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The general that Grant replaced, kept saying to Lincoln, "...I need this...before I conduct an attack...", next week, "...I need some more of those...before I conduct an attack..." a week later, "...I can't conduct an offensive until I get more of..." Then Grant arrived. Lincoln said to him, "when...?", Grant replied, we march at dawn!

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15y ago
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Grant had proved his ability by winning several battles and campaigns in the West, particularly his brilliant siege of Vicksburg. Lincoln called him to Washington to take overall command based on his record of success.

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Q: Why was Grant the general Lincoln had been waiting for?
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What rank was George McClelland in the American Civil War?

McClellan was a Major General ("two star general"). The Yankees had no one of higher rank than two stars, on the grounds that Washington had been a three star general, and nobody was as good as Washington, until Lincoln promoted Grant to three stars in 1864, so there would be no question that Grant outranked everybody and was in command. Grant was the only three star officer for the north - he was THE Lieutenant General. The south had 30 or so three stars and eight four stars.


How did general grant avoid defeat at the Battle of Shiloh?

Through a lucky chance - the Confederate General Beauregard decided to call a halt on the first evening. If he had pressed on, Grant's army would have been pushed into the Tennessee River.


What made Vicksburg so difficult to capture?

Geography, because its well-defended cliffs could not be attacked from the West. But Grant had been distracted from his original march down the East bank of the river, by the intervention of the political general John McClernard, who had raised a private army, with secret orders from Lincoln and Halleck. Why Grant could not be told about this directly is unclear. Perhaps Lincoln didn't want to encourage too much talk about private armies.


Why was grant more effective than McClellan?

Grant was very different from McClellan. They were both excellent in different fields, but Grant was more effective...McClellan was an excellent planner and had much experience on the battlefield, the problem was that he wasn't a very good leader. He wasn't good at making decisions in a fast-paced battlefield, and often kept many soldiers to doing nothing at very important points of the war. Although McClellan had kept the Union's morale in tip-top shape, they hadn't been doing to good in the war, especially a huge failed attack to seize Richmond, Virginia. Lincoln did not approve of McClellan, and he was out of the major general position after a brief term (November 1861 to March 1862).Now lets move on to Ulysses S. Grant (18th President of the United States)...As many people know, Grant was the last general Lincoln hired and won the Civil War against Robert E. Lee's stellar South. Unlike McClellan, Grant was an aggressive general and seized key points like Kentucky, Tennessee, and the Mississippi River. Grant was a fast-paced general that was definitely needed for the Civil War. The battle that won it all was when Grant's Union army captured Richmond (the Confederacy capital) in April 1865... the final blow for the Confederate army...So yes, Grant was a very effective general. After a series of different generals, Lincoln had found the perfect one!


What general was appointed by Lincoln because he knew how to fight?

Two in particular. Lincoln promoted Grant more than once, against resistance from Grant's enemies. He said "I can't spare this man. He fights." Lincoln also promoted Joe Hooker on the grounds that he was a fighter by nature, and he turned out to be that, and more - a very good organiser and morale-raiser. (Ironically, Hooker objected to his nickname 'Fighting Joe', which had been mistakenly written by a clerk, with the two words linked in error. At that time, an officer could be reprimanded for 'fighting' (meaning unruly punch-ups in barracks.)

Related questions

Who was the last Union commander of the Union army when the US Civil War ended?

Hiram Ulysses S. Grant, popularly known as Ulysses S. Grant served as a General and the 18th President of the US. He was also the last Lieutenant General (General-in-Chief) of the Union Army. Grant had been appointed to this position early in 1864. His outstanding battle victories convinced President Lincoln that Grant was the type of general he needed to win the war. Lincoln was well aware that Grant was a flawed general in that his drinking problem was national news. Lincoln chose to overlook this problem and hoped for the best. Lincoln also wanted to avoid the political problems that General George B. McClellan had caused. Therefore, Lincoln wanted to know if Grant had any political aspirations. Grant said he did not. Later, of course, Grant would run for the US presidency in 1868. He would win two terms.


How might the war have been different if Lincoln had appointed grant to lead the union forces?

But he did - Grant was appointed General-in-Chief in March 1864. You probably mean: what if Lee had accepted the offer at the outbreak of the war.


What controversy developed after Confederate General Early's raid directed at Washington DC?

Based on the "close call" of Confederate General Early's raid directed at Washington DC in 1864, Secretary of War recommended to President Lincoln that General Halleck be appointed to direct the defenses of Washington DC. US Grant, as general in chief had been promised by Lincoln that he would not interfere in military matters. Lincoln's decision was based on Stanton's advice, Grant believed he should decide what general or other high level officer should be appointed to guard the capitol.There was speculation that Lincoln made the decision in that it was reported that Grant had returned to drinking. Others have speculated that Grant's slippage was due to his grief over the death of Major General James B. McPherson on July 22, 1864.


What was discussed when Abraham Lincoln first met US Grant?

