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Bruce Catton Analysis

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It is very appealing to me how the author went about writing this essay. He didn’t just blurt out the difference and similarities between the two great generals. Instead he started with some background about how the two generals met at a courthouse to sign papers that virtually ended the Civil War. He then proceeded to talk about Lee’s background and upbringing, and did the same for Grant. Through this he was able to bring about the main point of contrast between the two generals; their motive for fighting. Shortly after talking about how the two are different, he began to show how the two generals were similar in their determination and fervor to fight. Throughout the essay, the author, Bruce Catton, is able to keep a very neutral tone. He never picks a side which I think is very important in a compare and contrast essay. It is the most fair way to display information to a reader since there is no bias and opinion getting in the way of the facts at hand. …show more content…

Grant believed that all of the United States should be one large community, while Lee believed that the only important connection is to your home region. OF these two point of views, I think I have to agree more with Grant. It is called the United States of America for a reason, we shouldn’t be only loyal to our home towns, but rather to the country as a whole. If I was in Lee’s position, where I was trained as a general in the North, but when the war broke out and my hometown was part of the South, I would’ve stayed and fought with the North. While I do believe it is good to stay in touch with your roots, every man does owe it to their country to serve and protect against others who are trying to break the country apart. Lastly, I find it very interesting how even though Grant and Lee have had a very different upbringing, the way they fight is still very much the

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Grant on the other hand was not raised wealthy at all he knew the struggle, he had a vision for where he thought the future was going. Completely different, but exactly the same when it came to their personality. Almost the same even when they were fighting, Grant fought with tenacity, Lee fought knowing he would give his life at any second if he had too. This is why people looked up

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396 Words | 2 Pages

There have been many prominent leaders that have molded America into what it is today, Lee is one of them. Robert E. Lee was born in Virginia, January 19, 1807, although one historian believes has was born one year earlier (Wikipedia.com 1). Little is actually known about his childhood, and Lee scarcely mentioned it as an adult. His father, Henry “Light Horse” Lee, left him and his family at a young age and never returned. In 1825, Robert E. Lee attended West Point and graduated second in his class in 1829.

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1639 Words | 7 Pages

Grant was a very prominent figure of the time period and led the Union to victory and helped heal the fractured United States afterward. General Grant began his military career at West Point when he was just sixteen. He was top of his class and when he graduated, he began his four years of service and went into combat in the Mexican-American War. He was promoted to captain as a result of his bravery during the war. After this, his four-year commitment to the army was up, he left and did not expect to come back.

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689 Words | 3 Pages

In September 1862, a battle was fought in a small town in Maryland. More lives were lost than any other battle or war that the United States has ever experience before or since. This battle had no true winner but it did have consequeses that changed the course of the Civil War. In James M. McPherson’s book Crossroads of Freedom Antietam The Battle That Changed the Course of the Civil War, he shows how small events added up to lead to the Battle of Antietam and ultimately to the North winning the Civil War.

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865 Words | 4 Pages

Most Americans are aware of President Lincoln’s famous speech at the battlefield of Gettysburg, but despite the fact that Lincoln’s eulogy was commemorative many people today likely have forgotten the circumstances surrounding the battle. Shaara tells the story from the perspective of both the Union and Confederate generals, which allows the readers to amerce themselves in the situation unlike any other Civil War book. It’s no surprise that at the beginning of the novel the confederate army is happy with the direction they are going. Up to this point they have completely beaten back the North by beating them in battles fought on their side, and with Robert E. Lee as their general, the South is confident that they are going to be the victors.

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906 Words | 4 Pages

These days could very well have been the absolute turning point of the Civil War. At the start, the brilliant General Lee, one of the most adored and influential men of the south, led the confederate army into Pennsylvania in hopes to win victory over the Union Army by luring the north into battle. The next character. Chamberlain, who happens to be the main Union voice of the novel, led the twentieth Maine, and consequently as a grand reward due to heroic actions received the congressional medal of honor. Chamberlain is both depicted as a soldier and professor.

