Ulysses Grant A Good Leader Essay

Ulysses S. Grant- The Unexpected Leader of the Union As he glanced over his maps, Ulysses S. Grant realized that the Confederacy had part of their army stationed at Paducah, Kentucky. At the time, Kentucky was still a neutral state. He quickly realized that this compromised the neutrality of the state. Handing a message to his runner, he walked out of his tent and prepared to face the enemy forces head on. On September 5, 1861, Ulysses S. Grant commanded his first battle. This lead to a long list of victories for the Union army in the future. He was such a good leader for a couple of reasons, but the main ones were were that he guided his troops through his integrity, astonishing strategic thinking, and his single minded determination.

Ulysses

Like all boys who wanted to go into the army, Ulysses went to West Point military academy. He showed no special potential, graduating in the middle of his class. The reason being that he did not think like the average military man. Fortunately, that is also what made him such a great General. Ulysses was able to understand how the enemy thought, and how they would use their resources. This advantage was not immediately acknowledged, however if it hadn’t been realized at all, it is possible that millions of African Americans would still be enslaved. “He understood that the Union had more men and resources than the confederacy. But he also knew that the secessionists could win by not loosing- that is, by hanging on until the Northern states lost their will to fight.” Being able to understand the enemy is a key skill in battle. Without such skills as those, it would doubtless be exponentially more difficult for the Union to win the Civil War. The would-be battle of Appomattox is a prime example of his strategic thinking skills. Ulysses S. Grant forced Robert E. Lee into an unconditional surrender. General Grant had successfully caused the confederate army to be spread far and in few numbers, keeping them from breaking the Union’s lines. This surrender was key for the north to secure their victory. Even though strategic thinking is important, you cannot succeed on that

Having a leader that will not give up when things get tough keeps the soldiers spirits up, as well as their faith in God. Ulysses S. Grant is no exception to this statement. He knows that when a job needs to get done, it must be done with rigor and a strong resolve. The battle of Shiloh was one of the most deadly battles, resulting in 23,000 casualties. The number was only surpassed by the Battle of Gettysburg, that had 47,000 deaths. Even though the Union won the battle, it came at a major cost. The determination that was displayed in Ulysses during this battle almost got him removed from his position- because of the mass casualties. Fortunately for him, President Lincoln still believed that he was not done in his role as a Commander. Many other people believed that he had he had as strong determination as Lincoln knew he had. “Grant cultivated an ability to complete the task at hand, undeterred by distractions. He focused only on what he could control with dogged determination. There was no turning back. Only moving forward, with a willingness to take risks.” (Thayer Leadership) Few people are able to stay focused on a task that requires more than an hours time. Determination is few and far between in this country, and even less of it is directed towards things that are productive. Soon after the civil war started, there was major food displacement- tons of food in places that had did