Ulysses S Grant

Before he was the 18th President of the United States, Ulysses S. Grant was a general. He was born on April 27th 1822 in Point Pleasant Ohio, attended West Point in hopes of joining the Army. General Grant not often seen as one of the key players in the Civil War, his actions played a major role in the North's eventual victory. Grant won both the Battle of Vicksburg and the Battle of Shiloh, Grant used a total war strategy, and he also delivered the last hit to General Lee.

General Grant led important battles that caused the south to lose momentum. He was the commanding officer for both the Battle of Vicksburg and the Battle of Shiloh. These battles specifically did the job of cutting off supplies to the South. After these two Northern wins the South had very small odds in being able to come back at the North. The lack of supplies and resources, such as railroads, made it very difficult for the South to retaliate with the North, leading to the North's eventual win.

Although it may have been a bad idea to some, Grant's use of the total war strategy helped the North win. Total war means doing whatever is necessary to win the war in the long run. There were battles where the North lost more men, but they also completely destroyed the South by means of this strategy. It allowed them to take any and all measures needed to beat the South. It also helped to end the war quicker by constantly just putting everything into each battle no matter how big. Without this plan used by Grant, the war may have lasted even longer.

The last and most important thing Grant did was lead the last major part of the war. The Wilderness Campaigns in Virginia were critical for the North's victory. Grant took out a huge percentage of Lee's men and made a very large dent in his army. Grant made an uncommon choice to retreat, but he did not retreat completely. Instead, after realizing when he would no longer be making a good difference to the North, he moved onto a different battle in his campaign. Lee was weakened immensely and Grant was the main contributor to his weakening.

General Ulysses S. Grant was the greatest asset to the North. His greatness in war helped him to eventually achieve his presidency. He did not always choose the path most take, but he made good calls consistently. He won many of his battles, but also knew when he was not going to have anymore progress. His total war strategy was controversial but in