In this newly written biography, General Ulysses S. Grant: the soldier and the man, Civil War historian, Edward G. Longacre, examines Grant’s early life all the way through to his time as a military leader. Longacre takes the time to carefully analyze Grant’s childhood and the type of kid he was. He also examines Grant’s married life and how important his wife was to him. He takes a look at Grant’s early military career and what made him the kind of general he became. A deep focus that Longacre discussed was Grant’s biggest weakness: alcohol. Alcoholism consumed Grant, in the most literal sense, and affected him during his military career. Longacre describes Grant in a new and fascinating perspective in his biography. The early life of Ulysses …show more content…
Grant. He was still a young, immature man unknowing of what he wanted to do in life. Grant had a hard time showing up to class and abiding by his officials guidelines. Whether out of pure laziness or lack of interest, Grant received many penalties during his time at West Point. Although he managed to graduate in 1843, he didn’t believe there was much hope for him nor “likelihood of improvement (21). Once out of college, he was anxious to receive his uniform and begin an active duty assignment. It became known to him that he had a duty to his country and being lazy wouldn’t solve problems but hard work and determination would. After graduation, Grant looked at the lessons that he learned from West Point and how he should look at his life in a new perspective. The military would change him into the man that he would become especially during the Civil …show more content…
Longacre touched on Grant’s marriage life numerous times emphasizing how important his relationship to Julia Dent really was especially during his time in the military and Civil War specifically. The engagement was a lengthy one because of her father’s disapproval and Grant’s absence while fighting in the Mexican-American War. However, they were finally able to wed on April 22, 1848. Their marriage lasted all the way to Grant’s death but it was full of many issues on the husband’s side. One Ulysses S. Grant had to leave for duty, his loneliness and being away from Julia and his children consumed him and he began to drink. He was asked to resign soon after his alcoholism was getting out of hand. Thankfully, the Civil War called to him, otherwise, he would have most likely disappeared into oblivion. Julia stayed by his side as he traveled with the military state to state. Although she was always with him, the binge-drinking tendencies would not
More than 25,000 letters and 250 private diaries from men on both side of North and South. Talking about the soldier's ideals for which they fought over conflicts and beliefs of each side. McPherson took all of the soldier’s ideas and beliefs and made this powerful and important book on an often-overlooked aspect of the Civil War. Also, it brought great honor and powerfully moving account for the men that fought in the civil war.
The book “For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought In The Civil War” by James M. McPherson examines the motivations of the soldiers who fought in the Civil War. McPherson wanted to understand why the men fought in the Civil War and why they fought so ferociously for such a large amount of time even though there was a huge possibility of death, disease and injurys.To answer the question regarding the reasons why men fought in the Civil War so viciously, and for such a long period of time, James McPherson studied countless amounts of letters, diaries and other mails that were written or sent by the soldiers who fought in the Civil War.
...didn’t over step his authority or attempt to subvert the army for his own purposes. Instead, George Washington sets the example of the military commander who was subservient to civilian political leadership. He also showed patience and coolness in the face of adversity. On many occasions in the book, the author cites Washington’s expressions of doubt and fears of failure, yet Washington never showed fear or doubt in action in front of his troops.
When we compare the military leaders of both North and South during the Civil War, it is not hard to see what the differences are. One of the first things that stand out is the numerous number of Northern generals that led the “Army of the Potomac.” Whereas the Confederate generals, at least in the “Army of Northern Virginia” were much more stable in their position. Personalities, ambitions and emotions also played a big part in effective they were in the field, as well as their interactions with other officers.
...ew the war he was fighting was not an epic Napoleonic battle but a war of attrition. He proceeded with his plan to slowly shrink Confederate territory and destroy Lee's army to the point that the South could no longer mount a viable defense. Eventually Grant succeeded and Lee's men were all that remained of the Confederate army. Grant surrounded them in trenches at Richmond until Lee was forced to surrender.
The book ‘For Cause and Comrades’ is a journey to comprehend why the soldiers in the Civil War fought, why they fought so passionately, and why they fought for the long period of time. Men were pulling guns against other men who they had known their whole lives. McPherson’s main source of evidence was the many letters from the soldiers writing to home. One of the many significant influences was how the men fought to prove their masculinity and courage. To fight would prove they were a man to their community and country. Fighting also had to do with a duty to their family. Ideology was also a major motivating factor; each side thought they were fighting for their liberty. The soldier’s reputations were created and demolished on the battlefield, where men who showed the most courage were the most honored. Religion also played an important role because the second Great Awakening had just occurred. Their religion caused the men who thought of themselves as saved to be fearless of death, “Religion was the only thing that kept this soldier going; even in the trenches…” (McPherson, p. 76) R...
