The Significance of Ulysses S. Grant in the American Civil War.

by totally2cool (student)

Laura Gao

Dutton-3rd

10/27/12

Brother vs. Brother Essay: Topic 1

Ulysses S. Grant was one of only the Union generals that fought aggressively to overtake the Confederacy and was respected wholly by his troops through his training, morale boosts, and successful implementation of battle tactics. Grant was known for his tenacity, being named “Unconditional Surrender” after his initials after his easy victory at the battle at Fort Donelson in February 16, 1862. Fort Donelson was part of a campaign of attacks along on the Tennessee and Culberland rivers from his base at Cairo, Illinois. The forts before Donelson were easy to capture due to the lack of Confederate soldiers guarding them and a recent devastating flood. However, at Fort Donelson, Grant and Foote encountered stiffer resistance from the Confederate forces under General . Grant, with control of 25,000 men surrounded Fort Donelson, which was manned by 12,000 confederate troops. The Confederate troops tried to break out by forcing Grant’s army to retreat from the right flank. However, Grant exerted great leadership by rallying his troops and resumed the offensive and forced Pillow’s troops back into the fort. Pillow gave up his command to General who surrendered to Grant's Army the following day. Grant’s terms became famous across the country: No terms except unconditional and immediate surrender. He became a in the North and President Abraham Lincoln promoted Grant to of volunteers. In the Battle of Shiloh, though vulnerable due to the lack of trenches, Grant was able to rally his troops once again to a vicious counter-attack on the Confederate troops led by Beauregard. Because Grant was able to avoid panic, he led his troops to push the enemy back to the road from Corinth and was able to lose less men, even though the battle still cause over 23,000 casualties on both sides. Because of Grant’s wonderful leadership command, he was able to rally his troops in the middle of battles, changing what would have been a retreat to a victory. The Union troops did not have nearly as much motive as the Confederate troops did. The Confederates were fighting for states’ rights while the Union troops were fighting in enemy territory for reasons that were not deemed important to them. Many of them were unwillingly drafted. Grant’s morale boosts greatly turned the tide in war as the Union army gave him great respect for his fierce leads into battle, and unwillingness to give up. Grant also spent much time training his troops, who were mostly volunteers with no prior war experience. His training helped the Union army become much better organized than the South, who had reckless farmers as their soldiers. The organization helped Grant implement several complex but effective military tactics that won many battles for him against the equally talented Lee. These pivotal wins ultimately led to Lee’s surrender because his armies were exhausted and weak due to the lack of provisions and the multitude of losses towards the end of the war.

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Grant won the pivotal battle of Vickburg, which gave the Union army control over the Mississippi river, grain stores, and boosted the Union army’s morale. Vicksburg was a strategic stronghold that Lincoln was determined to overtake. In December 1862, with the approval of Halleck, Grant moved to take Vicksburg with and , along with a water attack on the Mississippi led by Maj. Gen. Sherman. In April 1863, Grant marched Union troops across the Mississippi river and east over at Bruinsburg using Adm. 's naval ships after confusing the Confederate troops with two diversions. After taking a railroad junction near , Grant defeated Confederate General at the . After two gruesome failed assaults, Grant decided to settle for a siege that lasted seven weeks. Pemberton’s troops, weak from the lack of provisions, surrendered to Grant on July 4, 1863. This victory was pivotal because it opened up the south to , which was also overtaken later on, and gave the Union army access to the vital grain supply in Georgia. The grain supply helped the North’s troops sustain for much longer, while the South became continually lacking in provisions, which was very detrimental to their state and morale, allowing the North to win the war. The fall of Vicksburg in 1863, along with the Union naval capture of New Orleans in 1862, gave the Union Army and Navy control over the entire Mississippi, which allowed them to mobilize troops efficiently while denying the mobilization from the South. Grant also was able to figure out the South’s war weakness by defeating an entrenched Confederate Army with an indirect assault combined with diversionary tactics, maneuver easily around the Southern troops to even more victories. The victory was also a huge great morale boost for the Union war effort.

