginius Affair negotiating a peaceful resolution . The Virginius Affair ( sometimes called the Virginius Incident ) was a diplomatic dispute that occurred from October 1873 to February 1875 between the United States , the United Kingdom , and Spain ( then in control of Cuba ) , during the Ten Years ' War .