U.S. Grant

8 Pages 2065 Words

, general Buckner, commanded the confederate soldiers at Fort Donelson. He was forced to accept Grant’s conditions of “no terms except unconditional and immediate surrender”(Foote, Vol.1 214).

This earned U.S. Grant the nickname of “Unconditional Surrender” Grant. Buckner took offense at the strict terms, referring to them as unchivalrous. In war, chivalry was of no consequence to Grant.
He was not a man who reveled in the glory found in war, as many of his fellow officers did. He was described instead as a “plain businessman of the Republic”(Foote, Vol.2 343). During the Mexican War, Grant had written to his wife, “If we have to fight, I would like to do it all at once, and then make friends”(Foote, Vol.1 215). On the war that he was currently engaged in, he said, “It was one of the worst for which a people ever fought, and one for which there was the least excuse”(Jordan 153). In reply to what his philosophy was on how to fight a war, he once stated, “find out where your enemy is, get at him as soon as you can and strike him as hard as you can, and keep moving on”(Jordan 153). Simplicity was a virtue to him.
Following the victory at Fort Donelson, where Grant had captured more prisoners than all the other Union generals combined (Foote, Vol.2 212). He was promoted major general of the volunteers (Grant, Encarta).
At Shiloh, the union army was attacked while it was spread out too thin. Grant commanded one-third of his army known as the Army of Tennessee. Though it was viewed a Union victory, the federals suffered more casualties than the three previous American Wars combined. ...