Despite the achievements and failures of Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee both wanted the same thing, to preserve the Union. The problem is that Lee was a sectionalist, although he wanted to preserve the Union, it was state before country for him. Both generals attended West Point Military Academy. Grant was not as studious as Lee, who graduated second in his class out of thirty nine. Whereas, Grant graduated in the twenty first spot in his class of thirty nine. Lee was all about tradition and Grant was always looking towards the future. Both fought in the Mexican War, they commanded the entire armies of both sides. Though the achievements of Grant and Lee were alike in their early lives, the differing results at the pinnacle of their careers changed the entire direction of a nation. Lee did not like the idea of the South seceding from the Union , though he knew he could not fight against his home state, Virginia. President Lincoln offered him the job of Commanding General of the Union Army. He led Confederate soldiers through four bloody years of combat. Lee knew how to move an army quickly and had a good sense of when he should attack and retreat. Lee was born on January 19, 1807. He married Mary Custis and died on October 12, 1870. On April …show more content…
When the war began, he was not even a soldier. He re-enlisted in the army in 1861. Whenever Lee surrendered at the Appomattox Court House, Grant showed respect and compassion to Lee and the Southern soldiers. In the beginning, Grant handled the West. He won the battle of Vicksburg, which was a huge turning point in the war. He capture Fort Henry and Fort Donelson. He also won the battle of Chattanooga. Grant is the most remembered general of the North not just because he won the war for the North but because of his hard work and compassion. He was born on April 27, 1822. He died on July 23, 1885. He was a president twice, representing the Republican