The civil war had many great soldiers fighting for what they thought was right for their country. It also had some of the greatest generals the United States of America has ever seen, sadly, some of these generals were on the losing side, but this fact does not make them any less great. Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson are all evidence of greatness in a time of darkness.
Robert E. Lee was born on January 19, 1807 in Stratford, Virginia. He was the youngest boy born to Henry Lee who fought in the American Revolution. Lee graduated second in his class in the U.S Military Academy at West Point, afterward joining the Corps of Engineering as a second lieutenant, and in 1838 he became a captain.
During the Mexican- American war Lee’s joined General John E. Wool’s operation, then and in 1847 he joined General Winfield Scott. After many other battles during the Mexican- American war, in which Lee was wounded, he rose through the ranks to make a pit stop at colonel. In 1852 Lee became the superintendent of cadets at his alma mater, even though he felt ill- prepared for the job, Lee’s strict policies proved to benefit the school. After three years though, Lee left and became the lieutenant colonel of the Second U.S Calvary. In 1859 when Lee suppressed John Brown’s uprising at Harper’s Ferry without any blood shed with the help of a company of marines, Lee became colonel of the First U.S Calvary.
Lee was very loyal to his home state: “He supported neither secession not slavery, but he felt deeply obliged to support his native state of Virginia” (Robert). When Abraham Lincoln offered him command of all federal armies he declined, to become the lieutenant-general of Confederate forces. Lee did not see much b...
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...ody can muster. All of the soldiers that fought in this war, any previous war, or even any current war, they all fight for what they believe is right.
Works Cited
Green, Carl R., and William R. Sanford. Union Generals of the Civil War.
Springfield, NJ: Enslow, 1998. Print.
Hillstrom, Kevin, and Laurie Collier. Hillstrom. American Civil War: Biographies. Detroit, Mich: UXL, 2000. Print.
Michael, Joshua, and Paul G. Pierpaoli Jr. “Stonewall Brigade: American Civil
War.” World at War: Understanding Conflict and Society. ABC-Clio, 2014.
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Ramold Steven. “Ulysses S. Grant.” World at War: Understanding Conflict and Society. ABC-Clio, 2014. Web. 21 Feb. 2014.
“Robert E. Lee.” World at War: Understanding Conflict and Society. ABC-Clio, 2014. Web. 21 Feb. 2014.
Yancey, Diane. Civil War Generals of the Union. San Diego, CA: Lucent, 1999. Print.
President Abraham Lincoln demanded a decisive victory. He was tired of his military leadership’s inability to decisively engage and defeat Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Allowing the war to drag on was to the Confederacies advantage. Lincoln was so frustrated that he relieved General George B. McClellan for failing to defeat Lee at Antietam, and replaced him with General Ambrose Burnside, who proved to be very conservative in battle against General Lee. Knowing that General Lee was a student of Napoleonic warfare, Burnside feared that Lee always had a large Corps in reserve waiting to flank should he be decisively engaged from the front.
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.
Lee was born in Stratford, Virginia. Lee was the fourth child of General Henry Lee III, Governor of Virginia, and his mother, Anne Hill Carter, Lee was raised by his mother who taught him about authority, tolerance, and order. Lee was exposed to Christianity at an early age and devoted his life to god. In 1825, Lee was accepted into West Point. There he learned about warfare and how to fight. In 1829, Lee graduated 2nd of 46 in his class, but even more surprising is that he didn’t get a single demerit while attending West Point. Afterward, Lee was appointed as Superintendent of West Point from 1852 to 1855. After he served his term, Lee left West Point to become a Lieutenant Colonel in the 2nd Cavalry of Texas.
General Lee admired loyalty as a character trait to be respected as he was intensely loyal himself. When confronted with a choice at the beginning of the war, Lee chose to stay loyal to his home state of Virginia and resign his commission with the Union army. “He considered himself an American. He hated secession, as he hated slavery. Above all though, he was a Virginian” (Marrin 33). Lee’s loyalty to Virginia meant he fought for the very beliefs he disagreed with, slavery and succession. Unfortunately, Lee’s loyalty resulted in one of his greatest personal failures as he ended up on the losing side of the war. Confronted with the reconstruction of the United States under one flag, Lee refocused his loyalty and “urged former Confederates to become loyal Americans” (Marrin 192). Once he made a decision, Robert E. Lee embraced the change to the focus of his loyalty but never wavered in his passionate approach toward his allegiance.
General Lee said, to be a good soldier you must love the army, to be a good general you must be prepared to order the death of the thing you love, and therein lies the great trap of soldiering. When you attack you must hold nothing back." Thomas J. Jackson was both a good soldier and a good general. In the Mexican War he fought with all his heart for his country. When the Civil War came, he was a general. He never hesitated to send his men forward. He held nothing back. George McClellan also fought with all his heart for his country in the Mexican War. When the time came to send his men forward in the Civil War, he couldn’t do it. He loved the army to much to order its death.
General Lee knows that we have inexperienced men and aims at improving the quality of the troops. He upgrades the quality by tightening command and discipline, improving morale, and convincing the soldiers that the confederacy was in full command of the situation. Lee knew that we are lacking, and devised initiatives to nullify the Union’s superiority in manpower, armaments, and supply by destroying their prearranged plans.
