Dylan Barnett
Mrs. Cater
Comp I
31 October 2017
General Robert E. Lee vs. General Ulysses S. Grant
General Robert E. Lee and General Ulysses S. Grant had many similarities and differences. General Lee and General Grant were two of the most influential figures in the Civil War. When people think of the Civil War, two of the main people that come to mind are Lee and Grant. General Grant and General Lee were both two great generals who had many differences and similarities and gave different viewpoints of the country during the civil war.
General Lee was born and raised in Virginia. General Lee was born into a military family and was already well known within the military. Lee graduated at the top of his class from the U.S. military academy at West Point. General Lee fought and commanded the confederate army throughout the war. Even though General Lee knew that war would separate the country, he fought because he knew he couldn't fight against Virginia. He said that no matter what, he will always fight for his home state. He felt that fighting against his own people would be a betrayal. General Robert E. Lee was the general of the confederate army through the entire war.
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He became general in 1862 and the war started in 1861. General Lee was a very polished man, he believed in dressing proper and he made sure that he took care of his soldiers. There is a story of a soldier who asked General Lee if he could borrow tobacco, even though Lee did not smoke or chew tobacco he did everything he could to make sure the soldier got some. General Grant is very different from General Lee in many different ways.
General Grant was not born into a military family, he had to work his way up through the ranks as an unknown. General Grant was well-known for his grit and toughness. Unlike General Lee, General Grant did not become the commander of the union army until 1864, one year before the civil war ended. General Lee was a very sloppy dresser and did not take care of his uniform. General Grant, unlike General Lee, smoked big cigars often and many claimed that he was an alcoholic.General Grant later became president and did not die until about two decades after the war. General Grant was well known for his belief in fighting to the end and never surrendering. Many people said that his initials should stand for unconditional
surrender Even though General Grant and General were on opposite sides, they also had many similarities. One similarity that the two generals shared is that they both were great generals in the civil war. Lee and Grant were both faithful and honest to their men and they fought all the way to the end. The two generals both graduated from West Point Academy and they both fought in the Mexican-American War. Lee and Grant both had the desire and will to win. President Abraham Lincoln recognized both as great generals and Lee was actually Lincoln’s first choice for a general. Both of these men were considered war heroes at the time. General Grant did not believe in slavery, and while Lee did have slaves, he set them free. General Grant and General Lee helped decide the outcome of one of the biggest wars in U.S. history. These two men both paved the way for America’s future. The Civil War marked a huge and important step in racial equality when slavery was abolished in 1865 at the end of the war. General Grant and General Lee will forever be remembered as two of the most famous generals in the history of the United States.
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.
One of the best commanders in the Confederate army was Lee still; the Union stood at a better standpoint during the battle. “Perhaps the most significant lesson from July 3, 1863, concerns the method of decision-making. Though he may not have seen it as such, Lee’s decision to attack was at best a close call.” (Gompert 2006, pg.7). The battle of Gettysburg did not happen intentionally, planned however Lee did an astounding job and his best to defeat the Union army. Ultimately Robert E. Lee was responsible for the South’s loss
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.
...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.
Lee”). By 1855, he had returned to military service, where he would remain through the Civil War’s entirety, fighting for American forces in the Mexican-American War until 1861, when he resigned to lead the Confederate Army in the Civil War (“Robert E. Lee” Washington and Lee University). Lee had been offered command of both Union and Confederate forces, but chose the Confederates, as he was a Virginian. After the war and much consideration, he accepted the position of president of Washington College. Lee was focused on expanding educational opportunities. By bringing a law school to Washington College, increasing emphasis on the sciences, as well as adding programs in business and journalism, Lee essentially created the concept of college majors. He also imposed an honor system, stressing that every student “ought to be a gentleman”, which is followed closely and revered by students and staff of the college to the present day (“Robert E. Lee” Washington and Lee University). After his death, Washington College became Washington and Lee University because Lee had had such a positive impact on the university (“Robert E. Lee”). Despite his many accomplishments in war, Lee would be better remembered for his legacy on education. He was a highly skilled military leader, yet he led the losing side. Seeing defeat for what
In conclusion Andrew Jackson and Theodore Roosevelt were full of similarities and differences. What was seen though was more similarities than differences. They were both great men and a great part in our American History. They made this country great, marked their names in history books, and have helped influence it into the place it is today.
Lee is an excellent general for our newly created Confederacy. He is not only a national hero and in a very positive public light, he is also brilliant and valiant, knowing when to strict vital blows on the enemy. Even considering Lee’s weaknesses, he is still the General we need to lead the Confederacy to victory.
In conclusion, it was obvious from the beginning of the Civil War that the South would not win the war. This having been said, Robert E. Lee was a fine general, but was simply without enough soldiers to lead a successful uprising.
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.
Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson were two very influential figures in American political history. Even though they both were in two different eras, they shaped the American government and the way people think about it. They both have similarities, but they do have differences as well that includes political rights, religious rights and even economic rights.
General Ulysses S Grant is, militarily, the reason why the Union was preserved, and why the Civil War did not extend past April 1865.
Early described the winner general Ulysses Grant as an unskilled killer because it was his indecisiveness circumstances that him a winner, that he did not really truly deserved it. After the fight for generalship of Grant, the person who lost it was Robert E. Lee in an unjustifiable position to the South. Since Early has a big passionate interest of how people are going to judge the Confederacy and he is a huge fan of Robert E. Lee ever since the very beginning of the Civil War. These are many of the ideas that contribute in the Myth of the Lost Cause for explaining how the secession and the defeat of the Confederate were spread around throughout the years of the Civil War. Early has an important role in how he shaped history differently, he wanted to leave a legacy for the South and that they should not be
It could be said that Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee were men who embodied the meaning of being exact opposites of one another. In the first place, Lee was an aristocratic Virginian who held strong to the past while Grant was a hard working land man from out West. In contrast, Grant was the epitome of the new man coming around along with steel and machinery. Grant was brought up to work the land and to rely on nobody but himself. He was eager to leave the past behind and forge a new beginning for himself and his country. He saw his future as depending on how his nation was doing: if his nation prospered and grew, then his town, his livelihood also would prosper and grow. Conversely, Lee was more chivalric and old fashioned in his demeanor
He was not "dignified" in the way that General Lee was, though rough and ready, he was always a gentleman, in the best meaning of the word. He was proud of his soldiers and his work, and ambitious to do his utmost for his country. He had so great a faith in the Union cause that he never for a moment lost hope that in the end it would succeed.