A Comparison of Ulysses Grant and Robert Lee - Essay Example

A Comparison of the contributions of Ulysses Grant and Robert Lee to the Civil War Introduction At the start commencement of the civil war, Ulysses S. Grant was not well known as Robert E. Lee. But, by the culmination of the war, most Americans considered either of the two to be a hero. The reputation of the two generals would probably wax and wane over the next several years. Grant’s record in Mexican War was good since he was a West Point graduate. However, he was a civilian when the civil war broke out. On the other hand, General Lee was a strong, kind, and religious man who led the Confederate armies. There is the need to carry out a reassessment of the two Generals and determine who carried the greatest responsibility in the disintegration or survival of the United States. The essay compares and contrasts Civil War General’s Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee, right from their childhood, formal education and throughout the military days that led into the Civil War. Family and childhood Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses Grant was the first born to Jesse R. Grant and Hannah Simpson on April 27th, 1822 in Ravenna, Ohio (Chadwick, 2011). Jesse, Ulysses’ father,had settled in the town in his early twenties and had opened a tannery that sent leather down to the Point Pleasant for trading. Jesse married Simpson at twenty-seven years, and Ulysses was born a year later. Jesse and Simpson marked a new frontier culture of the ever – expanding American West and were among the first generation to advance to tradesmen from subsistence farming. When Ulysses was eighteen months old, the family picked up again and moved to open a tannery in the new county seat of Georgetown. He spent sixteen years in a small brick house his father had built for their family next to the tannery. The house stank from the effect of the livestock that were slaughtered nearby (Chadwick, 2011). He hated the whole idea of a tannery and all the operations that were carried out and eventually made his opinions known to the family. Simpson bore five more children in the new house, two boys and three girls. The two boys would regularly follow their father to the tannery, but Ulysses completed shunned the family business. One undisputed fact about Ulysses’ childhood was that he loved horses. He had a supernatural connection with them and often took the family’s horses to gather wood for the tannery and their house. He soon developed a reputation among his family due to his horsemanship, compared that other boys his age would be kicked when attempting the same feats. Robert E. Lee Lee was born on January 19th, 1807 in Stratford Hall, Virginia to Colonel Harry and Ann Lee (Chadwick, 2011). He was cut from the Virginia aristocracy, and some of his extended family members were renowned. One of them was a president, another chief justice of the US, and yet others were signers of the Declaration of Independence. His mother descends from one of the wealthiest families located in Virginia. His father had served as a cavalry leader and was one of the heroes during the Revolutionary War. Lee considered himself as an extension of the greatness existing among his family members. During his childhood, his father is actively involved in politics, but later pinned down by the bad investments that land him in prison. Thus, Robert Lee spent a greater percentage of his childhood days taking care of his invalid mother and his sickly sister. Formal education Ulysses’ father wanted him to leave the Ohio home and go to the West Point military academy. At first, he didn’t like the idea since he did not have an interest in becoming a soldier. Ulysses later agreed on the realization that this was his chance at a college education (Phelps, 2004). He later became known in school for his knowledge of mathematics. However, he enjoyed and liked studying art and literature. He graduated from West Point and later became an officer in the army. On the other hand, Robert Lee enrolled at West Point Military Academy at 18, where he put his drive and mind to work (Phelps, 2004). He was later counted among the six cadets who finished and graduated without a single demerit. Also, he wrapped up his studies with perfect scores in infantry, artillery, and cavalry. Military days Despite a few similarities in the childhood and education days of Lee and Grant, the two generals symbolize the two nations that fought the Civil War (Roxburgh, 2015). Each of the two generals was a product of his region and rearing. It is possible to understand how war came about by investigating the values they championed for and the decisions they made to inspire change in the course of the history in America. Their efforts to forge and develop a reunited nation in the years that came after the Civil War also highlight the sectional legacies that most contemporary Americans inherited. Robert E. Lee aspired to be a leader with high standards of