The Role Of Ulysses S. Grant In The American Civil War

Throughout American history the United States had many inspiring generals. These generals include the very first president of the United States, George Washington. However, he comes in a close second to Ulysses S. Grant. The oldest of six sibling, Grant grew up in a small town in Ohio. While growing, his dream was to become a math professor, however, he joined the infantry instead. On September 30, 1843, Grant reported to St. Louis, Missouri, at Jefferson Barracks, this was the start of a very successful military career. Ulysses S. Grant was the most successful general in American history. In May of 1846, Grant was promoted in his ranks to a second lieutenant. His regiment began fighting a war for control of Texas, also known as, the Mexican-American …show more content…
When given the difficult choice of whether to abandon the Union and join the Confederacy or not, the future president decided to join the Union. Many believed Grant was unlikely to succeed in these series of gruesome battles. During the beginning of the American Civil War, Ulysses S. Grant was appointed colonel over a regiment, which was occupied by volunteers from the state of Missouri. The lack of experience did not affect Grant’s faith in his troops, the experienced fighter, not only trained his regiment, but experienced them as if they were veterans from the previous wars. During his early encounters, Grant had realized that the many opposing him, including but not limited to Confederate leaders “had been just as afraid of him as he was with them.” (Yancey, 60). The future leader’s confidence grew, and as time went on he became brigadier general in the year of 1861. The war continued, and a lot of potential was being shown by Grant. This included the potential characteristics of being a strong leader and a great fighter. During September of 1861, the new general captured two victories for the Union. One of the first victories he obtained was when Paducah, Kentucky was captured, without firing a single shot. Shortly later, Grant had captured Fort Donelson in Tennessee. This battle marked the first major victory for the Union in the American Civil War. Ulysses S. Grant proved, by his actions, that he knew how to take charge. This display of power feared many who opposed the great leader. A famous political figure that can be related to Ulysses S. Grant is Hitler. Aside from the Holocaust, Hitler was a leader who did his job, especially as commander of the military. By using the element of fear he invaded, and eventually seized control of multiple countries across Europe. This fear not only kept others paranoid at times, it