Vicksburg: If Grant Won The Civil War

Improved Essays
Rebuttal: If Grant had not captured Vicksburg, situated on the banks of the Mississippi river, which gave Union forces complete control of the Mississippi river, the Confederacy would have been able to use the Mississippi river to transport supplies, would not have split the South into two and stopped Southerners from getting much needed supplies coming in from the west. “A Yankee captain wrote home to his wife “The backbone of the Rebellion is this day broken. The Confederacy is divided…Vicksburg is ours. The Mississippi River is opened, and Gen. Grant is to be our next President.” (P. 407 Roark) Also, if the railroad system did not fall that would have allowed supplies to be shipped to soldiers. I feel that after the fall of Vicksburg the …show more content…
I believe everything was on the line in the election of 1864. Further, Generals in the second half of the war like Grant, Sherman, and Sheridan were all Republican generals who destroyed resources in the South, plantations, food supplies, slaves, and railroads. Democratic leaders earlier in the war like McClellan did nothing to destroy the South’s economy. Those generals were not against slavery, but only wanted to hold the Union together. If Grant had not won, the battle of Vicksburg it would not have split the South shrinking the size of the Confederacy by knocking out states. The South would not have been opened to become ravished by Sherman and his army. If the North did not win the battle of Gettysburg it would have split the North and a victory might have been possible for the South. Furthermore, the South really did not have to win, they just had to not loose since lowered morale of the war in the North. Public opinion puts pressure on Democrats to stop the war. “Democrats were labeling the Republican administration a “reign of terror” and denouncing as unconstitutional Republican policies expanding federal power, subsidizing private business, and emancipating the …show more content…
Jefferson Davis’s poor leadership or insubordination to work together with his generals, the South’s failure to gain, England and France’s support to their cause, morale of the South towards the war 's end and the Norths superior resources made the outcome inevitable. The Civil War was a trying time for both the South and the North, but the signs of the South’s outcome were obvious from its beginning. The North won decisive victories over the ill equipped south. Northerners experienced an enormous industrial boom rather than facing difficulties of war. To the South it was debilitating and draining like a leech sucking the land dry of economic hardships. The debate on the Civil War 's outcome will always be full of “what ifs?” and so on any comprise to be reached. “In less than two years, Lee handed his sword to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox. The day after he surrendered, the Confederate general offered this explanation: “After four years of arduous service marked by unsurpassed courage and fortitude, the Army of Northern Virginia has been compelled to yield to overwhelming numbers and resources.” (P. 284

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Battle of Vicksburg By: Declan McLaughlin The Battle of Vicksburg affected the Civil War because it was about who got control of the Mississippi River. At the beginning of the Civil War, the Confederacy had control over the Mississippi River because they owned the land at the mouth of the river. The issue is they do not have any airplanes to bring in supplies, and it's tough to bring supplies from New York to Missouri.…

    • 530 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The outcomes of Vicksburg were monstrous. Consolidated with Lee's annihilation at Gettysburg on July 3, it was a shocking hit to the Confederacy. Yet, Vicksburg's misfortune was from numerous points of view more critical to the war. Presently, Union powers had complete…

    • 575 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    While America may have fought many wars before the Civil War, the Civil War was unique in that the two opposing sides of the war were parts of America in disagreement. The North, and The South. Against tremendous odds and opposition, the North won this Civil War and gave us the union we have today. But how did they accomplish this tremendous feat? The short answer, General Ulysses S Grant's competence as a military leader, the advantage of greater man and industrial power, and the leadership of President Lincoln.…

    • 904 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    As it was assisted by the lack of resources that the Confederacy possessed as they struggled to maintain any kind of stability within its economy, the lack of cooperation throughout the South’s military and its inability to make decisions politically that would assist the cause. It was also due to Grant’s ability to build good relationships with many of his generals, particularly Sherman, and the President was key to his success within the war. As the historian T. Harry Williams stated, “There is no difficulty in composing a final evaluation of Ulysses S. Grant. With him there be no balancing and qualifying, no ifs and buts. He won battles and campaigns, and he struck the blow that won the war.”…

    • 519 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    James M. McPherson Crossroads of Freedom: Antietam Freedom by definition states that one is allowed to speak, think, or act without restraint or fear of severe consequence. During the time surrounding the Civil War, freedom was synonymous with liberty in the sense that that was what the Union was striving for. McPherson argues that The Battle of Antietam was the most crucial turning point in relation to the Civil War. He states that without this battle, there was the chance that freedom in America would not be achieved. His main point in “Crossroads of Freedom” are the events leading up to Antietam, the bloodiness of the battle, and its aftermath.…

