General Grant

Two great Americans, General Grant and General Lee fought for their respective beliefs during the Civil War. General Lee was the conservative motivator for the South. He fought for the South to maintain its peculiar situation. Lee believed fighting this war was defending everything that gave his life meaning. General Grant's reason for combat was a broader concept; growth, expansion, and a widening horizon. He was also an industrial fanatic.

General Lee was a tactical genius with his strength's in designing and using defensive positions and counter attacking. Lee understood the South's weaknesses in manpower and supplies and tries to conserve them. Time and time again he divided his forces and defeated superior number of Union forces.

General Grant was an excellent strategist with a huge advantage in manpower and manufacturing capability. He used these advantages to wear down the army of Northern Virginia. He was a conservative and relied on his superior numbers to overwhelm the Confederate forces.

Both were fighters who won battles. Lee was the battle tactician however Grant forced Lee to fight and continue fighting without rest. Grant could replace his losses where Lee could not. The tables could have been turned had the South had the resources that the North had. By all accounts General Lee was a better General but did not have the backing in supplies or manpower to carry out the mission.

Reference List entry:

Millet, A.R., & Maslowski, P. (Ed.). (1994). For the common defense: a military

history of the United States of America. NY, NY: Free Press.