honor, duty, self-control, and self-denial. His personal qualities were thought to be a worthy example to many people of his contemporaries. He was particularly revered towards the South. Lee was pronounced as a military genius who worked hard to represent what was considered the best about the Old South by writers that were defending the “Lost Cause” of Confederacy (Roxburgh, 2015). Lee was widely accepted as an influential American hero by the end of the 1800s. After graduating from the U.S. Military Academy in 1846, Lee fought hard in the Mexican-American War, where his efforts showed excellent leadership skills to Americans. In 1859, he led and commanded the force that captured John Brown at Harper’s Ferry in Virginia. Though Lee was against secession, he declined an offer made to him by Lincoln to command the Union Army. Instead, he declared his allegiance to the home state of Virginia. Lee later commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia until he surrendered it to General Grant at Appomattox Court House in 1865 (Roxburgh, 2015). Lee used very brilliant and aggressive tactics to win over his enemies since the task of defeating a better-equipped and larger northern army seemed quite impossible. He daringly divided the army at the Battle of Chancellorsville in 1863 and won the decisive victory. The victory paved his way to leading the second invasion towards the North. However, the ensuing battle turned into a disaster when Robert Lee ordered a huge frontal assault on the middle part of the northern line. The doomed attack was known historically as the Pickett’s Charge and still left effects of the losses to the South. His surrender after the nine-month siege ended all the major resistance drawn from the south. Altogether, Lee is remembered as a great hero in the American history. On the other hand, Ulysses Grant commanded the triumphant Union army during the American Civil War of 1861-1865 (Graham, 2011). Grant was given command of all the American armies during the Civil War. After the war, Grant became a national hero, and the Republicans decided to nominate him to run for president in 1868. Grant primarily focused on reconstructing and reconciling the North and the South while attempting to protect the civil rights of the freed black slaves. Before his presidency, Grant triumphed together with his army at Fort Henry and Fort Donelson in 1862 (Graham, 2011). The victory won him the name “Unconditional Surrender” and placed him more before the eyes of the public. However, a surprise attack by the Confederate forces right at the Battle of Shiloh saw Abraham Lincoln receive several demands from the people requesting for Grant’s removal from command. However, Grant’s Army fended off the advances of the Confederate forces and ultimately won the day. Grant fought for a hard-won victory at Vicksburg, Mississippi, which later marked a strategic masterpiece (Graham, 2011). Grant’s army managed to cross the Mississippi River right at the battle of Port Gibson. The Confederate forces did not have clear intentions on Grant’s intention. Grant sent a small portion of his army to capture the state capital under General William T. Sherman. Grant had his sights on Vicksburg with the view towards permanently closing the supply base of the Confederate. The Union was forced to lay siege to the city after the initial assaults on the city demonstrated the strength of Vicksburg defense. In 1864, Grant was elevated to a lieutenant general and was then determined to crush Robert Lee together with his vaunted Army of Northern Virginia. After the civil war, Grant was named the Secretary of War by President Andrew Johnson (Roxburgh, 2015). Conclusion Despite the contribution of Lee and Grant in the Civil War, it was Grant who was considered victorious in uniting the American society. Grant and his Army of the Potomac bludgeoned Lee and his army from the Rapidan River towards the James in what was silently termed as the unspeakable history. The battles of the Wilderness and the subsequent siege of Petersburg effectively managed to destroy the rebel army leading to the surrender of Lee at Appomattox Court House. Even though Grant’s forces were depleted by more than half during the last years of the war, it was Lee who voluntarily surrendered in 1865. References Chadwick, B. (2011). 1858 : Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant and the war they failed to see. Naperville, III: Sourcebooks. Graham, M. F. (2011). A pocket history of the Civil War : citizen soldiers, bloody battles, and the fight for Americas future. Oxford, Lond Island City, NY: Osprey. Phelps, C. A. (2004). Life and Public Services of Ulysses S. Grant, from his birth to the present time, and a Biographical Sketch of Hon. Henry Wilson: Embellished with Steel Portraits, and 4 Illustrations ... Peoples Edition (Google eBook). New York: Lee & Shepard. Roxburgh, E. (2015). Ulysses S. Grant Vs. Robert E. Lee: Civil War Rivals. Chicago: Gareth Stevens Incorporated. Read More