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240 Words | 1 Pages

Catton wrote this essay in a manner that is an exemplar student comparison and contrast essay. He used both methods of subject-by-subject and point-by-point to show the comparison and contrast. At first, he contrasted between the two generals and used the subject-by-subject method. Paragraphs four through six were all about Lee and there was no contrast yet since Catton had only introduced Lee at that time in his essay. Then, in paragraphs seven through nine he talked about Grant and contrasted the two generals using point-by-point since he had now introduced both generals in his essay.

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277 Words | 2 Pages

Ulysses S. Grant, The Unlikely Hero by Michael Korda is a story about the life of Ulysses S. Grant. Grant became one of the first presidents to be elected without barely giving a speech. One lesson that can be learned from his life is that one shouldn't give into substance abuse. Grant’s habit of smoking eventually ended his life through throat cancer.

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607 Words | 3 Pages

How would an individual feel if their school was integrated? Or had conditions so bad to the point where they can’t focus on their education? Well I’ve been given multiple sources to analyze Detroit Public Schools and schools in the 1950’s to tell you how they dealt with these issues and many others; So, I’ll be comparing and contrasting the two. Both subjects had multiple comparisons and contrasts, but some more than others.

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746 Words | 3 Pages

Before this Lee was making all the Union Generals look terrible and then the Union finally got a win. This changed the whole war because then the Union started winning more battles and they would add up and eventually lead to them winning the war. There was no chance of the Union winning the war until this

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505 Words | 3 Pages

Comparison and Contrast Analysis “A Study in Contrasts” In his essay “A Study in Contrasts,” Bruce Catton effectively delineates the extreme contrasts between Civil War generals Ulysses S. Grand and Robert E. Lee, but also describes their surprising similarities. Cattons’s purpose in employing comparison and contrast in his essay is to describe the differences in the two Civil War generals from the North and the South and how their colossal differences reflect the sectional tensions that lead to the war, but also how they have remarkably similar fighting qualities that help pave to road to peace after war. For instance, he corroborates that Lee was an aristocrat that valued tradition and culture. Catton states that Lee believed that men were

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1148 Words | 5 Pages

Robert E. Lee’s (1807-1870) contribution to the United States as a war general and commander received positive connotations for his commitment, attitude and inspiration on the battlefield. However, it is debateable about his contributions because of Robert Lee’s association in the Civil War (1861-1865) to the Confederate Army that fought for the Southern States. Robert Lee lead many successful campaigns and battles including the following; helping defeat Mexican armies that lead to U.S land gains and westward expansion, battles against a more powerful army in the Civil War. Despite these achievements Lee’s loyalty for the Confederate Army that fought to uphold slavery undermines his success and is highly debateable about whether his contribution is justified or not. Robert Lee’s contributions to his nation begin before the Civil War in the Mexican-American War (1846-1848).

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408 Words | 2 Pages

General Lee chose to surrender to General Grant. Even though he surrendered, he was still a great general and leader. After all, both General Grant and General Lee were very good examples of what it meant to be superior leaders. They both fought hard, and led very appropriately. Both men symbolized characteristics of what it meant to be a good human leader.

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458 Words | 2 Pages

The books that are being compared and contrasted are both about The Civil War and what these soldiers went through. Each book has a few differences that separate them. The books are based on the same time period so they are going to have a lot in common. The books describe what both characters had to go through during the war. The differences in the book will show you how each soldier went through the war differently and the similarity’s will show you how it was for most of the soldiers in the Civil War.

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878 Words | 4 Pages

McClellan, Thomas W. Cutrer used the diary and letters of one who would "lead one of the most distinguished lives of his era" ( Cutrer, 12), George Brinton McClellan. In his letter and diary as newly second lieutenant during the Mexican War, we see many of the characteristics that would take him to become the general, and later on governor. In his introduction Curtrer describes McClallen as talented, ambitious, arrogant, snobby (Curtrer, 12), and throughout McClallen 's diary and letter we can see these and other characteristics that made the man. Curtrer 's book gives us not only an insight into what McClallen 's years during the civil war, into his personality, but it also is a historical narrative that includes other figures such as Joseph G. Totten, Robert E, Lee, Winfield Scott, Abraham Lincoln and James K.

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