Why was Ulysses S. Grant qualified to lead the army?
While George McClellan (First commander of the Army of the
Potomac) was taking a long time to attack Robert E. Lee and the
confederates Grant was making much progress with his army in the
west. Winning battles such as The Battle of Shiloh and capturing
Forts Henry and Donelson.
Lincoln would later relieve McClellan of his duties and replace
him with Ambrose Burnside and make Grant head of all Union
armies.
Then Grant would win the siege against Vicksburg and destroy
Lee's army at Gettysburg. Grant would keep on attacking Lee at
every chance he got and not until 1865 would Lee surrender at the
Appomattox Court House in Virginia giving Grant and the rest of the
Union a Civil War victory.
IMPROVEMENT.
Being out discussion that Grant's "global strategy" led the
Union to win the Civil War, making him a hero, I would like to
point out followings:
- Ambrose Burnside was replaced by Joseph Hooker and the latter
by George Meade to command the Army of the Potomac.
- Grant was appointed General in Chief on March 9,1863 and
didn't fight at Gettysburg.
- Lee lost the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863, but George
Meade, the Union field Commander, couldn't manage to destroy his
army.
- Lee's surrender at Appomattox though pivotal, didn't put to an
end the Civil War,
which still lasted for more than a month.