Military Leadership No Control Group Exists - 1518 Words

Military leadership is forever difficult to umpire as no control group exists. One may see the verdict of hindsight view passive strategy unfavorably, like General George McClellan who built the Union army in the early stages of the war but was a lethargic and fearful field commander who seemed incapable of gathering the courage to assertively take on Confederate General Robert E. Lee, an American soldier best known for commanding the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia; others are indicted on being too reckless. Shelby Foote, an American historian and novelist, describes the massacre on Gettysburg by Major General George Pickett, proclaiming, â€Å"And that was the mistake he made, the mistake of all mistakes....and there was scarcely a†¦show more content†¦In February of 1862, Ulysses S. Grant took control of all union forces following his impressive governance over the reinforced Confederates under Brigadier General Gideon J. Pillow at the battle of Fort Donelson (Gran t 149). Ultimately, he developed a grand strategy to defeat the Confederacy and in the end, with much resistance, succeeded. Grant began to greatly take advantage of the Northern upper hand in resources, transforming the war into a bloody but efficient battle of attrition. He in this manner revived the Northern war exertion and saw it through to its finish, with General Robert Lee surrendering on April 9, 1865, at the McLean House in Appomattox, Virginia (329). The battle of Shiloh (April 6-7, 1862), the Civil War’s first catastrophically bloody battle, serves as an illustration of Grant’s military prowess. The implementation of sound tactics with the advantages provided to him explicitly in Shiloh and throughout the American Civil War, along with his sincere concern and belief in his troops, result in victory here and in the conflict altogether. Following defeats at Fort Henry and Donelson, Confederate Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston, commander of the western armies within the Western Department, withdrew to Corinth, Mississippi in order to start preparing for an offensive maneuver against Grant (150). He was eager to catch Grant before the Army of the Ohio under Major