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Robert E Lee Strengths And Weaknesses

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The American Civil War was extremely important to the time period. The outcome of the war decided what would be America’s foundation – equality or slavery. Robert E. Lee fought for the south, while Ulysses S. Grant fought for the north. Despite his fighting platform being in the defense of slavery, Robert E. Lee’s military genius cannot be ignored. Grant as well had his strengths and weaknesses, but in very different parts of his life than that of Lee. Bill Offer, a history professor at Panola Community College, said, “History may never see two men so different than that of Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant.” Although he lost the war, I believe that Robert E. Lee proved to be the better general because he was more qualified, he followed …show more content…

Because of his profound and superior education, Lee proves to have a more formal background for that of a general. A source says, “Lee became as close to a model cadet as the academy has ever had. Neatness, diligence, good conduct, and patience were absolutely necessary for a successful cadet. Lee possessed them all.” Contrastingly, Ulysses S. Grant graduated at the very middle of his class, and did not apply himself throughout his entire education. Additionally: “By his achievements he won a high place amongst the great generals of history…his strategy was daring always, and he never hesitated to take the gravest risks. On the field of battle he was as energetic in attack as he was constant in defense, and his personal influence over the men whom he led was extraordinary…his surpassing ability was never more conspicuously shown than in the last hopeless stages of the contest… friends and foes alike acknowledged the purity of his motives, the virtues of his private life, his earnest Christianity, and the un-repining loyalty with which he accepted the ruin of his party.” Clearly seen through these examples, Robert E. Lee surpasses grant in drive for military …show more content…

Lee dominated the strategy side of the war. He knew his opponents with great accuracy, and could navigate the battlefield like no other general. According to Dan Zeiser: “As a tactician, he was head and shoulders above Grant. Good defensively, Lee was even better on the offensive. He was bold and decisive, a calculating gambler…Splitting his army on several occasions, he surprised his opponents and won the day. Lee was a master of the holding attack, a tactic George Marshall would later instill as the only tactic taught at the Army War College prior to World War II.” With three-dimensional maps – almost like a board game – Robert E. Lee sat down with his lower officers and made sure they understood exactly what he wanted to accomplish. “First, as noted by Viscount Wolseley, Lee ‘knew what he wanted.’ Second, he had a thorough knowledge of his business – he ‘knew what an army should be.’ Third, it was Lee’s particular talent, especially in this time of crisis, that he was ‘quick in decision, yet methodical in all he did.’” Robert E. Lee provides countless examples of a better

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