Who Was Your Daddy and What Did He Do

Let’s start with probably the most recognisable American Tank of the War. Ladies and Gentlemen I present the Sherman.

30+ Tons of American Engineering, the famous 76mm gun and worldwide service has made the Sherman a staple of wargamers but who was the real Sherman?

William Tecumseh Sherman was a General during the American Civil War and fought for the Union. Like most of the Generals on both sides Sherman had a long history of Military service graduating West Point in 1840 and saw some service in the Seminole War.

Sherman did not take part in the Mexican-American War, being one of only a handful of future Civil War Generals not to take part in the war. Sherman resigned his Commission in 1853. He also married his Foster Sister which is a little weird.

When the Southern States began to succeed Sherman offered his services to the military who promoted him to Colonel of the 13th US Infantry who he lead at the battle of Bull Run (First Manassas) and was noticed by Lincoln who had him promoted to Brigadier General. Quite the Jump from Captain to Brigadier in less than a decade!

Sherman joined the Army of West Tennessee which was soon lead by future US President General Ulysses S. Grant who we will be covering later. He fought in some Major Battles of the theater including Shiloh and Vicksburg.

General Grant was promoted out of his Command which then fell to Sherman. Sherman then took three Armies with a total of 100,000 men into Georgia where he succeeded in taking the Capitol Atlanta which he sacked and ordered the burning of all Government and Military Buildings, although fire tends to not discriminate between the Governor’s Mansion and the local pub.

This would set the standard for Sherman’s actions for the rest of the war.

What made Sherman famous however was his famous “March to the Sea”. After being ground to a halt in order to protect his lines of supply and communication Sherman was cut loose. He was given permission to march south and in his own words “Make Georgia Howl”.

Sherman lead his troops south towards Savannah Georgia living off the land, looting and destroying from the local population as he went. Sherman’s March to the Sea is often described as one of the first acts of “Total War” although I would disagree with that definition but this isn’t the place for that conversation here.

Sherman marched his troops to Savannah and captured it before offering it to President Lincoln as a Christmas Present.

Sherman then sailed North and lead his army on a similar Campaign through South Carolina, burning and looting his way to the City of Columbia which then burned down. To this day no one is entirely sure of who started the fires but most sources point to Sherman’s past behaviour as a reason for him having lit the fire.

Now why did the British choose Sherman as the name for the latest tank? Well he was the next most well known General from the American Civil War. Lee and Grant known for their own exploits had already been used so the next famous General was the famous Sherman and his “March to the Sea”.

After the War Sherman went on to Serve during the Grant Administration, he had been a friend of Grant’s since their first meetings and I’ll wind up this entry with a quote by Sherman about Grant.

It’s 1941 and Commonwealth forces are battling the German’s and their Italian Allies in North Africa. Until this point Britain had to rely on their own tanks but that was about to change with the arrival of the Light Tank M3 from the United States of America.

Nicknamed the “Honey” by the British because it “ran like honey” compared to the breakdown prone Crusader Series and the capacity to fire effective HE Shells amde the M3 a popular tank among the Commonwealth Tank Crews.

Before long however the Stuart was soon taken out of the main line and assigned to Reconnaissance and Observation units where it behaved with distinction befitting it’s namesake, General J.E.B. Stuart considered by some to be the greatest American Cavalry General of all time.

Both the M3 and M5 Light Tanks were known as the Stuart.

James Ewell Brown Stuart, known as J.E.B. Stuart due to his initials, was a famous Confederate Cavalry Officer during the American Civil War.

Joining the Army in 1855 Stuart got his first command with the Texas Mounted Rifles which gave him valuable knowledge of scouting and reconnaissance cavalry tactics. Stuart fought against the Native Americans demonstrating commendable bravery in the line of fire and developed a reputation as a “Dandy” wearing bright flowers in his lapel, enormous feathers in his hat and drenching himself is imported cologne.

He participated in the infamous “Bleeding Kansas” but this wouldn’t be his last involvement with the famous, or infamous, John Brown. When John Brown and his associates seized the Federal Armoury at Harper’s Ferry Stuart managed to get himself assigned as ADC to the then USA Army Colonel Robert E. Lee who lead United States Marines against Brown who was captured and executed following his failed Slave Uprising.