    • 1020 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    When one thinks of the Civil War in the United States, the Union winning that war and how the deficiencies of the South plagued them are some concepts that would come to the mind. This was certainly the case for author David H. Donald in his book, Why the North Won the Civil War. The book consists of essays written by different historians explaining why they thought the Union won the war. The essays focused on a specific reason behind the victory of the Union. Of all the writers who contributed to Why the North Won the Civil War, David H. Donald presents the strongest thesis.…

    • 717 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Gettysburg campaign (several related operations aimed at subduing the Union) was the Confederacy’s last ditch attempt to turn the war in their favor. Although the history books now tell us that Lee’s army failed and were forced from the deep North never to return that far ever again (Doc A), we lest not forget an alternative scenario in which Lee’s army won. Had this scenario occurred, then the North would be on the ropes, as the Confederacy would not cease to capture everything that belonged to the North. It is worth mentioning that in addition to the superior tactics of General Meade’s Army, the contributions of President Lincoln cannot be overlooked. With a newfound strategy in place called the Anaconda Plan, the North hoped to suffocate (thus the plan’s name) the Confederacy.…

    • 495 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    According to T. H. Williams, the North won the Civil war because they “brought forward generals who were able to grow” and would employ new ways of war. Although Civil war generals trained at West Point together and grew up in the same establishment, some were more successful than others hence Grant and Sherman having the ability to adapt. In the Civil war, there were only three important generals: Lee, Grant, and Sherman. They were great leaders since they were mentally tough and did not care much for casualties since they were big in numbers. The greatest among those three was Grant due to his common sense since it made “him able to rise above military dogma.”…

    • 135 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    It seemed like the turning point and the battle that really stood out was when Pope was attacking Stonewall Jackson. If Popes reinforcements would have arrived like he thought they would, would the outcome of this particular battle be different? I believe so, I think the Union army would not have suffered as many casualties as they did and the morale for the Union army would not have been as down as it was. Defensive minded McClellan cost the union multiple opportunities to do some damage to the confederate army. If McClellan were not demoted new generals would not have been appointed to armies.…

    • 754 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The North Won the Civil War, but the South Won Reconstruction Many problems were faced in the U.S. after the Civil War caused by the death of Abraham Lincoln, a new president, and major differences in people’s opinions. The two main forces of power after the Civil War both had the same thoughts on many topics, and coincidently many of these thoughts and ideas were what started the Civil War. Andrew Johnson was left to be president when Lincoln’s death occurred, and it just so happens that he did not share much of the same opinions as Lincoln. Radical republicans believed that Southerners should be punished versus apologizing and becoming a part of the Union.…

    • 186 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Sherman once blurted out to a fellow officer: "I am a damned sight smarter than Grant; I know a great deal more about war, military history, strategy and grand tactics than he does....” (Military Leadership of North and South) Sherman recognized that the Northern military leaders were smarter and knew what it would take to win the Civil war. The Northern leaders were smart enough to prohibit freedom of speech and other liberties to keep the soldiers obedient and disciplined. They won the war due to the superiority of the Northern leaders and their ability to suspend certain liberties, the advantage that allowed the little guy to win in the past, that the South…

    • 827 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The northerners were ecstatic that a candidate running for president did not support the expansion of slavery, while the south feared of Lincoln winning the presidency. In fact, Lincoln did not win the popular vote but he won the electoral vote. Yet, Lincoln still won the election without a single vote from the south. The south believed that Lincoln was trying to abolish slavery completely and thought they would lose all political power. If the south would have accepted the win of Lincoln, the civil war could have been prevented.…

    • 1102 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Furthermore, the Civil War freed slaves and months after the war the 13th Amendment was ratified which abolished slavery. The Confederate states also joined the Union sometime after the civil war. My thought is that if the war wouldn’t have occurred there would still possible be slavery as in the 18th century and of course a divide between the Union and the Confederate. What’s more, if the South would have won the war I believe that the flag individuals would see everyday would have been the confederate flag; however, the Union defeated the Confederates and ended slavery and still protected the Union which…

    • 1928 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The Southern states desired to make decision for themselves within the state, which was ultimately the right to practice slavery. Had we avoided the Civil War, slavery would had probably continued for a much longer period, although eventually it would have been phased out, due to the inventions of machinery and also by the pressure of other…

    • 808 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays