Lee vs. Grant -- Civil War
The Civil War had two famous generals, General Robert E. Lee of the Confederate Army and General Ulysses S. Grant of the Union Army. They are often compared to each other and it is debated who was the better general: Lee for leading the Confederates through four years of fighting, or Grant for using strong military tactics that won the war for the Union. At first, Lee and Grant seem to be very similar, both came from a family of five or six children and both went to West Point for a free education. However, after careful juxtaposition, these two generals are remarkably different. Lee and Grant were similar in their West Point training, yet different in their adaptation abilities and willingness to learn from their mistakes. By going to West Point, Lee and Grant were able to receive similar military education that eventually led them to fight and to become deadly enemies. While at West Point, Grant was an average student who received a number of demerits for drinking in the off-limits bars. He hated the spit-and-polish life of the army and was always known to be a sloppy dresser. However when Grant realized the gravity of the United States Civil War, he was eager to request the command of a regiment, asking "if the Presid
After the Mexican War, these two eventual war heroes took different paths that affected their adaptability. Grant was always short of money, and he was forced to resign after numerous rumors that led many of the highest military officials, such as Secretary of War Jefferson Davis, to believe that Grant was an alcoholic. As a civilian Grant tried to raise money for his family by investing in a store, farming, running a billiard parlor, and helping at his father's old tannery. He was able to adapt to what was needed of him to survive. His adaptability was reflected in his military actions. Grant analyzed the military situations. He knew that the North had more people but the South had many more brilliant military leaders. Grant's knowledge and adaptability to this knowledge led him to win every major battle of which he was in charge. An exceptional example of Grant's adaptability is shown at his siege of Petersburg when he stretched his army out and therefore forced the Confederates to also stretch their army. Since the Confederates had a considerably less number of people, the Confederates were drawn to the point of tenuity. The backgrounds of Lee and Grant affected their performance in the Civil War especially their training strategy, adaptation, and willingness to learn from their mistakes. Both Lee and Grant had their characteristic backgrounds. And the appearance of these backgrounds made the fighting strategies of the two generals to be different. Had these two generals not fought against each other, the history of the United States would not be the same. But they did have their backgrounds an
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Approximate Word count = 1094
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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