Like Sherman Stuart did not see service in Mexico although this was because he joined the Army a decade after the war rather than not being assigned to it.

Stuart was quickly promoted to the Rank of Major General in the Confederate Army where he made a name for himself during the Peninsula Campaign. Noticing that the Union flank was vulnerable Stuart embarked on an ambitious 150 Mile raid which circumnavigated the Union army capturing over 100 men, destroying valuable supplies and send the Union supply lines into disarray. He managed to accomplish this feat against the far more spread out Union Cavalry which were lead by his Father in Law who had remained a Union man.

Stuart proved to be an excellent Cavalry commander who had a great ability to screen his allies in battle and execute fruitful raids that returned valuable intelligence. Stuart’s raids and bravado are often sighted as the model that the Confederate Cavalry would follow for the war especially in the actions of Mosby (The Gray Ghost who had the Union so scared that they dismantled the bridges to D.C. at night) and Forrest (Future founder of the KKK who lead an extremely successful Guerrilla Campaign in the West).

Stuart screened the Confederate Army during their short lived Maryland Campaign of 1862 where he again circumnavigated the Union army replicating his earlier feat which embarrassed the Union Army but did little actually damage to their forces. Stuart then lead another raid a few months later but rather than circumnavigate the Union Army he penetrated it’s lines capturing mainly pack animals and beasts of burden but what makes this raid famous is Stuart’s famous telegraph.

Stuart had his men tap into the Union Telegraph lines and sent a simple message to the Union Quartermaster General Meigs. “General Meigs will in the future please furnish better mules; those you have furnished recently are very inferior.” Signed J.E.B. Stuart.

The brilliant reputation of J.E.B. Stuart was to be forever tarnished during the Gettysburg Campaign. Stuart camped his men ahead of the Confederate lines in preparation to screen the Confederate Armies advance, the Union believed the act to be the prelude to a large raid and so launched their own spoiling attack on Stuart. This would be the largest Cavalry engagement of the American Civil War with over 15,000 Cavalry involved. Stuart was totally surprised by the Union forces and although the Battle is considered a draw today, it marks the end of the supremacy of the Confederate Cavalry and the rise of the Union cavalry as the dominant mounted side of the war. Stuart’s failure to anticipate the attacks caused some Confederate’s to doubt his abilities and reconsider his role in the army.

During the Gettysburg Campaign Stuart was ordered to screen the Confederate Army as it crossed the Potomac but miscalculated the positions of the Union Army and was forced to take a long route around them to avoid an unwinnable confrontation. His detour left the Confederate Army blind as they advanced and was a great concern of General Lee’s.

Stuart’s last Battle of the War is today known as the Battle of Yellow Tavern. Union General Sheridan forced Stuart into an engagement which ebbed and flowed throughout the day. During a Confederate counter attack General Stuart drew his revolver and began firing at a group of fleeing dismounted Union Cavalrymen. Private John A. Huff of the 5th Michigan shot Stuart in the stomach at close range with his revolver. Stuart collapsed in the saddle and was swiftly bought to a hospital where he would die the following day.

Based on the well received and praised Stuart the M8 Scott sported a 75mm Howitzer in place of the 37mm Gun of the Stuart. Whether you were dealing with an Italian Bunker or a Japanese Banzai charge the 75mm Howitzer proved it’s worth when aiding the lighter armed Stuarts.

Designed to support allied reconnaissance units and provide them with a way to deal with infantry in dug in positions the M8 quickly found a place in all theaters of the war.

But who was Scott and What did he do?

Born in 1786, three years before the ratification of the US Constitution, Scott joined the Artillery in 1808. He was promoted to Brigadier General during the War of 1812, a time when the United States was forced to make a decision between the old veteran Generals of the War of Independence or new untested men. Scott developed a dislike of Militia during the war when the Militia meant to support his invasion of Canada (The War of 1812 is totally insane and well worth a look) refused to cross the border which resulted in the surrender of him and his men.

