US Grant: War Superior

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“The art of war is simple enough. Find out where your enemy is. Get at him as soon as you can. Strike him as hard as you can, and keep moving on,” a quote by famous United States General and President, Ulysses S. Grant, is very descriptive of the methods he employed during his time as General. He always gave his side the best chance to win. Grant was a dominant general of the Civil War. Some may ask “Was he really a superior general to his predecessors? If so, what really made him superior?” Grant led the Union to a victory over the Confederacy and succeeded in doing what his predecessors failed to do. Ulysses S. Grant was able to win the Civil War for the Union and surpass his predecessors due to his superior military experience and background, appropriate tactics, and better knowledge.
Up until 1863, Grant did not own a job as a main leader of the Union, so his strategies had less of an impact. However, in 1863, Lincoln saw his skill and appointed him to full control of the Western Army of the Union. This was just in time before the Battle of Chattanooga. Grant was given full control of the army in 1864, when he began his final campaign to end the war (Simpson). Grant had easily proven to Lincoln why he should earn the power to command. Other generals before him just did not make the cut, providing further contrast to Grant’s superior form of leadership. To name a few of the well-known generals that Grant had to surpass is an easy task. Major General George McClellan, a man of great persuasion, excelled greatly in pre-battle tasks. His communication with troops was excellent and his tactics were very good as well. He trained his soldiers to the highest degree, but these were the only things he could do. Not on...

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Works Cited
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Wilson, Richard L. "Grant, Ulysses S." American Political Leaders, American Biographies. Facts on File, 2002. Web. 6 Feb. 2014.

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