|
| Ulysses S. Grant was a brilliant general for the Union
Army. He won many battles all throughout his life. Grant’s first attack was at Fort
Henry when he commanded gunboats and infantry to attack the fort. Due to bad roads, the
army did not get to the fort in time to attack. But luckily the river flooded and the
Confederate troops fled the fort to save themselves from drowning. After success at
Fort Henry, Grant decided to capture Fort Donnellson with land and sea attacks. The
gunboats were stopped after a minor skirmish, so the infantry took the fort with ease.
Grant was promoted to Major General after he took the fort. The Battle of Shiloh sent Grant’s reputation suffering. He lost a total of 1,754 men. After the battle he was known as "Butcher of Men." The battle of Vicksburg made Grant more widely known for not using traditional means of battle. He set up false battlefronts to confuse the Confederates. In October of 1863 Lincoln put Grant in command of all Union troops. Shortly after a major battle took place, The Battle of Chattanooga. Grant led his troops there to a major victory. After Chattanooga Lincoln had complete faith that he would win the war against the Confederacy. The Battle of Cold Harbor was a terrible loss for the Union and Grant. Grant was fighting a losing battle and kept retreating and coming back and losing more and more men trying to win. Grant suffered great losses and lost the battle. After three battles with no success, Wilderness, Spotsylvania, and Cold Harbor, Grant moved his troops south of the James River to Petersburg. He decided to sieze Petersburg; the siege took the lives of 8,000 men and lasted nine months. One of Grant's strategies was to do the unexpected. Once he found where the Confederates were, instead of attacking them he would move around them. He would also divide his troops into three parts and attack from all sides. Note on Unit Strength Squad = 10 men Platoon = 40 men Company = 200 men Battalion = 1,000 men Regiment = 3,000 men Division = 20,000 or more men |