Scott executed the capture of Fort George which my source material describes as “is considered among the best-planned and best-executed U.S. operations of the war”. I would prefer to the the word Only instead of the word among. Seriously read up on this war it was a total disaster, Drunk Fort Commanders, British units meant to storm a defended position forgetting their ladders and the President riding around on horseback desperately trying to raise more men as the British General stole his love letters and set fire to D.C.

Scott served both in the field and behind a desk for the next few decades fighting mostly against Native Tribes until the infamous Mexican-American War. This war would cast a long shadow that touched almost all the future leaders of the American Civil War.

Scott overcame a lot of political opposition to lead an American Army into Mexico, they landed near Veracruz where he was attacked by the Mexican President and General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna (Yes the guy from the Alamo). Scott won a series of hard fought Battles against Santa Anna forcing him to retreat which enabled Scott to take the surrounding defences of Mexico City that lead to the eventual surrender of that city.

Two fun facts. One of Scott’s Staff Officers during the war was none other than Captain Robert E. Lee himself. Upon hearing of Scott’s victories over Santa Anna, who proclaimed himself the Napoleon of the West, Sir Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington proclaimed Scott “The Greatest Living General”.

Scott was an active Whig and had run, unsuccessfully, for President in 1840, 1848 and finally in 1852 earning the hatred of fellow failed Presidential hopeful Henry Clay who he challenged to a duel. Both men are important figures in the political climate of the day between Pro Slavery Democratic-Republican Party (Which would later become the Modern Democratic Party), the Politically Chaotic Whig Party (composed of both pro and anti slavery advocates) and the rising Anti Slavery Parties that would eventually become the Republican Party who’s election victory in 1860 lead to the Civil War.

At age 75 the obese, gout ridden General was the Commanding General of the US Army and reportedly couldn’t even mount a horse. Despite being a competent General Scott was replaced shortly after the Union defeat at The Battle of Bull Run (First Manassas) Scott was replaced by General McClellan and retired to an advisory role becoming an unofficial part of Lincoln’s War Council.

Scott’s Anaconda Plan to Blockade the Southern States and launch an attack in Mississippi back towards the coast turned out to be quite a good idea since it was very close to the way the Union won the war in the end.

Probably the most bizarre thing about General Scott was his opposition to forming Divisions rather than just Brigades. Quite a bizarre decision when you look at the numbers of men who would eventually serve in the Union Army.

Scott died on May 29th 1866 at West Point where he had lived for the duration of the war.

Based on the Sherman Chassis the M36 Tank Destroyer was never officially known as the Jackson but this nickname has entered the annals of History and more importantly the profiles in our Rulebooks.

Employed by the US as a Mobile Anti Tank reserve the Jackson was able to take on most German tanks of the period. The M36 saw service all through Korea and the last know use of the M36 by a major military power was in 2001 when it was finally retired by the Chinese.

So it was nicknamed the “Jackson” but who was Jackson? I imagine most people have heard of the famous “Stonewall” Jackson but let’s dive in a little deeper and get to know the man.

Thomas Jonathan Jackson displayed his fearlessness and bravery from the first posting of his career to the last, like many US Civil War Generals Jackson served in Mexico and while commanding his artillery during the siege of Chapultepec he was ordered to cease his “Artillery Duel” with Mexican gunners and withdraw his guns. Jackson disobeyed the order and continued his duel eventually triumphing over his rivals.

Jackson was what we would today call a determinist. He believed that everything in the future was written in stone and all he was doing was marching towards the inevitable end. This made him brave to the point of fanaticism, coupled with strong religious beliefs this would make Jackson standout among the Confederates for both his skill in battle and his bravery.

While not a quote of Jackson’s a line from the movie “Gods and Generals” sums up his character and beliefs.

Jackson then became a teacher at the Virginia Military Institute where he was hated by his pupil’s for being a stubborn and repetitive lecturer who placed repetition above creativity when educating his cadets.

When the Civil War broke out Jackson took commadn of a Brigade based at Harper’s Ferry and drilled them harder than any other Officer in the Confederate Army. Jackson placed great importance on the bayonet and standing your ground which would serve his Brigade well in the First Battle of the War, The First Battle of Bull Run (First Manassas).

