Was Ulysses S. Grant Justified?

“Failures have been errors in judgement, not of intent,” said Ulysses S. Grant in his final state of union address as the 18th president of the United states. Ulysses S. Grant was one of the most famous people in America during the late 19th century, second only to Abraham Lincoln. He is known for leading the United States through the civil war, eventually winning the war for the northern states against the Confederacy. After winning the war, he became the eighteenth president of the United States. Growing up in Ohio, he was sent to West Point, where he learned how to be a good commander. Nonetheless, he did sacrifice many men to win the civil war. He also is accused of having a drinking problem. During his presidency, he appointed corrupt

The first reason that Ulysses S. Grant is criticized is because he was accused of not being a skilled general, and instead people say that General Lee, his enemy in war, was a superior general. Many historians from the time period say that General Grant sacrificed too many men in order to win the war, instead saying that his enemies fought better than he and his army did. When fighting the war, Grant did sacrifice many men in order to eventually win against the confederacy. What many people do not understand is that he did this for a strategic reason. According to history.com, Ulysses S. Grant understood that the southern confederacy had less men and less equipment than the further industrialized north, so killing as many enemy men as possible was necessary to win the war in a way that would wear down the enemy. Ulysses S. Grant chased General Lee’s army for a long time in order to finally reach it and defeat it. The defeating of General Lee’s army is considered by many to be the end of the civil war, showing that General Ulysses S. Grant was a superior general to many other generals in the United States’ history. He used tactics that may have seemed controversial, but did help

Many people believe that Ulysses S. Grant was one of the worst presidents ever to work in the oval office. A cabinet filled with corrupt officials and a bad recession was the main reason that people call his presidency one of the worst in history. It can be said that Ulysses S. Grant made some bad decisions. Nevertheless, he did try his hardest, and attempt to make the country a better and more equal place. Eric Foner, a historian at Columbia University, says that the reason he had such a corrupt cabinet was because he was such a trusting person. In the military, he was able to trust his fellow commanders to do things well and in a good manner, since people’s lives were at stake. As a politician, he thought that he could trust these same people to do well, and he gave them more free will than he should have. Trusting people too much was something that hurt him in his political career. Ronald C. White, author of American Ulysses: A Life of Ulysses S. Grant, likes to point out that Ulysses S. Grant did not even like politics. He did not want to be a politician, and only did to help the country. He had only voted once, and it was for a democrat, his opposing party, and he did it in an attempt to keep the union together. Ulysses S. Grant said, “I never wanted to get out of a place as much as I did to get out of the presidency.”