Union Officer: Ulysses S. Grant

Ulysses S. Grant was Civil War general and soon after a American president. He was born in April 27th, 1822 in Georgetown, Ohio. As with most of my bios, i have a biography of him. (Its a little big long) Ulysses had a very successful career in the military even though he did not do very good in life before the civil war.
Grant was very interested in horses and preferred to ride instead of study. Despite his poor grades and lack of attention to school he got into West Point at the age of 17. He graduated 21st in his class and was brevet second lieutenant. He sent to the infantry, and was posted at St. Louis, Missouri. He later saw action in the Mexican War as had most great generals and married his wife. After the Mexican War, Grant spent many years all over the place and eventually resigned after being yelled for drinking heavily. Grant, then moved back to his home in St. Louis hoping to get another career off the ground but none of these other careers panned out for him. Finally, his two brothers hired him as a clerk until the start of the war. He was signed up to be in the union army but no one would give him command over a army. He was assigned to the Illinois Volunteers as regiment colonel. He was later promoted to brigadier general. Grant first saw action at a confederate camp in Kentucky. His men broke rank to ransack the camp but Grant was able to hold them together. Grant's next campaign would be in Tennessee. He had great success in defeating Fort Henry and Donelson. During this campaign Grant said his most famous words. "No terms except Unconditional Surrender and immediate surrender can be accepted"
Grant was then promoted by the President to a Major General and his first campaign was Shiloh . Grant was heavily criticized for this campaign. He had outnumber the confederates by a big margin but still took heavy causalities. Next Grant took on Vicksburg on the Mississippi. This was a key battle for the Union since it would split the confederacy. He won many battles after then in Tennessee and Mississippi. After being so successful, Grant was promoted twice, then given a gold medal for his success. He was finally promoted to general in chief. Once he was charge, he took charge and made a plan to attack the confederates on three fronts. If you remember the Union wanted a quick victory and Lincoln could not stand McClellan's lallygagging and hesitation. Vicksburg could very well be the turning point in Grants life.
Grant's plan was to use his 3 main generals to attack at different spots. Meade, Sherman, Butler and Grant himself. This plan worked even though the union took heavy causalities. Probably the most of the generals was Sherman who manage to cut supply lines and create havoc in the south. His famous march the "Sherman's march to the sea" was key in Grant's success and more importantly a Union victory. Finally the war end at the Appomattox's Court house on April 9th, 1865.
After the war, Grant was a instant President. He was so popular but this Presidency proved to be full of scandals and among other things. The main reason for these scandals was because Grant hired all of his friends and this made a corrupted government. Grant died poor, he wrote his autobiography and personal memoirs to make money and sold his war mementos. Grant died in 1885 on July 23rd. Grant was great military man but not so great at anything else. If you want more information on Ulysses S Grant just type in on Google or look it up in a encyclopedia. Grant is also on the 50 dollar bill as is Lincoln, Washington are on the 5 and 1 dollar bill respectively.




Next:William Tecumseh Sherman

Confederate Officer: Robert E Lee

Confederate officer Robert E Lee fought in the civil war and he was a great military general for the confederates. Lee was born in Virginia, January 19th,1807. This biography of him will give a summary of his life. I will be using outside information from a book called The Everything Civil War. I will be doing four more officers after this: Ulysses S Grant, Thomas Jackson, Jeb Stuart, William Tecumseh Sherman. Then I will start a battle breakdowns of battles such as Gettysburg, Antietam, Bulls run and more.
Robert E Lee was a great military leader and he was a loyal southerner. He was up against unimaginable odds. These losses were do to his lack supplies and troops. Robert E Lee entered West Point in 1825. After graduating second in his class without a single demerit. In 1829, he was assigned to the corps of engineers. He spent 17 years with the engineers. Lee like most civil war generals got their experience in the Mexican War. Lee was made the superintendent of west point but found it to be boring and transferred to the 2nd cavalry division. He spent much of his time in Texas from 1855 to the start of the civil war.
Lee was a very coveted general in the civil war, by June 1861 he was offered the total control of the union army but refused and decided to stay with his beloved state of Virginia. After turning down the Union offer, he was appointed to be a general in the Confederate army. Lee's first mission was to stop Union advances through the border line states. Especially West Virginia and he also organized defenses on the coast of South Carolina and Georgia. Finally in the end May of 1861 Lee took command of the Confederate army. Lee was out numbered by McClellan army by a least a 100,000. He made plan to condense the army and pin it against the union advances. In the battle of Bulls run, Lee somehow managed to push back McClellan's army and then in the second battle of Bulls run. Lee attack the Union army and the confederates won both of these battles. His troops morale were high and he decide to continue the invasion. Unfortunately McClellan somehow got his plans and had to take a defensive position at Antietam. This would prove to be one of Lee's greatest battles in the civil war. Neither side got anywhere and Lee retreated back to Virginia. Lee remained a underdog for most of the war but at the Fredricksburg, Lee defeat the Union and stop them from taking over the town. This was key to the south since the Union was close to Richmond. Lee also got victory in the Battle of Chancellorsville in May of 1863. Lee lost his most trusted general Thomas Jackson. Lee kept trying to advance north and eventually reached Pennsylvania. In PA, Lee took part in one of the deadly-est battle in American History. Lee had to retreat after taking heavy casualties in Gettysburg. Lee start the Wilderness campaign against another great union general Ulysses S Grant. Lee wasn't so successful and he could not hold the capture of Richmond. Lee fought very hard with very few troops and little supplies. But finally on April 9th, 1865 Lee surrender to Grant and that ended the war.
After the war Lee went home and he was indicted for treason. But he never faced trial. Lee became the President of Washington College in Virginia. Lee established the first Journalism and business colleges. Robert E Lee died on October 12th, 1870. Lee was great military leader and man.