The First Battle of Bull Run was a total mess, units on both sides wearing so many uniforms that they became a liability forcing troops to use armbands and signals to distinguish themselves. Towards the end of the battle the Confederate troops were in retreat, Jackson then bought up his Brigade and deployed them on the reverse slope of Henry Hill where they prepared to charge the union line. It was here that Jackson and his Brigade would earn the nickname “Stonewall” based on a quote by fellow Confederate Bee who famously said “Look at Jackson standing there like a stone wall” although sources differ on whether this was a compliment or an insult.

Side note Bee would be killed shortly after making the quote and was replaced by a man named and I kid you not States Rights Gist. What a name for a Confederate General.

Jackson soon started a bitter fight over the hill which carried on into the late afternoon. The Confederates, though outnumbered, managed to hold the hill and drive off the Federal troops famously ordering his men to “Yell like furies” as they charged with the bayonet. This was the first known use of the famous “Rebel Yell” that would become one of the identifying aspects of the Confederacy.

Jackson lead his men in the next few years of the war arriving in-front of McClellan’s forces at Mechanicsville which played a large part in ending the Peninsula Campaign by making the Union Commanders overestimate the strength of Confederate forces and stall their offensive.

Known to history as “The Hammer of the Confederacy” Jackson had a large part in planning the Northern Virginia Campaign which resulting in a second Confederate victory at the Second Battle of Bull Run (Second Manassas).

Jackson took part in the Battle of Antietam where he and his men held the Northern part of the Battlefield preventing a Union breakthrough.

Jackson’s most audacious moment of the war would also be his last. In a daring move Jackson took his Corps on a flanking maneuver to the Union Right and managed to get his entire Corps in formation ready for battle within a few hundred yards of the Union Right Flank made up of XI Corps.

Taking them utterly by surprise Jackson’s men eliminated almost a quarter of XI Corps including over half of it’s Regimental Commanders who attempted to rally their men to no success. With the Union flank in complete disarray and his own Corps risking a similar fate Jackson rallied his men and rode out towards the union lines with his staff to ascertain if further attacks could be possible, it was now Midnight although there was a full moon in the sky. Determining it was feasible Jackson and his staff returned to his Corps.

Disaster struck. Jackson and his staff were believed to be Union Cavalry scouting their own counter attack and Jackson was shot along with several of his men. Jackson took two bullets in the left arm that required it’s amputation and a further bullet to the right hand. Crucially Jackson was dropped from his stretcher while being evacuated, when he complained of chest pains and other symptoms doctors and surgeons put it down to this incident of being dropped.

Little did they know but Jackson had come down with pneumonia which would claim his life on Sunday May tenth 1863. his last words were “Let us cross the river and rest under the shade of the trees”

I’ll end this entry with a quote from General Lee upon learning of Jackson’s death

It’s riveted, it’s got a sponson gun, it’s tall and it’s only got a light anti tank gun in the turret but the M3 Lee gave the Commonwealth Army a medium tank to throw up against the German Panzer IV’s and Panzer III’s in toe to toe engagements. It’s the US Version of the M3 medium Tank and it’s just arrived in the Desert.

The Lee sported a 75mm Gun in the Hull/Sponson that was capable of firing both Anti Tank and HE rounds which many of the currently serving British tanks couldn’t do. Along with the 75mm the Lee had a 37mm gun mounted in a turret with a smaller turret on top of that with an MMG because well this is the American version and at this point they absolutely had to just stick Machine Guns anywhere they could, the previous M2 had FIVE MG’s for goodness sake.

But who is it named after? Why this guy of course

Robert Edward Lee better known as Robert E. Lee was the Son of Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee who served with distinction during the American Revolution although his behaviour afterwoods bought some shame on is family.

Lee joined the Military  at the age of 18 and went into the Engineers where he had a hand in mapping several state borders and mapping several rivers. When the Mexican-American War started in 1846 Lee got himself appointed as one of General Scott’s Aide’s and served with great distinction scouting alternate routes that the army could use that were more lightly defended than the more obvious roads. Lee even lead men across a Lava Field at the Battle of Contreras which is straight out of Warhammer 40K if you ask me.

