Military Strategy and Tactics of the Civil War Essay

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

The challenges that the Union and the Confederacy faced during the Civil War were very different. Critical weaknesses that seemed unfit for war, plagued the opposing American forces, and would serve to be a continuous obstacle that would need to be conquered by patriotism of the people, for their opposing views. To allow for both sides to be competitive, the efforts put forth had to mold to the varied needs of the armies by both the civilian population and their militaries. To the people in the south the similarity to the colonists in the Revolutionary War, was assimilated to their separatist cause in the Civil War and would be their drive to compete with the dominating Northern states. This mindset started the Confederacy in the Civil

The name Civil War is misleading because the war was not a class struggle, but a sectional combat, having its roots in political, economic, social, and psychological elements. It has been characterized, in the words of William H. Seward, as the “irrepressible conflict.” In another judgment the Civil War was viewed as criminally stupid, an unnecessary bloodletting brought on by arrogant extremists and blundering politicians. Both views accept the fact that in 1861 there existed a situation that, rightly or wrongly, had come to be regarded as insoluble by peaceful means.

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.

It can be said that the South began the Civil War from a winning position. They had declared their independence, formed their own country and government, and they needed only to keep what they already had. But this was a monumental task as the government was required to protect every inch of land within the Confederacy. As a new country, the Confederacy needed to demonstrate the ability to defend its own territory from external threat. Without this ability, the Confederacy could never receive the international recognition and support it needed to survive. Aside from this reason, the South also needed to protect the institution of slavery from outside interference. If the Northern armies took control of a particular Southern area, the Confederates felt that they would free all the slaves, thus destroying the entire structure of society and its economic value. Because of this, Jefferson Davis was forced to devise a flawed war strategy which attempted to preserve the entire Confederacy at the cost of concentrating his forces.

Incomplete Confederate records list 74,524 killed and died of wounds and 59,292 died of disease. Including Confederate estimates of battle losses where no records exist would bring the Confederate death toll to 94,000 killed and died of wounds.

In 1861 the American Civil War started. The country was divided into the North (Union) and The South (Confederates). Robert E. Lee was the leading general for the South. Ulysses S. Grant was the leading General for the North. The Union had 23 states which were California,Michigan,Connecticut,Minnesota,Illinois,New Hampshire,Indiana,New Jersey,Iowa,New York,Kansas,Ohio,Maine,Oregon,Massachusetts,Pennsylvania,Rhode Island,VErmont,West Virginia and Wisconsin. The South on the other hand only had 11 which were Alabama,Arkansas,Florida,Georgia,Louisiana,Mississippi,North and South Carolina,Tennessee,Texas and Virginia. The North and many ways had a great advantage in the war because they had more men, more factories to build supplies, and a larger navy. On the other hand the South only had to defend their land from the Invading Union.

Both the Union and the Confederacy suffered casualties, but the Confederacy suffered more more casualties. Around 20,650- 25,000 casualties belonged to the Confederates, and that was about 30-34% of its army (B). This shows that the Confederacy lost one third of its army. They could not replenish their army as easily as the Union could because there was a lower population in the south than in the north. If the Confederates could not restore their army to the size it once was, then they could not

When we compare the military leaders of both North and South during the Civil War, it is not hard to see what the differences are. One of the first things that stand out is the numerous number of Northern generals that led the “Army of the Potomac.” Whereas the Confederate generals, at least in the “Army of Northern Virginia” were much more stable in their position. Personalities, ambitions and emotions also played a big part in effective they were in the field, as well as their interactions with other officers.

A major difference between Lee and Grant was that at the start of the Mexican War, Lee was an extremely dedicated and motivated soldier, whereas Grant was a junior officer (“Virginia Historical Society”). Robert Lee fought in every battle on the march to capture Mexico City and was honored with the rank of colonel. This proved that he was a worthy candidate to lead the south during the Civil War. Although he held a position within the Mexican War, Ulysses Grant was just an average fighter. He did more learning than he did leading, which benefitted him in the long run as it developed his strategies that would be used to carry him to a success in the Civil

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.

Possibly two of the most well-known Generals Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee, both lead armies in the American Civil War. Although they were on opposing sides, they had similarities in character and as well as their military strategy. Their personalities and their basic characteristics compelled their military decisions and strategies during the American Civil War. Ulysses S. Grant was known to be “shy, but not coy; pleasant and affable, but not gregarious; dignified, but not aloof; self-confident, but not sanctimonious; purposeful, but not ambitious; sensitive, but not sentimental. Grant was at once placid and a grand latent force”. He was also known to not be noticed in a room full of greater egos. His military rival, Robert E. Lee was known to be honorable, even though, he was opposed to slavery, he did not want to betray his neighbors. He made the decision to fight for the Confederacy even though President Lincoln had offered him the command of the federal forces, but he still turned it down. Regardless of who won the war or who surrendered to whom, they are both considered to be two of the best military leaders of all time.

The North maintained staggering strength throughout the Civil War; the North had the advantage of numbers and skilled generals in regards to overriding Union power in people. Civil War historian, William C. Davis, suggests that the South possessed only one good army general, Robert E. Lee; whereas the North nurtured along people like Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman, Philip Sheridan and George H. Thomas (Zebrowski, 1995). The North also benefited from the leadership of Abraham Lincoln who became president of the United States in 1860. Due to the deluge of immigrants pouring into the North, the population in the North enormously outnumbered the Confederacy population. The Union army called 2.1 million Northerners to arms to fight; whereas the South rallied 880,000 men to serve in the

Both the Union and the Confederacy had good military leaders who used and/or invented promising war tactics. The North used a strategy known as the Anaconda Plan. This is where the Union Forces would surround the Confederacy, cut its trade, divide it into two at the Mississippi River, and squeeze it to death. At first the Anaconda Plan was ridiculed, because both sides were originally stuck on old fashion tactics of using mass troops to attack a certain point. When both sides found the new technology in weaponry, made this old strategy suicide the Anaconda Plan was implemented. New technology caused old war tactics to change. Another strategy, I personally like to call “The Jaw” was demonstrated by the brilliant Robert. E. Lee from the South. One war tactic used by Ulysses S. Grant from the North in The Siege of Vicksburg changed the way war was fought from then on. It was called Total War. Total War involves not only war against the opponent’s soldiers but war against their civilians and economic system, in hopes of breaking their moral and in hopes that they give up the thought of winning because victory is just not worth the losses, so defeat may be welcomed. The combination of the ancient technique of total war, which

The Union held a vast wartime advantage against the Confederacy with their military. The population general population in the North was 22 million, including 800,000 immigrants, 180,000 African Americans, and the large U.S. Navy. The large population made up the immense Union army; the significant population also aided in U.S. Navy that withheld a large and effective blockade around the coastline, as part of the Anaconda Plan, that prevented the South from trading with foreign countries. While the South had a high troop moral and won the Battle of Bull Run, their small population of 9 million and experienced leaders, such as Robert E. Lee, were laid to waste when they partook in the Battle of Vicksburg, the North won the Mississippi River to cut the South in half, and the Battle of Gettysburg where Lee attacked the Union, which resulted in losing 1/3 of his army and never attacking the North again. As well as