Grant's Early Victories

Lincoln needed a good General after the spectacular failures of several previous. He found this General  in Ulysses Simpson Grant. Grant had given up the military and was working in a leather shop when the war broke out. Although, he had attended West Point is was at best a mediocre student. His military experience consisted of several posts in the wilderness during the Mexican war, where in his words boredom drove him to drink. he resigned his commission in the military to avoid a court martial for drunkenness.

His first success came in the Northern Tennessee Campaign. In 1862 he succeeded in capturing the Cumberland River and both Fort Henry and Fort Donelson. Later after traveling south to Shiloh, Grant was humiliated on the battlefield. Although he wan the battle, he had lost a huge amount of men in what most consider one of the bloodiest battles of the war. Several in Congress called for his removal, but Lincoln sided with Grant saying "I can't spare this man...he fights."

After Shiloh, Grants forces went west to the Mississippi, followed the river south and attacked Vicksburg. Vicksburg may be considered Grants best command of the war. Fighting lasted a very long time and only after the Confederates there ran out of food was Grant able to capture the town. In the meantime Farragut had entered the Mississippi from the south and captured Port Hudson. This with Grants capture of Vicksburg gave the Union control of the Mississippi River and the supply line of the South.

Grant was then transferred into East Tennessee, where in 1863 he fought several battles around Chattanooga. These included Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain. The Union considered the state of Tennessee free of rebels. Lincoln rewarded Grant by making him General-In-Chief.

The campaign from Grant's Chattanooga South into Georgia was taken over by Sherman.