Lee then became the head of West Point from 1852-55 when he then transferred to the Cavalry where he protected settlers from hostile Native Tribes. He was forced to return home to Virginia after he inherited his Father-in-Law’s estate which needed a lot of work and attention. Although Lee considered slavery evil and immoral he was cruel and worked his new slaves hard in order to pay off the large debts his Father-in-Law owed. Lee’s paradoxical position on slavery would haunt him for the rest of his life, unable to reconcile his actions and beliefs.

Lee commanded the US Marines who put down the failed “Harpers Ferry Raid” led by John Brown and his band of abolitionists. Lee then went back to his unit in Texas which was surrendered to the Confederacy when Texas succeeded from the Union. Lee then returned to D.C. and received a promotion to colonel of the 1st US Cavalry. Lee was then offered a promotion to Major General and a place in the Union high Command but he declined the offer as Virginia had succeeded and Lee could not fight against his own State.

Lee was soon made a full General in the Confederate Army and suffered some early setbacks during the beginning stage of the war. Lee’s reputation was soon made good at Savannah Georgia 1862 where he successfully defended the town and prevented it’s seizure by the Union for another two years when General Sherman took the city in 1864. Lee’s use of trenches and defensive works even in non-siege related battles earned him the nickname “King of Spades”.

Lee returned North and took part in the Peninsula Campaign where he succeeded the wounded General Johnston and finally got command of the Confederate Army. The army was then renamed the “Army of Northern Virginia” and adopted the now famous “Stars and Bars” as it’s Battle Flag although the Battle Flag of the Army of Northern Virginia was square and not rectangular as is commonly seen today with the commonly named “Confederate Flag”, the rectangular version is closer to the CSA Naval Jack.

Lee spent the next few weeks strengthening his army before launching the “Seven Days Battles” that would catapult him to fame in the Confederate Army. With fewer men Lee drove McClellan from the Peninsula ending the threat to Richmond and starting the Confederate advance into the North. Lee’s victory during the Seven Days Battles was a deciding factor in Lincoln’s “Emancipation Proclamation” which freed all Southern Slaves, however Lincoln did not officially announce the Proclamation until after the Battle of Antietam.

Lee then won the Second Battle of Bull Run (Second Manassas) and invaded the Union, although to be fair Maryland had tried to succeed but Federal Troops arrested the legislature (along with a lot of innocent people) before they could vote.

Lee split his forces but was forced to bring them together again near the Antietam Creek where both sides prepared for what would become the deadliest day in US history, it remains so to this day.

Antietam was a close fought Battle, the Confederates deployed their entire force while the Union hesitated to commit all their forces believing the Confederates to have more men than they actually did. Although the battle was a draw the Union were left in control of the field and so claimed a victory, Lee and his army retreated back to the Confederacy.

Antietam was bad, very bad. 4,000 Dead, 15,000+ Wounded or missing and a once full cornfield left with not one single stalk standing.

To compare the most Deadly Battle of the Revolution was the Battle of Oriskany, known to many of you no doubt because of the mighty @oriskany here on OTT/BoW, which resulted in between 400-500 deaths and a handful of men wounded.

The Normandy Landings on D-Day resulted in 7,000 Casualties

Around 3,000 People were killed at Pearl Harbour which is about the same as the number of people who died on 9/11.

So to get an idea of how devastating the Battle of Antietam was let’s adjust the casualties to 1944 levels and project those Deaths onto Normandy. The Battle of Antietam is the equivalent to 83,600 US Casualties on D-Day. It was a giant Battle and I’ve heard estimates of one man shot every two seconds.

The most hard hit Regiment of the Battle were Hood’s Texan’s who suffered 1,786 casualties out of only 2,000 men who started the Battle.

