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The influence of the american civil war made by Lincoln
Lincoln's greatest contributions
Lincoln's greatest contributions
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Throughout the Civil War, Lincoln did not get much regard as a military leader. He did not have the same amount of military knowledge or experience than his Confederate partner, Jefferson Davis. But Lincoln was determined to get there. He studied military strategies and in the end became a superior expert of military tactics, better than his commanders and Jefferson Davis. James McPherson that it was ultimately Lincoln 's performance as president that guaranteed both "his success . . . as president and the very survival of the United States."5 He read and studied military history, which allowed him to observe the victories and disappointments of commanders. Our history, and an extraordinary normal strategist, a superior one than any of his …show more content…
However, numerous would contend that one of his weaknesses was his struggle with depression. His dark depressions frequently modified his dispositions however luckily, it didn 't unfavorably affect his occupation as President, yet it was unquestionably a weakness he had to deal with. Something that would trigger his depression was his son’s devastating passing in the White House and his wife 's mental instability. Lincoln took care of these issues decently well. However, he was depleted by more than simply the Civil War during his Presidency. Another weakness was that he was a poor administrator whose absence of official experience preceding the presidency regularly appeared. One of Lincoln 's significant weaknesses as a wartime leader was that he was not able to recognize good military authority. Lincoln needed to choose his commanders. He often picked various terrible ones and stayed with them too long. For example, he stayed with George McClellan even as McClellan 's absence of aggression frustrated him.
Overall, Tried by War conveys an insightful examination of Lincoln 's performance as commander in chief. . It is unmistakably realized that Abraham Lincoln was genuinely an extraordinary president with numerous qualities. It was incredibly hard choosing his weaknesses. . Obviously he committed errors, however to commit errors is not inexorably to be weak .It is almost like his weaknesses are not in any care worth discussing because his strengths completely overpower
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.
Dilorenzo, Thomas J.. The Real Lincoln: a new look at Abraham Lincoln, his agenda, and an unnecessary war. Roseville, Calif: Prima, 2002
“Their differing perceptions of the nature of war form the backbone of the difficult relationship between these two men.” Lee, an older soldier, values much of an offensive warfare approach, while Longstreet values a defensive warfare approach. Both men consistently argue about the best option for the Confederacy. However, “no matter how much he might disagree, Longstreet defers to Lee’s decisions.” In an argument as to who was right, none of the developed tactics provide clear evidence as to what was going to work, especially with a military of lesser men, considering the war in 1863. Although General Lee’s tactics did not work during the Battle of Gettysburg, there is no evidence that General Longstreet’s defensive strategy would have worked significantly better. Therefore, neither of the generals exceeded the other when it comes to military strategies, which rather debunks Shaara’s depiction of Longstreet’s advanced knowledge of modern warfare. Despite of the importance of the Battle of Gettysburg, often marked as the turning point of the war, General Longstreet should not obey an order that results in a significant loss of men that would be extremely difficult to replace at this time. Already limited by the amount of men still able to fight, pushing additional forces in an open battle would just nearly deplete the confederate soldiers completely, and
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.
Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States of America, showed weaknesses within his leadership which may have contributed to the confederacy’s loss and the unions win . Davis failed in three vital ways. These ways were: his relations with other confederate authorities and with the people, as well as in his fundamental concept of his job as president and in his organization and specific handling of his role as commander in chief . Davis failed in maintaining communication with leaders and with his people, often unable to admit when he is wrong which led to lack organization in his role . In addition, Davis was a conservative leader, not a revolutionary one which meant that his strength was often in protocol and convention rather than in innovation . Studying each of these aspects that represented a weakness in Jefferson Davis’s leadership, Lincoln in comparison provided more admirable and outstanding qualities within his leadership which in many ways affected the outcome of the war
The famous Battle of Gettysburg was fought July 1 to July 3 of 1863 in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle proved to show the most casualties of the entire war and resulted in a crushing defeat of the Confederates. The Battle of Gettysburg is generally considered to be the turning point of the American Civil War. This paper will demonstrate the various reasons as to why the Confederates, led by General Robert E. Lee, were unsuccessful in the Battle of Gettysburg during their invasion of the north. General Lee’s over-confidence, the confederate army’s disorganization and failed coordination, and the shift of intelligence all contributed to the crushing defeat of the confederates at Gettysburg. Following his “flawless” battle at Chancellorsville, General Lee was instilled with absolute confidence in his men and failed to see any deficiencies in his army’s offensive capabilities. Lee was not only over-confident, but also knew less than his opponent during the most crucial stages of the battle. The final contributing factor as to why the confederates were defeated was Alexander’s failure to provide effective artillery bombardment and his failure to advise General Pickett not to make the charge after the ineffective bombardment.
