The Civil War in America was one of the defining times of the nation. Many great leaders and military officers commanded their respect at the time. The war was characterized by use of different tactics by the leaders, which brought out the abilities in each. The essay below compares and contrasts two of the leaders at the time.
Civil War Leaders
General Ulysses S. Grant was a general of the Union Army during the war. He was a resilient and experienced fighter who never gave up easily, a character that made him the man that Lincoln could rely on in the war. Robert E. Lee, on the other hand, was the general of the Confederate Army (Ihric.org, 2012). There were many differences and similarities between these two men as indicated below.
The two men were similar in their training. They both received military training at the West Point Military Academy. They were experienced at war besides being good fighters. General Grant fought hard, was stubborn in wars and never agreed to loose. His ability to win wars made him to be recalled to service even after he had retired. On the other hand, Lee was a fierce and great fighter whose tactics saw him lead the confederate army win many wars (Ihric.org, 2012). These similarities were besides the fact that they fought in the same war.
The men also had their differences. First of all, they had loyalties to different sides. Grant was loyal to Lincoln, and even though Lincoln wanted the services of Lee, the latter decided to be loyal to his home side. Grant also had more experience than Lee. After graduating, Grant fought in the Mexican-American war where he was a second lieutenant in the army. Lee, however, only fought for the confederate armies. Another major difference, which defined the course of the war, was the fact that Lee could surrender but Grant could not. This is what eventually led to the end of the war since Lee surrendered to Grant in a bid to prevent more losses of his men. Regardless of the differences and similarities, it is agreeable that these two men were major figures in the civil war.
Reference
Ihric.org. (2012). Leaders of the Civil War. Retrieved on 25th Sept. 2012 from http://www2.lhric.org/pocantico/civilwar/leaders.htm