During the War Between the States there were two large-scale, decisive battles fought near the town of Manassas, Virginia. This will be a guided look at the second of those two occurring at the end of August in 1862. There were several great leaders from both sides of the war involved in the 2nd of Manassas, however I am going to focus on the attitudes, maneuvers, and decisions of the four primary generals; General Robert E. Lee, Major General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, Major General John Pope, and Major General George B. McClellan, as it was these men who, ultimately, shaped the actions and outcome of the battle. Following the Seven Days Battle, Maj. Gen. McClellan’s armies were camped on the banks of the James River, 20 miles from Richmond1 (Debelius 1998) and Gen Lee had just taken control of the Army of Northern Virginia on June 12 (Hennessy 2005). Maj. Gen. “Stonewall” Jackson was a subordinate commander in the Army of Northern Virginia and Maj. Gen. Pope was inbound to “assist” Maj. Gen. McClellan in securing the area of Northern Virginia for the Union high command. This study will focus on the mind-sets, maneuvers, and decisions these men made throughout the course of the battle that led to the defeat of the Union forces under Maj. Gen. Pope’s leadership.
Over all on the end Francis Lightfoot Lee died of natural causes on the year 1797. Francis Lightfoot Lee was one of the best at what he did and still came around to see his family because he loved them so much. A few days before Francis Lightfoot Lee died he went and worked in his family's farm because he wanted to die with the sight of family. Once he died his wife Rebbecca died ten days later. Some people say she died of sadness. Others say she died of a broken heart. Even though he risked his life he did this for his
General Ulysses S Grant is, militarily, the reason why the Union was preserved, and why the Civil War did not extend past April 1865.
One of the most colorful characters of the Civil War was a General named William T. Sherman. During the period of the war (1861-1865), General Sherman went full circle from being forced to retire on trumped up charges that he was insane, to becoming a key player in bringing this bloody war to a close. He entered the annals of military history as one of the greatest and most distinguished generals of all time.
Great military leaders should have a connection with the public and their soldiers. General Lee emerged overnight as the Confederate hero after the Seven Days’ Battles. His soldiers developed an almost divine belief in him because this battle was the first major victory since the First Battle of Bull Run and halted a succession of military attacks. The confederate soldiers also revered him due to his personal attributes, his dedication to protect his homeland, and because he held out so long against the Union with 11 times the industrial strength and three times the population of the South. Being a public hero also helped Jefferson Davis greatly as Davis was too overbearing, not in touch with the public, and not an exemplary leader like Abraham Lincoln. Doing so, Lee is connecting the people to their president, boosting morale, and hence productivity. The public, however, does not view General Ulysses S. Grant in such a positive light. The Union residents see Grant as a man who is overcome by his addiction of drinking and smoking, earning the disdain of General McClellan who was “annoyed and offended” by Grant...
Lee didn’t grow up in a real wealthy family although his family held a position in Virginia’s ruling elite. His father Henry Lee, also known as “Light-Horse Harry,” was a cavalry leader during the Revolutionary war. Like his father, Robert E. Lee also took the military route when he enrolled in the Military Academy at West Point where he rapidly grew in ranks and graduated second in his class of 1829 (“American Experience”). After graduating from West Point Lee took the job as an officer in the corps of Engineers, where he supervised and inspected the nation’s coastal defenses. Lee did this for 17 years without having any experience on the field of war. All of this would change very soon for Lee when he would finally set foot on the battle field in Mexico in 1846. Lee r...
Robert E. Lee was born in Stratford, Virginia. Robert was the fourth child of Major General Henry Lee III, Governor of Virginia, and of his mother, Anne Hill Carter who was an ancestor of Thomas Moore and King Robert II of Scotland through the Earls of Crawford.(Brasington Jr.,Larry) Robert was mainly brought up by his mother who taught him about authority, tolerance, and order. Robert was exposed to Christianity at an early age and learned to accept it devotedly. In 1825, Robert was accepted to West Point. There he learned about warfare and how it was fought. In 1829, Robert graduated 2nd of 46 in his class, but even more extraordinary is that he never got a demerit while attending West Point. Afterward, Lee was appointed to Superintendent at West Point from 1852 to 1855. After he served his appointment, Lee left West Point to become a Lieutenant Colonel in the 2nd Calvary of the Lone Star State (Texas).
That night and into the next day, Saturday, July 4, Confederate wounded were loaded aboard wagons that began the journey back toward the South. Lee was forced to abandon his dead and begin a long slow withdrawal of his army back to Virginia. Union commander Meade, out of fatigue and caution, did not immediately pursue Lee, infuriating President Lincoln who wrote a bitter letter to Meade (never delivered) saying he missed a "golden opportunity" to end the war right there.
Abraham Lincoln (12 Feb. 1809-15 Apr. 1865) the 16th president (civilwar.org) of the United States of America was one of the main public persons that influence the civil war in many aspects. Even though the civil war may have been the last resource the nation had, it could be argue that Lincoln’s governments try its best to find a different solution. The civil war was a conflict that destroyed the nation; it perhaps could have been avoided if the second party had work for a solution. But it is true that maybe both parts could have looked out for the benefits of the people as a whole instead of their personal benefits. Lincoln principal positive effect on the civil war was actually before and during the war when Lincoln’s government had many attempts to prevent the confrontation, and when this one began he took the right decisions to win the war. One of the biggest effects on the civil war was the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, which gave the slaves their liberty. Many would agree is that Abraham’s Lincoln effect on the civil war was positive but Lincoln made many mistakes or misjudgments during the war as well. Perhaps the biggest mistake Lincoln did was underestimating the South what caused many unnecessary deaths. He also did had misjudgments that cause many causalities. Since the beginning of time humanity has fought for what they thought was right. In April 12 of 1861(civilwar.org) The US would begin a fight for civic and moral rights, a civil war that perhaps was the last option for a country to reunite its values. Abraham Lincoln was the president of the time and the person the influence the most the course the war took. I strongly believe that Lincoln’s decisions influence or had more positive effects on the country. Being the president at times like the civil war is without doubt it is one of the toughest jobs, and one way or another there is going to be correct and incorrect decisions but I can agree president Lincoln did what he thought it was the best at that moment.