When Lincoln first me Grant, he informed the general that he had never wanted to interfere in military matters, but the lack of activity on the part of Union commanders forced him to do so IMPROVEMENT The first time Abraham Lincoln met Grant was on March 8, 1864, at the eve of Grant's official appointment to the rank of General in Chief of the United States Army, during the official party given by the President in honor of the general. Soon after Grant arrived at 9,30 PM, Lincoln accompanied him in a small studio, where, at the presence of the Secretary of War, Stanton and president's private secretary Nicolay, he described to the general the next day's ceremony. Then Grant was handed the text of the short speech Lincoln will address for the event and some suggestion about the way the general should have to reply. Therefore it was no argument which had been discussed during the meeting, because Grant didn't react to Lincoln's suggestion but on the following day he would have accepted the appointment reading a brief speech made out on his own. Sources: J.G. Hay & J. Nicolay - Abraham Lincoln & History, New York 1890 - Volume VIII Page 340 H. Porter - Campaigning with Grant - page 19.


Who was Lincoln with at the Ford Theater?

Abraham Lincoln was accompanied by his wife Mary, a Major Henry Rathbone and his fiance' Miss Clara Harris. Major General Ulysses Grant had been invited to join the president, but he and his wife Julia had declined.


The Union General who assumed commander of the army during the last year of the war was?

Ulysses S. Grant took command of the Union Armies during the final years of the US Civil War receiving full command of the troops in early 1864. He was appointed by US President Lincoln. Grant was also given the special title of Lieutenant General. Grant has been given credit for the general that defeated the South. This had been the title of George Washington and no other US general ever had it until it was given to Grant. The Confederacy used the title of lieutenant general during the war.


The Union General who assumed command of the army during the last year of the war was?

Ulysses S. Grant took command of the Union Armies during the final years of the US Civil War receiving full command of the troops in early 1864. He was appointed by US President Lincoln. Grant was also given the special title of Lieutenant General. Grant has been given credit for the general that defeated the South. This had been the title of George Washington and no other US general ever had it until it was given to Grant. The Confederacy used the title of lieutenant general during the war.


When did Union General US Grant become aware that casualties in the siege of Petersburg had a political goal?

The large amount of casualties the Union armies had been suffering saddened US President Lincoln. It also gave him political concerns as well. Northern newspapers, War Democrats and even members of the radical wing of the Republican Party, blamed President Lincoln for this. Each group of critics had their own reasons to press Lincoln on this subject. The casualty situation only intensified when US Grant had been appointed as General in Chief, replacing General Henry Halleck in that position. As 1864 unfolded, Grant's mission was to end the war. Hopefully before the November 1864 elections. The question as to whether Grant and President Lincoln were in agreement that Grant's operations in Virginia in 1864 were justified, a direct link to the Siege of Petersburg and holding down Union casualties are seen in public records of letters sent to Grant from the President. With that said, Grant eased up on frontal assaults in the siege of Petersburg in July of 1864.


What actors played Ulysses S. Grant in the movies?

Donald Crisp played General Grant in the 1915 silent epic movie "The Birth of a Nation".In the 1930 movie "Only the Brave", General Grant was played by Guy Oliver.Joseph Crehen played President Grant in "They Died with their Boots On" (1941) but he was not credited for it.In John Wayne's 1959 "The Horse Soldiers", Stan Jonesplayed General Grant.Harry Morgan played Grant in the 1962 version of "How the West Was Won".Rod Steiger played him in the 1992 TV movie "Lincoln".Senator Fred Thompson played General Grant in a 2007 TV movie "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee". And Harry Bulkeleyplayed him in a 2007 TV movie "Sherman's March".


What caused General in Chief US Grant to be called a butcher by citizens in Washington DC?

The Union's Secretary of the Navy, Gideon Welles had been a supporter of US Grant. This was known when Grant and he pushed for the capture of Mobile, Alabama, when US President Lincoln and General Henry Halleck trumped them by insisting that Texas was a more important target. After the Battle of Cold Harbor, however, Welles was less than a 100% backer of General Grant. Welles noted that people in the capital were calling General Grant a "butcher" based on his strategies and tactics in the Union's Virginia campaign 1864.


Why did mrs ulyssee's grant hate Mary Lincoln?

"Hate" may be too strong. Mrs. Grant considered Mrs. Lincoln ill-mannered and did not choose to be in her presence. In one instance, Mrs. Grant witnessed Mrs. Lincoln's jealous rant at a junior officer's wife. Mrs. Grant simply did all she could to avoid Mrs. Lincoln when it was at all possible. Some have suggested that this tension may have indirectly been a major factor in Lincoln's assassination. Almost certainly, Mrs. Grant pushed hard to get Grant to turn down an invitation to attend Ford's theater. If Grant had been there, a junior officer would have been along as an aid. Almost certainly Booth would never have made it to the Presidential box with a military presence.


What commanding Union general wanted US Grant to be relieved of duty?

Henry Halleck, in charge of the Western theater for the Union blamed US Grant for being caught by surprise and for the large amount of Union casualties. Fresh troops under the command of General Don Carlos Buell arrived to save the Union troops that had been hanging on by a thread. Lincoln decided not to take Halleck's advice on Grant.