Civil War

The Civil War began in the year of 1861. It was upon Abraham Lincoln being elected as the next president during the 1860 election that led to seven of the Southern states to secede from the Union.

There were several reasons why the South wanted to leave the Union. The major reason was to try keep the system of slavery installed. While Abraham Lincoln made it known when he was first elected that he was not going to make slavery illegal in the South, it was clear that the South did not trust his word.

Yet after states from the South started leaving one by one, Lincoln made it a point to state that he would go to war with the South in order to preserve the union.

Within the South, Robert E. Lee remained the general for the Confederate army throughout the entirety of the war. Ulysses Grant on the other hand did not start out as the general for the Union.

Rather within the North, it was Winfield Scott and George McClellan that were generals prior to Grant. These men did not have what it took though to win the war, for they played it too safe. Essentially, they were not willing to take chances. This is why Lincoln removed them and replaced them with Grant.

Grant took risks, but his risks were worth it. Due to his leadership and tactics, the North wore down the South, which ultimately led to the North’s victory over the South.