There are numerous instances wherein the Generals are depicted as immature and frightened, and Lincoln as the strong pillar of faith. Williams portrays Lincoln in a very positive light, allowing the reader to realize the greatness of Lincoln, in his compassion, strategy, statesmanship and lack of ego. Williams has provided numerous instances wherein he provides ample support to his arguments and facts. In spite of the unnecessary detail and verbosity that Williams sometimes uses, there is no doubt that this book is a remarkable insight into Lincoln’s persona. Works Cited Dawson, Joseph G. III. -.
This quote is from Abraham Lincoln, The Lyceum Address, January 27th, 1838, “Towering genius disdains a beaten path. It seeks regions hitherto unexplored.” . The Lyceum Address was given by Abraham Lincoln at age 28. He wanted equality and this is what the Lyceum Address is about. Lincoln wanted slaves to be free, he wanted women to vote and Abraham wanted to raise awareness of the dangers of slavery in the United States of America. The Lyceum address also warned how someone from inside could corrupt the federal government.
A successful army requires discipline, but Confederate soldiers refused to concede authority to anyone they did not vote for, at least in the beginning. Confederate soldiers were also prone to shirking duties they deemed menial, and some even left the army without dismissal if they believed they had served long enough. In the uppermost chain of political command, Jefferson Davis proved deficient in quelling the media outlets which railed against his decisions at nearly every turn. Davis gave deference to the right of free speech no matter how damaging it was. Donald then uses these points to highlight the Union Army and Lincoln administration’s successes. The North had the advantage of numerous immigrant conscripts who were used to being ordered around, so the pecking order was easily established from the beginning. In the political realm, Abraham Lincoln did not let Constitutional rights obstruct his goals; Lincoln suspended habeas corpus and threw defamatory journalists into prison. The Union thus had the unity it needed to achieve victory in the face of the South’s
Abraham Lincoln’s greatest challenge during his presidency was preserving the Union during the Civil War after the Southern states seceded from the Union. There were many dividing issues in the U.S. before his election in 1860, and his presidential victory was the final straw that led to the Civil War. The North and the South were already separating due to regional differences, socially, politically, culturally, and economically. Slavery was one of the biggest factors that led to the division between the North and the South. Preserving the Union while half of the country refused to regard federal law while in secession was extremely challenging, yet Abraham Lincoln decided to fight war against the South not only for the sake of abolishing slavery, but most importantly for the sake of preserving the Union. He was dedicated to fighting for the equality of all men in the U.S., as mentioned in his famous Gettysburg Address: "Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal." He used this to argue a basic point: if all men are created equal, then all men are free. His House Divided speech showed his determination to keep the...
After the second Battle of Manassas, the Army of the Potomac was demoralized and President Lincoln needed someone that could reorganize it. President Lincoln liked General McClellan personally and admired his strengths as an administrator, organizer, and drillmaster. Lincoln was aware that the soldiers loved General McClellan and had nicknamed him “Little Mac.” Knowing this, President Lincoln ordered General McClellan to “assume command of Washington, its defenses and all forces in the immediate vicinity.”1 This was not a field command but intended for General McClellan to take the returning demoralized Army and the new soldiers coming into Washington and make them a fighting force, nothing more. Lincoln knew as well that although Ge...
Grant’s strategy was to fight the war of attrition that President Lincoln was in favor of; however, Lee fought offensive-defensive war which was different from Jefferson’s idea of fighting a complete defensive war. Creating blockades on coastal lines and controlling railroads were used as well. Even today, similar tactics are used to cut off enemies from supplying their peers. Though the Civil War was the deadliest war on American soil, many tactics and strategies were learned from it and improved. Works Cited 1.
People in the south looked down upon Lincoln, can you only imagine what that feels like to have people, the very people you are sworn to take an oath to protect and to show guidance to them? Then on top of that there being a war fought and you being one of the main contributing factors to why this civil war is being fought in your country. I'm sure that affected him and if you, yourself truly think about it, he did an amazing job at not showing the effect it was and that it took on him because no matter who it is, there was a bloody war and Lincoln was the figure that many people in torn America sought to for guidance and answers during this bloody time in American
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.
To begin with, Lincoln had perservenerence: he was principled yet not subjective. He was guided by a couple, key respectable standards. Among his standards was his dedication to what Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence, that "all men are created equal, and endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights.” Miller states that “Lincoln insisted continually not only that the 'created equal ' in the Declaration included Negroes, but that to hold otherwise, as Douglas did, and to impute such a view to the Founders, was to destroy that great document 's meaning for all Americans and all time.” (351-352 Miller)