Next: Ulysses S Grant

Union Officer: George B McClellan

George B McClellan was a officer for the Union in the civil war. McClellan was born on December 3rd,1826 and he was a very cocky and arrogant general. Here is a short biography of him. I will be telling you his life and his military career. As you can see McClellan was pretty young, he was only 59 years of age when he died. Again this will be shorter then the two Presidents.
McClellan was born in the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia. He was born into a wealthy family and he enter west point at 16. McClellan became a brevet second lieutenant in the Mexican War. McClellan proved to be a great military men and was eventually promoted to captain. After the Mexican war, He taught engineering at west point and then spent much of his time until the civil war in the west and in Europe to fight. After he returned from Europe, he retired to work in the booming railroad industry. McClellan went to college at 13 for law and then changed his mind to work for the military. He was very smart man and this would do him in the war but also ratted him out later on.
In 1861, McClellan took command over the Ohio Volunteers. He won in West Virginia earning him the promotion to Major General in the army. His first big battle in the civil war came after a union loss to the confederate in the first battle bulls run. McClellan was very cocky and arrogant and did not get along with the President Lincoln. The only reason Lincoln brought him in, was because he had reputation to be strict and was very good at training troops which the union desperately needed. McClellan underestimated the size of his army at the Manassas junction and then pushed on to the capital of Richmond. His army had about 270,000 men that was twice the size of the other army. He could have had a easy win, even with Lincoln pushing him he would not go. After Winfield Scott resigned, McClellan was promoted to general in chief of the federal forces. In 1862, January, President Lincoln give orders to move out and take the enemy head on. McClellan was so cocky and arrogant he did not move for another two months. He finally began to proceed with his Peninsular Campaign against Robert E Lee. McClellan won some battles but Lincoln could not stand him. He keep pulling back, and if you remember the Union want to win quick and so did the confederates. He was demoted from the position but no one could replace him with and so he became the general in chief once again. McClellan kept with his policy of slow moving tactics and when he could have just defeat Lee's army in a few quick battles.
Two of the greatest Generals met at the Antietam in September of 1862. More then 27,000 died that day in one of the bloodiest one day battles. McClellan could have once again finished Lee again. But due to his slow decision making, the confederates manage to escape before he could. Lincoln was still pushing to win the war quicky but McClellan just wouldn't budge. Eventually Lincoln forced him out for good. Mclellan enter politics as most generals do. He was a democratic Presidential candidate in the 1864 election. McClellan toured europe after his loss then was elected to be the governor of New Jersey. After being governor he work in the railroad industry and wrote book about his ventures in the civil war. George B McClellan died on October 29, 1885.
If YOU want to find out more about George B McClellan, then type his name in Google or visit a encyclopedia. I have used a book call The Everything Civil War Book to get most of the information.


Next: Confederate Officer Robert E Lee...
I will be doing 4 more officers, not including Lee. I will start doing Battle Breakdowns and then I will ask questions and answer them.

Union Officer: General Winfield Scott

Union Officer Winfield Scott was born in June 13, 1786. Here is a short BIOGRAPHY of him. He was a General for the Union during the civil war. I will doing a short summary of life and military career. As I have said before, I have a book called The Everything Civil War Book. I will be using it to explain what Scott's role was in the war about his life. This will be shorter then old Abe and Mr. Davis.
Winfield Scott had great military career, he was raised and work on a farm in Virginia. He then went to the college of William & Mary was a lawyer then he become a captain of the artillery in 1808. Scott fought in the War of 1812 and the Indian and Mexicans wars. Scott was praised by his future enemy Robert E Lee. Scott also became the first Lieutenant since George Washington. Not only did Scott serve in the military but he was a politician. He was Whig, he ran for President in the year of 1852 but lost to Franklin Pierce, the fourteenth president of US. Scott joined the military after he lost. He got the nickname "old fuss and feathers" because of how he dressed. Scott's military career really took off when the civil war started. He called on Robert E Lee as field commander since he was the Lieutenant Captain. Lee turned down this offer and went to his beloved state of Virginia. Since Lee turned this down, he went to another soon to be great general George McClellan. Scott and McClellan did not get along well and constant avoided each other.
During the War, Scott was not liked in the beginning because the Union's inability to win the war quickly. Unfortunately for Scott, he decide to step down when the Union lost Ball's Bluff. McClellan took over the command. Scott was a short lived hero, he spent the rest of his life traveling the world. General Winfield Scott died in 1866. Before he was ousted from his post, he came up with a plan to defeat to the Confederates. It was called the Anaconda Plan. He actually live to see it work. The Anaconda Plan was plan to take the confederate states. His a some information on what exactly it was.
If YOU want more information on General Winfield Scott then you go to Google and type his name or use a encyclopedia.





Next will be: George B McClellan(tomorrow)