The Civil War: Compare and Contrast of General Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee

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On April 12, 1861, the Civil War began and it lasted until April 9, 1865. Throughout the course of the four year battle between the Northern states and the Southern states. There were several comparisons and contrasts between General Ulysses S. Grant and General Robert E. Lee. The Civil War was started because of the economic, racial, and social issues between the Northern and Southern states in the United States. The aftermath of the war was a complete an utter devastation when it came to casualties. The Civil War was documented as the deadliest in American History it caused about 620,000 soldiers death and an undetermined amount of civilian causalities; it ended slavery, restored the Union, and strengthened the role of the federal government. General Grant and General Lee were both graduates of West Point. General Lee graduated from West Point in 1829 second in his class and General Grant graduated in 1843 twenty-first in his class. While both great generals started, their military careers the same way the rest of their careers were very different. General Lee was a great military general continuing a family tradition while Grant simply excelled at something he was forced to do. Through correspondence of letters both General Grant and General Lee agreed to end the war on April 9, 1865 in at the village of Appomattox Court House. Some believe if General Lee had more support and ammunition then he would have been the winner easily and it would not have taken four years to get the job done. The Comparison of General Grant and General Lee There were many comparisons between the two generals over the course of the Civil War. General Grant and General Lee both attended the US Military Academy at West Point and both served in the army after graduation. Even though General Grant and General Lee attended West Point, they attended for different

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