Lincoln called for 500,000 troops on both sides settled for a long battle. Abraham surprised a lot of people by proving to be a more than a capable wartime leader. He learned quickly about strategy and tactics in the early years of the Civil War, and choosing the best commanders. General George McClellan continually frustrated Lincoln with his unwillingness to advance, and when McClellan failed to see Robert Lee’s retreating Confederate Army in the outcome of the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862. Antietam is a creek of north Maryland emptying into the Potomac
The first chapter of the book highlights the triumphs of Robert E. Lee a Virginian native who started out as part of the Union. Lee refused to lead a Union force to put an end to the rebellion, saying he would “not lift a sword against his fellow southerners” and resigned his position. Over the next few years Lee climbs his way to the top of the confederacy facing many challenges and even a loss or two. The next chapter is on General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard one of the most unique generals of the time. A very persistent man and the first prominent general at the start of the civil
It is very appealing to me how the author went about writing this essay. He didn’t just blurt out the difference and similarities between the two great generals. Instead he started with some background about how the two generals met at a courthouse to sign papers that virtually ended the Civil War. He then proceeded to talk about Lee’s background and upbringing, and did the same for Grant. Through this he was able to bring about the main point of contrast between the two generals; their motive for fighting. Shortly after talking about how the two are different, he began to show how the two generals were similar in their determination and fervor to fight.
No doubt about it, we support the Union. We need to get the Southern states back into the Union and abolish slavery there. We believe Antietam could have ended quicker with less casualties if General McClellan had used his advantages while he had them. He should be fired from his high position for what happened at Antietam. He lost 12,400 men because he didn’t use advantages while he had them. A man in that high of a position should make better decisions on the battlefield. General George McClellan no longer deserves his position after the events that occurred on September 17 near Antietam Creek. I hope I am not the only one shares this opinion and that President Lincoln hears our opinion and reacts with at least a demotion. I also believe
General Ulysses S. Grant had a great impact on the United States both in his time as a war general and in his time as president. His role in the Civil War was instrumental to the Union victory and the strategies he employed saved many union troops and ended the war quickly. He had many wins, but also many losses and setbacks that were devastating.He learned and adapted through those setbacks and won the war and the American public. The United States would have had a much harder time winning the war and with recovery efforts afterward were it not for General Grant. Grant was a very prominent figure of the time period and led the Union to victory and helped heal the fractured United States afterward.
As a young child, General Benjamin O. Davis Jr. dreamed of serving as a fighter pilot in the Armed Forces. He wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father, the first African American General in the United States Army, and carry on the legacy of serving his country. He attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he graduated in the top 1/3 of his class. Following his graduation in 1936, he went on to commission as an officer in the Army Air Corps, but when he applied for flight school he was rejected due to the color of his skin. At that time, the Army Air Corps believed that blacks lacked the intelligence and mental courage to succeed as fighter pilots. Many would’ve
The Unions leaders had General George B. McClellan. He commanded the Army of the Potomac. He was very well loved by his men and always wanted the best for them but at the expense of the Union. He disliked abolitionists and the Republican Party and had very little respect for Abraham Lincoln himself but his biggest problem was that he was a perfectionist. Because of this, McClellan was almost always ready to move but not quite. He was afraid to risk failure so he never would risk doing anything. On the other hand, the Confederates leaders had General Robert E. Lee, who commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. He was considered a big risk taker. McClellan was not too worried about Lee or his army thinking that Lee was weak and too cautious but Lee was anything but that. General Lee gathered as many men as was available and attacked General McClellan on June 26, 1862 repeatedly for seven days. McClellan retreated thinking his army was outnumbered two to one when in actuality he had 70,000 men while the South only had 25,000. The newspapers exploded with the news. The South was ecstatic while the North’s morale dropped very low. McPherson showed how Lincoln had written his famous Emancipation Proclamation but had stored it in a desk drawer waiting for a victory. That Lincoln was afraid that he would never give his speech as the North was not doing very well at that
From a broad perspective, the Republican Party nominee for President in 1868 was Ulysses S. Grant. Evidence from the text that further bolsters this claim is shown when the authors state, “Wrangling between Congress and President Andrew Johnson had soured the people on professional politicians in the Reconstruction era, and the notion still prevailed that a good general would make a good president. Stubbily bearded General Grant was by far the most popular Northern hero to emerge from the war” (Cohen & Kennedy 488). The quote above sheds light upon how the Republican Party embraced the notion, pertaining to how victorious military leaders translate into effective presidents. It can thus be deduced that General Grant, who, in turn, proved his
