Ulysses S. Grant was the head of all Union armies in 1864. He trained at the U.S (union) military academy in Westpoint, was an accomplished horseman and after graduating served in the army. During the Mexican American War he served uner General Taylor & General Scott and observed their military tactics and leadership skills. On getting the opportunity to lead a company of soldiers into combat, he was praised for bravery under fire and was commended for efficiently overseeing supply logistics. After a few years he resigned form the army to spend more time with his family. However he was not successful in civilian life and rejoined the army when Confederate troops rebelled and attacked Fort Sumter in South Carolina. He went on to get a volunteer regiments ready which resulted in the earliest significant Union victories in the Civil War. Grant believed that taking down Confederate armies was far more critical than capturing territory, so he single mindedly tracked downed and destroyed General Robert Lee's Confederate army in Northern Virginia, which resulted in the end of the Civil War. Ulysses S. Grant went on to be elected as a U.S president.

Robert E. Lee was the leading Confederate during the civil war. He was part of an elite Virginia family and his father was Revolutionary War hero who served George Washington. He graduated from Westpoint with high honors. In the Mexican- American War, he served under General Scott and was highly praised as a brave battle commander and brilliant tactician. He turned down an offer form president Lincoln to command the Union forces because his commitment to the Union. In 1861, when Virginia voted secede from the Union, Lee agreed lead the Confederate forces. In 1862, he lead the army of northern Virginia, won the Seven Days battle at Antietam and 1,400 Confederate soldiers as well. In 1863, he lost the Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania, which resulted in termination of his invasions of the North. He eventually surrendered to General Grant in 1865, and forgiven by Lincoln and Grant went on to become the president of Washington College in Virginia.

Generals and Leaders

Ulysses S. Grant

Robert E. Lee