In James McPherson’s novel, What They Fought For, a variety of Civil War soldier documents are examined to show the diverse personal beliefs and motives for being involved in the war. McPherson’s sample, “is biased toward genuine fighting soldiers” (McPherson, 17) meaning he discusses what the ordinary soldier fought for. The Confederacy was often viewed as the favorable side because their life style relied on the war; Confederates surrounded their lives with practices like slavery and agriculture, and these practices were at stake during the war. On the other hand, Northerners fought to keep the country together. Although the Civil War was brutal, McPherson presents his research to show the dedication and patriotism of the soldiers that fought and died for a cause.
A military genius, Grant possessed the vision to see that modern warfare requires total application of military and economic strength and was thus able to lead the Union to victory. In civilian life, however, he was unable to provide the leadership necessary for a growing industrial nation, even though he always retained the affection of the American public.
Grant has an illustrious past. People talked about his being a drunkard but Catton says “He was simply a man infinitely more complex then most people could realize.” Grant, even though he was a West Point graduate, never wanted to be a soldier or to have a life in the military. He wanted to be a teacher. What Grant did bring to the Army of the Potomac was his ability to relate to the soldiers and made them his army. He completely retrained and re-organized the armies, and re-enlisted troops that were going to go home. They all realized that under Grant the Army of the Potomac changed which meant now that the entire war would change.
General George B. McClellan was born to a prestigious upper class family in Pennsylvania. He attended the Military Academy at West Point and graduated second in his class in 1846. He served during the war with Mexico and earned three brevets for gallantry and sound professional service. He resigned his commission but returned early during the Civil War and immediately given a high rank. He led a successful campaign in West Virginia. These events fueled General McClellan’s egotistical and elitist attitudes.
Lincoln's use of executive authority during the civil war is many times illegal and unjust; although his issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation may seem justified, Lincoln blatantly abused his power regarding civil rights. He did things like institute an unfair draft, suspend Constitutional rights, allocate military spending without Congress, and institute emancipation. Although some may justify these actions, they stomped on the Constitution.
Book Title: The American Civil War: A Handbook of Literature and Research. Contributors: Robin Higham - editor, Steven E. Woodworth - editor. Publisher: Greenwood Press. Place of Publication: Westport, CT. Publication Year: 1996
In the essay Grant and Lee: A Study in Contrast written by Bruce Catton, Catton compares and contrasts Civil War Generals, Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant. The essay describes the generals and states that from their backgrounds to their philosophy on life they are completely divided.
The American Civil War is perhaps the most important event in U.S. history since the American Revolution. Over half a million men would perish between the Union and Confederate Armies. It is important to know that Ulysses S. Grant was an important figure (perhaps the most important behind Abraham Lincoln) in the war. Many will see him as the hero of the American Civil War. Nevertheless there were others who would play an important role to help the Union win the Civil War. The implementation of black soldiers was crucial to the Union in order to achieve victory against the Confederate Army. Yet, the contributions and accomplishments of black soldiers during the Civil War were overlooked for nearly a century following the Civil War. However, within the last 30 years, many scholars and historians have begun to publish books on the history of black soldiers and their contributions to the Civil War. During the Civil War, free blacks were permitted to serve in the Union Army. But it was not until 1863, that black soldiers would see combat and charge against the confederate armies. It is estimated that around 186,000 African American served the Union Army throughout the war, with the creation of 163 colored regiments. My research paper will focus on the Black regiments of the American Civil War and their importance to U.S. history. Some of the important issues that will be discussed in this paper will include the struggles of black soldiers during the Civil War, from their wage earnings (where most made less money than white soldiers); the clothes they wore (most had no uniforms at all). Also, many of these soldiers had trouble getting the basic necessities like shoes, socks and soap. Other areas I will discuss will be the discriminatio...
William Tecumseh Sherman was born on February 8th in the year 1820 in Lancaster Ohio. His father was Charles Sherman, a well-known lawyer and an Ohio Supreme Court Justice. Sherman was one out of eleven children born to Mr. and Mrs. Sherman. In 1829 his father died when Sherman was only 9. He went to live with a family friend. This family friend was Thomas Ewing, an Ohio Senator and a Whig member. With Sherman’s connections, mostly Thomas Ewing, got him an appointment into West Point Military Academy in Upstate New York. Sherman did excel academically, but had little regard for their rules. He never got into too much trouble, and managed to graduate in 1840, 6th in his class.