March 10, 1864 // President Lincoln appointed Ulysses S. Grant to lead the Union Army
On this day in history, March 10th, in 1864, President Abraham Lincoln appointed General Ulysses S. Grant to lead the Union Army in the Civil War. [1]
Walt Whitman described Grant as “nothing heroic . . . and yet the greatest hero.”
Grant was a common man in many ways. He had mediocre achievement at West Point followed by a respectable early military career that ended upon accusations of drunkenness. Throughout his life he struggled with alcohol and was repeatedly setback by mistrusting corrupt businessmen and politicians. His failures and dogged criticism led Grant’s soul to be described as “damaged.”
Yet Grant was also truly remarkable. He held high moral convictions and was a man of integrity. His military acumen enabled him to lead to victory in the Civil War. His two-term presidency was marked by reunification of the nation after the brutality of war and the championing of civil rights for African Americans in the vulnerable first years of emancipation.
What can we learn from this ordinary/extraordinary man?
1. Believe in your cause
For the first two years of the Civil War it looked unlikely that the North would win. Most of the military talent (including many of Grant’s West Point peers) and momentum belonged to the South. Even on his darkest day, Grant truly believed that the Union’s cause was right. His unwavering conviction gave him courage to lead and strengthened him during the grueling and complex challenges of the war. Morale amongst soldiers increased due to Grant’s belief and fidelity to the cause.
2. Be on the offense more than the defense
The Northern army faltered early on under generals who waited to the point of procrastination and who insisted on overwhelming readiness before taking offensive action. That strategy failed and resulted in the Confederate army’s decisive early victories.
Grant’s impulse was for offense. He paired his impulse with a pre-determined strategy along with flexibility in battle. This winning strategy convinced President Lincoln to promote Grant quickly. Grant also matched his offensive tendencies with continual learning and reflection. After each battle he took an honest assessment and quickly adapted, and taught his officers to do the same. By doing so he created a fighting force that was eager, astute and resilient.
3. Maintain your humanity
Grant was highly familiar with the scene of a wartorn field laden with fallen soldiers, yet his fellow officers noted his heartfelt sadness about the bloodshed of war. One one occasion as Grant was watching a line of injured soldiers pass by, a fellow officer heard him softly speak a line from a Robert Burns poem: “Man’s inhumanity to man / makes countless thousands mourn.”
His humanity could also be seen through his humility. Humility upon defeat is expected, but humility in victory shows true strength of character. Those close to Grant commented that he neither gloated after a battle won nor was vengeful towards the opposition. Grant’s demeanor consistently indicated that he saw himself simply fulfilling a necessary role for a necessary war.
4. Expect criticism. Seek encouragement.
His critics were potent and persistent. He faced sweeping criticism from high-ranking and self-promoting army leaders, from the press and from his own father and father-in-law. Grant was not above it all. The criticism added to his private struggle with self-doubt, which he carried heavily.
Early on, Grant realized that he needed a strong counterweight of encouragement, given by family and a few friends, to find confidence. In wartime, Grant asked for his wife, Julia, and at times his children, to accompany him near the battlefield for the strength and joy they provided to him. Julia accompanied her husband over 10,000 miles by the war’s end and lodged near some dangerous battlegrounds to provide a loving presence for her husband.
Grant was also the great benefactor of his close friend and fellow general, William Tecumseh Sherman (famous for his March to the Sea). These two generals were rugged on the exterior yet had souls that had been heavily bruised over the years. Sherman’s trust, empathy and loyalty towards Grant was noticed by many to be a key Grant’s ability to lead with confidence throughout the war.
5. Delegate
No general can win a war alone. Grant knew how to give clear, concise and timely direction to his troops. Grant also knew when and how to empower the officers under his command to give them decision making ability for their units that was consistent with the overall values and strategy of the army.
6. Endure
Throughout his life Grant endured through failure, floundering, sickness, poverty, addiction, betrayal and discouragement. Even towards his end of life as he suffered through throat cancer, Grant endured to write his renowned memoir, with help from Mark Twain, in order to provide for his wife after he was swindled (once again) out of his life’s savings. Imagine if Grant were to give up when it looked likely that he should – after his early military career, in his fight against an alcohol addiction, in the beginning of the Civil War, after his first term as president or on his deathbed. Dogged endurance was Grant’s key to building and providing for his family, for his ability to win the Civil War and for securing a united nation after four years of bloodshed.
Gran’t life is inspiring. We have all failed, stumbled, faced criticism, been humiliated and felt insecure. Grant’s life reminds us that even the most ordinary can be heroes for a greater cause.
Yet Walt Whitman had it wrong about Grant for he is not the “greatest hero.” Christ is. For the Lord Jesus is the greatest general and greatest hero. He is the perfect example of a leader, warrior, and human whose life demonstrates the goodness of the Father, the power of the Spirit and the glory of a life in faith and obedience to God.
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Footnotes & Notes
Insights on Grant are due to Ron Chernow’s celebrated biography, Grant, published in 2017.