After Antietam Lee took part in the Battle of Fredericksburg which was both the first crossing of a river under the direct fire and observation of the enemy and the first urban warfare in the History of the united States. The Confederates had established themselves behind a stone wall on Marye’s Heights where they repulsed Union attacks forcing some men to spend the night on the battlefield using dead bodes as cover from Confederate sharpshooters. It was here that Richard Rowland Kirkland earned the nickname “The Angel of Marye’s Heights” after, at great risk to his own personal safety and life, took water and food to the wounded on both sides in what we would call “No Mans Land”. His brave display of mercy demonstrated that this truly was a war in which Brother fought Brother. Kirkland was killed at the Battle of Chickamauga in 1863.

Lee’s biggest battle was still to come when in the Summer of 1863 the Confederate Army invaded the Union again. Lee had been in command at the bloodiest Battle in American History and now he was to be in command of the most deadly battle of the US Civil War, the Battle of Gettysburg.

Beginning on July 1st 1863 the Battle of Gettysburg started because of a few reasons the most bizarre of which is that the town possessed a large quantity of shoes which the underequipped Confederates desperately needed. Arriving first General Beauford deployed his dismounted Cavalry kept control of the heights long enough for General Reynolds to arrive with his 1st Corps.

With the heights in Union hands disaster struck when Reynolds was killed while directing his men. Following Reynolds death the Union troops were overwhelmed and retreated to the hills south of the town and adopted the famous “Fish Hook” formation. It was here that Lee gave his most controversial order of the war, he ordered General Ewell to take Cemetery Hill “if practicable”. Ewell did not take the lightly defended Hill and set in motion the next two days of fighting.

By the 2nd of July the rest of the two armies had gathered at Gettysburg save for General Pickett’s men who were underway on their famous 22 Mile March.

Due to space and time I can’t go through the entire Battle here but the Confederates lost the battle and began their retreat back to the Confederacy.

Lee would then come up against General Grant in what is now known as the “Overland Campaign” where Lee called back to his days as an engineer and constructed elaborate defences around the city of Petersburg. The Confederates resisted every Union attack but couldn’t hold the line due to shrinking supplies and men, eventually a decision was put to General Lee, now the Commander in Chief of the Confederate Armies, continue the war as a Guerilla Campaign in the hills of the South or give up the cause and lose their nation.

Lee chose the latter and surrendered his men at Appomattox Courthouse. The War had begun on the 21st of July 1861 in the backyard of one Mr. Wilmer McLean and now it came to an end on the morning of the 9th of April 1865 in the living room of one Mr. Wilmer McLean, the same man.

General Lee and his men had fought for four years and their surrender was honourable, the men forfeiting their weapons but allowed to keep all other personal effects and return home so long as they took an oath to never again bear arms against the United States.

After the War General Lee was not arrested but did lose his Mansion which is now the “Arlington National Cemetary”, the home of the leader of the Confederate Army became the resting place of US Soldiers.

General lee suffered a stroke in September of 1870 and was buried at Washington and Lee university where he had played a large role. Ironically due to a shortage of coffins General Lee had to be buried in a shorter coffin and was buried without shoes. The man famous for a battle fought over a lack of shoes will spend eternity barefoot.

After his death Lee was described by Benjamin Harvey Hill

You’ve seen the Lee now let’s meet the Grant. This is the tank that the US sent the British to go up against the Panzers of Rommel’s DAK.

Take a Lee and remove that ridiculous Turreted Machine Gun and you’ve got yourself a Grant.

So let’s meet the man behind the tank, a drunkard, a debtor and President of the United States of America, General Grant

Hiram Ulysses Grant better known as Ulysses S. Grant due to the mistake of an application made to West point on his behalf in which his name was misspelt and could not be corrected.

Grant spent his time at West Point riding, painting and reading graduating in the lower half of his class in 1843 when he joined an Infantry Regiment intending to serve his four years and resign his commission in order to return to civilian life as a teacher. He married in 1848 and with a wife and children to support Grant elected to remain in the army rather than risk not being able to find gainful employment.

Grant took part in the Mexican American War where his brilliant horsemanship skills were put to the test. At the Battle of Monterrey Grant hung from the side of his horse and delivered a dispatch under heavy enemy fire which earned him a lot of praise and glory.