For Jefferson Davis, it was a Sunday like any other, however, for the Union army, it was the beginning of the end for the Confederate leader. While in church, Davis received a telegram from General Robert E.Lee stating the Union army was marching towards Richmond and the city would surely fall in the next couple days
An american soldier, Robert Gould Shaw was born on October 10, 1837 in Boston MA. So he was roughly about 24 to 25 years old when he joined the Civil War. Robert was a Union soldier in the war. Unwilling, he was a leader the famous 54th Massachusetts infantry. That was one of the first African American regiments in the Civil War. Shaw was a little hesitant to leave his comrades for his regiments because he had a feeling that there would be no action. Although he was unsure, Massachusetts Governor John A. Andrew recruited Shaw to raise and command one of the first regiments of an African American troops in the Union Army. Initially, he was taking the command to please his mother, but soon he grew respect for his men and believed that they could someday fight like white
In the civil war Ulysses S Grant played a major role in the american union victory. The reason why he did it was because he won many and multiple battles as a union leader and defeated the one and only Robert E. Lee. Grant wanted his career in officer by going to the military academy called westpoint. After graduating in second Lieutenant ,he made his way through the mexican american war . The civil war promoted him as the general in chief behind the 16th president of Abraham Lincoln . The battles where Grant won his battles were vicksburg , chattanooga and petersburg and many more he won ,but vicksburg was one of his best battles he won because still managed to lead the american civil war
General Thomas Jackson (1824-1863) is a war hero and a general during the Civil War. He had a difficult childhood, but graduated from the U S. Military Academy at West Point, New York. Later, leaving the military, he began a teaching career. Jackson’s hometown, Virginia, seceded and he joined the Confederate States of America. Serving under General Robert E. Lee, he was in many significant battles. Jackson earned his nickname “Stonewall” when fighting in the battle of Bull Run (see page 3-4). Stonewall Jackson died May 10, 1863.
The generals that directed the war for both sides had a great effect on how the turning points were to come about during the latter parts of the Civil War. Lee of the South was bound to make more rash and direct decisions for his armies due to the lack of resources for his military, while Mcclellan was more of a strategist waiting for the opposition to make a move first most of the time (Donald 50). Also, many of the generals of the North had continued to grow, while the South stayed the same for the most part, which was eventually the downfall of the South when it came to the turning points of the war (Donald 53). This helped expose the lack of battle strategies for the South that helped them ultimately lose the war due to this turning point. The battle of Antietam showed the point of the war where the North was grasping the advantages it needed to start to turn the tides of the war in their favor. This battle was the one battle during the war that caused the most dead casualties for both sides during the course of the war (Mcpherson 309). Neither side statistically won this costly battle in the war, but this was more of a loss for the South than anything else that would have come from this disaster for them. The South was already wounded previously before this battle, but this was bound to put them over the edge in terms of lack of numbers and resources lost as well (Mcpherson 311). The North’s general Mcclellan was unable to take full advantage of the fact the South was wounded as a whole, but this did not stop him and his troops from finished the job further down the line in the course of the war. Abraham Lincoln, President of the North, wanted to enact the Emancipation proclamation, but McClellan and the North failed to conquer the injured South fully (Mcpherson 311).
When the war began, he was not even a soldier. He re-enlisted in the army in 1861. Whenever Lee surrendered at the Appomattox Court House, Grant showed respect and compassion to Lee and the Southern soldiers. In the beginning, Grant handled the West. He won the battle of Vicksburg, which was a huge turning point in the war. He capture Fort Henry and Fort Donelson. He also won the battle of Chattanooga. Grant is the most remembered general of the North not just because he won the war for the North but because of his hard work and compassion. He was born on April 27, 1822. He died on July 23, 1885. He was a president twice, representing the Republican
Following his presidential defeat, McClellan resigned from the army and spent several years in Europe. He would return to the railroad business in 1872 as president of the Atlantic and Great Western Railroad. From 1878 to1881, he served one term as the governor of New Jersey. McClellan’s later years were spent writing a memoir called “McClellan’s Own Story,” which was published after his 1885 death at the age of 58.Fun and interesting fact about him, in 1865, while doing a Europe trip, McClellan designed a saddle for horse based upon a very popular Russian model, used in the Crimean War. This “McClellan saddle” was instantly adopted by the U.S Department of war and remained the standard saddle for the cavalry until disbanded in World War II.