Grant led his troops to victory at Chattanooga and Petersburg, which promoted him to Lieutenant General and opened the South to a devastating invasion by Sherman that destroyed most of the South’s supplies and infrastructure. At the battle of Chattanooga, the Army of Cumberland was pushed back to Chattanooga, Tennesse by Confederate troops. Maj. Gen. and Grant were sent by President Lincoln to reinforce the Army of the Cumberland, however, the Confederates blocked the army from meeting. Grant opened up a supply line to the Army of the Cumberland trapped in Chattanooga through an ingenious plan by Maj. Gen. . On November 23, 1863, Grant had organized three armies to attack Bragg on and Confederate troops on . Maj. Gen. Sherman was to attack the right flank, The , under order from Grant, was to take the Confederate picket trenches at the base of Missionary Ridge, and Maj. Gen. Hooker and the was to take Lookout. In response to Sherman's assault Bragg withdrew Confederate troops and placed that at right flank. Seizing the opportunity, Grant ordered Thomas to attack Missionary Ridge. The Army of the Cumberland, led by and , captured the first and secondary Confederate rifle, forcing the defeated Confederates into disorganized retreat. The battle was pivotal because it opened and the heartland of the Confederacy to Union invasion by Maj. Sherman, whose March to the Sea destroyed much of the South’s supplies and infrastructure, speeding up their surrender. Grant's fame increased throughout the country, and he was promoted to Lieutenant General, a position that had previously been given to George Washington. The promotion allowed Grant to fully utilize his troops and using his unique tactics, he was able to ultimately defeat Lee at Appomattox Court House.

The Battle of Petersburg, though a win for the Union under Grant, was more pivotal due to its diversion, allowing Sherman to plunder the city of Atlanta, Georgia, the central base of the South, and all of the supply shelters along his famous March to the Sea with little to no resistance. Lee was unable to send reinforcements to counter Sherman due to a siege by Grant. Grant pushed Lee to the South Side railroad and used mortars to weaken his troops. Grant was also able to capture many vital railroads that were later on used to mobilize the North’s troops more efficiently.

Grant ultimately forced Lee to surrender at the Appomattox court house on April 9, 1865, officially ending the war, allowing Lincoln to reunite the states, abolish slavery, stop the bloodshed, and start the Reconstruction. In March 1865, Union forces took Petersburg and then captured Richmond in April. Lee's Confederate troops began deserting and became spread out. Disease and lack of supplies further weakened his forces. He tried to combine with the rest of Confederate General Joe Johnson's defeated army, but Union cavalry forces led by Maj. Gen. Phil Sheridan were able to stop the two armies from meeting. Lee reluctantly surrendered to Grant at on April 9, 1865. Being merciful and completely respectful of Lee, Grant only required that Confederate troops surrender their weapons and were allowed to return to their homes on the condition that they would not fight against the United States. Within a few weeks the was over. Without Grant’s aggressive and unique tactics against Lee’s army, the North would never have gained so much success in their battles. The surrender was very significant because it ended the war and gave the North the victory. Abraham Lincoln could then reunite the states and abolish slavery in the South through the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments. The swift surrender stopped further bloodshed in a war that already was the bloodiest in Amerrican history, with 750,000 soldiers deaths and many more civilian casualties. The surrender also allowed the North to treat the South fairly well after the war through their Reconstruction policies.

Grant played a big role in helping out the Reconstruction cause by allowing the South to keep their governments and by pushing for racial equality, achieving the goals of the Civil War. Grant helped the Reconstruction cause by insisting that the South’s leaders be pardoned and given back their positions of power, further uniting the states, which was a goal of the Civil War on the North side. When radical Republicans tried to take over the Southern elections and prevented the South from creating governments, Grant interceded and came up with a compromise that satisfied both sides without any military intervention. Because of his efforts, the South was able to build quicker with an efficient government overseeing their progress. Though still weak compared to the development of the North, the South was able to rebuild and regain some power through their seats in Congress, allowing them to be a prosperous part of the U.S. today. Grant also argued that Congress should allow Southern congressman to be seated again. Grant also pushed for racial equality by overturning the black codes of 1867, allowing more than 1,500 . Because of his efforts, blacks gained more power than they ever had and were able to govern cities and gain jobs that weren’t available to them before. Even though they weren’t completely liberated since the laws applied mostly to people with land, Grant helped them adapt away from the legacy of slavery, which was one of the goals for the Civil War on the North side.