Study Bay Coursework Assignment Writing Help<\/p>\n
\nGeneral Grant vs. General Lee\n<\/p>\n
\n\u00a0Two of the most successful and well-known Generals in the Civil War would go face to face with one another towards the war\u2019s very last days. General Lee\u2019s surrender would eventually mark the end of his war efforts at the Appomattox Court House in Virginia. Having that said, he still produced some of the most challenging strategic battlefield plans that would trouble General Grant and every Commanding General before him. The two General\u2019s background and ideology during the Civil War encompass multiple similarities. To the public, these men had achieved and accomplished far more than any other military leader during the Civil War. Their efforts are recognized and honored to this very day. Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee showed both similarities and differences from their upbringing, their experiences in war, and their accomplishments while in command of their troops.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u00a0Robert E. Lee, born on January 19, 1807, is from Stratford, Virginia. Robert E. Lee\u2019s family would have highly notified members that would be successful in the state of Virginia. Raised in an aristocratic household, Lee was not as wealthy as his other family members were. Similar to Grant, Lee did not have the finances within his family to attend school. Lee was given the opportunity to attend the United States Military Academy, West Point, after following an appointment with admissions.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u00a0Lee was a strong, kind, and a religious man who led the Confederate Armies.\u00a0 Contrary to his counterpart Grant, Lee was second in his class at West Point.\u00a0 He definitely proved to be a valuable General during his time.\u00a0 He was able to successfully lead Confederate Soldiers through four bloody years of combat.\u00a0 He had a great ability to measure an enemy\u2019s strength and location. Lee knew how to move an army quickly over many miles. He had a superb sense of when to attack and when to withdraw. All in all, he has been judged one of the greatest military leaders in U.S. history.\u00a0 Although he was a Commanding General during the whole Civil War, he was a Southerner against slavery, and he did not like the idea of the South seceding from the Union.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u00a0Ulysses S. Grant, born on April 22, 1822, is from Point Pleasant, Ohio. His parents would end up relocating the family to Georgetown, Ohio. Ulysses S. Grant was known, in his early childhood, to be quite shy and to himself. By the time Ulysses S. Grant turned seventeen, he was accepted to the United States Military Academy West Point after his father had Helped with the admissions process. Ulysses S. Grant was mediocre during his attendance at West Point, proving to not be anything out of the ordinary from his classmates. He did not put much effort in his school work and was careless with his dressing when arriving to class, which we would see later on in his career where he did not dress as a Commanding General in theory. This was shown when he was given disciplinary action. Ulysses S. Grant graduated 21st<\/sup> out of the 39 people in his class at West Point. His intentions following school would be to only complete his mandatory four years of military service and not continue.\n<\/p>\n \n\u00a0Grant was not as well-known at the start Civil War as Lee but managed to be just as valuable.\u00a0 Grant had a decent record during the Mexican War, but when the Civil War broke out, he was selling wood as a civilian on the side of the road trying to provide for his family.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t until 1861 when Grant decided to try and rejoin the Army. With some pleading for his former rank in the Mexican War, he was later accepted in the Army and served as a Colonel.\u00a0 He won fame for demanding unconditional surrender from the Southern commanders he was fighting. In fact, people in the North began saying Grant\u2019s initials, \u201cU.S.,\u201d stood for \u201cUnconditional Surrender.\u201d In battle, Grant was tough, hard and a ruthless leader. He was not \u201ca retreating man.\u201d As cannons roared, he sometimes carved wood or smoked big cigars. It was also said that he was given twenty cigars at the battle of Vicksburg, by the end of the battle he gave out two of his cigars and saved the last one for himself, smoking eighteen of the cigars himself. As a result, Grant ultimately died of throat cancer due to his smoking habits.\n<\/p>\n \n\u00a0Once Grant was made General, he became the leading figure of the war in the West.\u00a0 Fighting multiple battles within just several weeks and winning them all changed the tide in the war. When he captured the city of Vicksburg, he was able to do so by starving the city to surrender.\u00a0 Cutting off all their resources proved to be extremely successful.\u00a0 These successes led to him being called to the white house by Lincoln.\u00a0 Unlike Lee, Grant didn\u2019t care about his appearance, often appearing sloppy in his dress uniform.\u00a0 His posture wasn\u2019t straight, and he had a rough, untidy beard.\u00a0 Just like at West Point, the disciplinary actions he took for not looking in standards made him a man that was different from any other General at this time. Not taking any of these details into consideration, Lincoln still promoted Grant to the highest rank of the Army even though many officers believed he didn\u2019t deserve it.\u00a0 Lincoln knew Grant was the leader that he needed and even said \u201cWhatever type of whiskey Grant drinks, let me know so I can get some for the rest of the General Officers.\n<\/p>\n \n\u00a0Lee and Grant were two one of a kind Generals with many differences, but who also had similar traits.\u00a0 Both men were extremely stubborn, yet faithful to their cause and beliefs.\u00a0 They refused to give up and were very tenacious.\u00a0 They were both willing to take massive risks in order to win their battles.\u00a0 Each man rose to greatness in his ability to turn to peace at the war\u2019s end.\u00a0 Both Lee and Grant behaved with enormous graciousness when they met briefly in Appomattox Court House to finalize the South\u2019s surrender that ultimately led to peace and to the start of a united country.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n\u00a0Throughout their lifetimes, Grant and Lee both had very different up bringing\u2019s, which lead to a multitude of characteristic, differences and even some similarities.\u00a0 It is safe to say that their performances at West Point showcased what types of leaders they would be later in their lives. Due to their personalities and traits, both of their career paths eventually lead to them becoming Generals.\u00a0 Both these great Generals, fighting through many battles, have paved the way for all future leaders in our Army.\n<\/p>\n \nWorks Cited\n<\/p>\n