Compare And Contrast Grant And Lee

Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee met on April 9, 1865 at Appomattox Court House in Virginia. Both of these men were bringing a stop to the Civil War. The way Grant and Lee led their army were different from each other. Lee was a nobleman who fought hard for his Confederate men. Lee became a symbol for which his men were willing to die for. On the other hand, Grant grew up the hard way through the toughness beyond the mountains. Catton says “ These frontier men were the precise opposites of the tidewater aristocrats”. Grant and Lee represented two different sides of the so called American life. Though having different personalities and beliefs, both Grant and Lee are actually quite similar. They are tremendous fighters who only want one thing--to

Lee lived in a society, which could not accept the change. He believed in the aristocracy. His way of life had come through knighthood and the English country squire. On the other hand, Grant stood for democracy. He believed in self-reliance. Moreover, he believed life was a competition and everyone has a chance to show how far one person can rise.

Lee and Grant would both serve under General Winfield Scott, a man whom they both admired, during his campaign to Mexico City. General Scott saw greatness in Lee and stated his “…success in Mexico was largely due to the skill, valor, and undaunted energy of Robert E. Lee.”15 Scott was also heard commenting a few years later that; “Lee is the greatest military genius in America.”16 Grant, only a first lieutenant, did not get an opportunity to show much leadership. Grant did however serve with valor. At the Battle of Monterey, Grant would gain some respect among his peers by successfully carrying much needed ammunition to his regiment while under fire.17 During the Civil War, Lee and Grant would implement skills learned while under the command of General Winfield Scott.

Ulysses S. Grant was a man who grew up the hard way. He was the son of a tanner on the Western frontier. He was a man that looked mainly towards the future and could careless about the past. Grant view everything as one, he wanted to

Although Grant and Lee had individual beliefs that clashed with one another they also had a few things in common. For example, Catton points out they were both great fighters that displayed a lot of tenacity and fidelity to their separate causes. Grant battled and endured his way down the Mississippi Valley despite his military handicaps and personal discouragements while Lee still had faith at Petersburg after all hope was lost. Also, their fighting qualities were very similar and they both refused to give up as long as they were able to fight. They were both also very daring and resourceful in that they had the ability to move quickly and think faster than the enemy. Most importantly, they were alike in the sense that they had the ability to turn away from war and come to peace once the fighting had ended. As a result, this helped the nation become whole and united again. Their gathering at Appomattox was a great moment in American history.

Grants skilled and well planned military success in the West boosted his proud reputation, leading ultimately to his appointment as the new and better General - In - Chief of the Union. When Grant’s army captured the mighty Mississippi we were able to cut the supply lines,

He was also the only one who can match Robert E. Lee’s success so he was the man to do the job. Robert E. Lee was also going against him because he was part of the Confederacy. He was also very determined to crush

Though this was Grant’s intent, his words and actions proved something different. Grant would often take a much more active approach at tactics when working with his staff and subordinate generals, as documented by a staff officer, Lieutenant Colonel Horace Porter. Porter stated that Grant practiced sending his staff officers to ‘critical points of the line to keep me promptly advised of what is taking place’ and to pass to lower commanders Grant’s views of immediate action

commander, Grant, had to take a lot of criticism. Grant wanted to withdraw from the army, but Sherman persuaded him to stay.

Throughout history, there have been people whose names and faces have become synonymous with the time periods in which they lived. For example, Julius Caesar is synonymous with the late Roman Republic and George Washington is synonymous with the American Revolution. Just like these two men, the name Robert E. Lee has become synonymous with the American Civil War. Not only did Lee rise to become the most important and recognizable person in the Southern Confederacy, but his honor and virtuous acts during and after the war made him a hero to modern-day Americans. Even though he fought for what many consider the morally erroneous side of the war, the virtues of his character have made him a figure in American history

In the end of the Civil War. Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant were considered as heroes. The two generals would earn a great reputation and will go down as one of the best generals for the years to come. These two changed, todays American History and how we can know better understand how the war actually came about. We know that these two made life decisions out on the battle field. We know that the both of them gave everything they had for their homeland. Though we know that their choices would represent each other.

Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th president of the United States. In the book, “Cigar, Whiskey and Winning”, it highlights his management skills during the Civil War as he lead the Union Army to defeat the Confederate Army. When he was younger, Grant attended West Point. He was not the brightest student, but he did enjoy reading. After he graduated, he became second lieutenant in an infantry regiment. In the book it showed him taking advantages of opportunities to rise to victory. He had gotten married and began to feel like his work with the Army was not important, so he resigned from the Army. He dabbled in farming and real estate, but was not very successful in either. It further shows

By the end of the Civil War, much of the country thought of General Robert E. Lee and General Ulysses S. Grant as personal heroes. Despite the outcome of the war, both the Union and the Confederates looked towards their leader with admiration. Both men were viewed as spectacular fighters, who were smart and strategic during the war. However, despite similarities between the two Civil War generals their differences in background experiences, personality traits, and personal underlying aspirations made them not only opposites of each other but the perfect champion for the people they were chosen to lead.

As for Ulysses Grant he was in charge of the Union army during the Civil War. He would lead the war from

Ulysses S. Grant was a man of action, and he had a great many skills. He was a battle winner which resulted in him being promoted to Lt. General. He became President in the 1868 election. Grant is widely recognised as one of the greatest men in history but this was due more to his military achievements than his political ones. His strengths as a military leader were his decisiveness, quick actions and his ability to successfully conduct a campaign. On the other hand, he had some flaws, as most men do, such as; being an alcoholic, being impetuous, especially in his military decisions, and many losses on the battlefield. As a political leader, Grant reconstructing America was his promise to the people as well as carrying out the fifteenth amendment into society, enforcing civil rights laws and fighting Ku Klux Klan violence and many others. He also achieved the youngest president of his time. However, as President, Grant had shortcomings such as being inexperienced, lack of political skills and choice of officials which made him an unsuccessful president.