Grant joined Scott’s army where he met Scott’s engineer and Aide Robert E. Lee. After the War Grant returned to the US where he was eventually sent to guard the newly discovered Goldfields in the newly acquired territory of California. Grant tried his hand in the Goldfields to no success and turned to drink to cope with his many problems, his alcoholism eventually lead to his resignation from the army and his life as a struggling farmer until 1861 when he rejoined the US Army.

Promoted to Colonel Grant lead the 21st Illinois to Missouri where he took part in the fighting there. Grant spent a lot of time drilling and training his raw troops to prepare them for the battles ahead. Grant was eventually promoted to command of the Army of the Tennessee which he used to invade Tennessee camping his troops at Pittsburg landing and preparing for a battle. Grant was ordered to remain in position and the union forces were paralysed, at the mercy of the Confederate Army who attacked them near Shiloh Church.

The Battle of Shiloh was Grant’s first large scale engagement and established in his mind that the Confederacy would not surrender without a total military victory and that diplomacy would not bear fruit.

Shiloh was very bloody having such wonderfully named sites as the “Hornet’s Nest” named because the men in the area heard a near constant whizzing of bullets over their head demonstrating the sheer firepower present at the battle. The high casualties at the battle lead to the Media falsely accusing him of being drunk and incompetent during the battle tarnishing his name to those who did not know him personally. it was here tha tthe highest ranking man of either side was killed, General Albert Sidney Johnston was killed by men in the Hornet’s Nest. Grant’s victory ended all Confederate opportunities in Mississippi and essentially secured the Nation’s flank.

Grant was relieved of command on April 11th 1862 and once again considered tendering his resignation from the Army but was convinced to stay in the military by his close friend General Sherman. Two months later and at the insistence of President Lincoln Grant was reinstated as commander of the Army of the Tennessee where he defended Corinth and advanced on Mississippi.

Facing setbacks Grant began to accept Black men into his army forming the soon to be famous United States Coloured Troops.

Grant then settled into a siege at Vicksburg where he began drinking heavily again and fighting with his subordinates culminating in his dismissal of General McClernand. Grant was by now a staunch anti slavery activist and considered a radical emancipation supporter.

Grant accepted the surrender of Vicksburg and was promoted to Major General after which he fought some battles and retreated to Chattanooga where his army was trapped and in desperate need of supplies. General Hooker (yes Hooker’s are named that because of him) relieved the pressure on Grant and he was soon back on the offensive taking Missionary Ridge and opening the path for Sherman to march through Georgia.

Grant was then promoted to Lieutenant General, the first person to be in that position since George Washington, and given overall command of union forces. The stag was set for a battle of giants as Lee and Grant met once again during the Overland Campaign.

Grant and Lee then began a series of Battles in wic Grant attempted to break Lee’s Army and split him off from Richmond, unable to accomplish this Grant attempted to flank Lee numerous times to no avail. These battles would be very bloody and result in Grant being labelled a “Butcher” in the Northern press.

Grant attempted to overcome Lee’s brilliant defences at Petersburg with direct and overwhelming frontal assaults including one which involved detonating a mine in a tunnel and swarming it with troops. WWI tactics did not start in 1914 ladies and gentlemen.

With his frontal attack coming to nothing Grant continued to extend his envelopment of the city forcing Lee to spread out his forces greatly reducing their effectiveness. Grant then instructed Sherman to attack Atlanta and Thomas to attack Nashville effectively eliminating all the weakened Confederate forces currently in the field. Only Lee remained.

Lee surrendered and General Grant became the face of a victorious Union Army. Both Lee and Grant had met before in Mexico however only Grant remembered the earlier meeting.

Grant later went on to become a two term Republican President of the United States and I have to admit I know nothing of US politics from 1860-1920 so i can’t fill in the finer details of his career.

Grant died after a year long battle with throat cancer eventually succumbing to it in 1885. His funeral was giant, tens of thousands of troops marched, millions attended and his tomb is still the largest in the United States.

“In every battle there comes a time when both sides consider themselves beaten. Then he who continues the attack wins.”
― Ulysses S. Grant