How did Ulysses Grant change the Civil War?

How did Ulysses Grant change the Civil War?

Introduction

The Civil War is also considered as the end of the Napoleonic Wars or the beginning of the modern wars. It was without a doubt a transitional war and just one man, more than any other, ought to be accredited with putting together this transition. That man was none other than the Union General-in-Chief, Ulysses S. Grant (Longacre, 2007). He was ingenious on both operational and strategic level. The transformation he made brought in changed future warfare and speed up the defeat the South. At the same time as the strategic vision of Grant was vitally imperative to success, this paper focuses on the overall efforts that he made to bring the change in the Civil War.

Discussion

The Background

From the start of the American Civil War, the Confederacy had the benefit of combating on its own land, over and above combating a restricted war for independence; on the contrary the U.S. required overcoming huge territory and restraining a great population. The Confederates also benefited from strong advocacy from their people and, at first, had superior commanders. However, over the time, the industrial competence of the North bore out to be substantial. The North had the lead in manpower, money, and factories to load the battlefield with improved weapons and additional soldiers (Longacre, 2007). The United States Navy also enforced a gradually more successful line of defense that prohibited the South from importing supplies and equipments.

However, the Northern benefit did not convert into successes, and the war pulled on. The incompetent and inept leadership of the Northern military and competent fighting skills of the South carried on fanning the flames for 4 very extensive years. All through the early phases of the clash, the North was in need of a commander with the logistical and nerve abilities to take the offensive in opposition to the transcended Rebels. The U.S. President Lincoln became perturbed with his overcautious and unsuccessful commanders, in particular General George B. McClellan (Grant, 2007). He was the first of various generals who combated not to prevail but to pass up defeat. Eventually, Lincoln would choose Ulysses Grant as the man to command the North to conquest.

Grant's Efforts

Grant showed his military skills in the beginning of the conflict. In the year 1861, he commanded three thousand troops into his foremost major involvement. The conflict at Belmont, Missouri, was a tie; however he demonstrated an exceptional Union attribute at the time that is the readiness and enthusiasm to fight. In addition to that in this initial period Ulysses Grant gained knowledge of something about himself as well as his enemy. Thus, in February 1862, he occupied Fort Donelson and Fort Henry, two decisive Confederate defenses in Tennessee. Grant, at Fort Donelson, acknowledged the surrender of a whole Confederate force, getting a name, "Unconditional Surrender" (Grant, 2004). In this regard, Fort Donelson is considered as the first genuine Union conquest of the war, and Ulysses Grant turned out to ...