eneral Grant’s leadership style was unique because of his military and political experience. His two terms as president covered the last eight years of the Radical Reconstruction period. His military leadership skills propelled him to the highest office of this country, yet history books portray his presidential tenure as a period of ineptitude, marred by scandal and corruption. His military successes were based on his ability to work with and through others, as well as dealing with difficult political situations. W then, is Grant’s presidential ser vice remembered as being so ineffective? This question requires analysi in five areas:
2. what Reconstruction was supposed to accomplish 3. the political, economic,
and social situations Gra inherited as president 4. the actions he took to pro mote Reconstruction and why 5. were these actions effective and efficient? A seventeen-year-old Grant be gan his military career in 1839 at West Point. He served during both the Mexican War and the Civil War. Early mentors includ ing Winfield Scott Hancock and Zachary Taylor enabled Grant to become a seasoned battle vetera and troop commander. Grant applied knowledge he gained from these experiences throughout hi military career. Two examples o
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How Constructive was Grant’s Reconstruction? by Richard this are: 1. the strategy and conducting of war he adopted 2. the handling of volunteer and Regular Army troops. Many Union generals Lincoln initially relied on adhered to old er strategies aimed at attacking cities or conquering land. Grant, however, realized the importance of attacking armies. He also realized that significant differences between Regular Army soldiers and their volunteer counterparts. Volunteers usually had no formal military training, rarely knew what their jobs entailed, and were not attuned to army style discipline. These distinctions required that they be commanded differently from regulars.1 Grant also spent time studying the personalities and both the strategic and tactical thinking of his peers and commanders. This allowed him to better understand the motives and likely courses of actions of former officers who were now Confederate Army
leaders. Another skill was forging strong command partnerships across military service lines. Thi enabled him to conduct effective joint land and sea operations. Many military situations he encountered underscored the importance of politics as it related to the military. Grant faced many political situations. Three of the most wellknown were: 1. his General Order Number 11 dated Dec. 17, 1862, ordering the expulsion of all Jews in his military district for alleged black market operations with the Confederacy 2. the dismissal of the very
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berg political Union General John McClernand, from corps command during the Vicksburg campaign in 1863 3. Grant’s promotion to Lieutenant General and General-in-Chief of the Armies in March 1864, while his former boss, General Henry W. Halleck was shifted to Chief of Staff. In addition to serving as a ge eral and president, Grant also served as Secretary of War and simultaneously as commanding general during the last five months of 1867.2 As frequently happens, successful military lea ers are automatically assumed fi for high-level civilian leadersh and Grant was no exception. In his memoirs, Grant asserts he never sought political office. Grant learned many political nuances related to military oper ations the hard way. His order e pelling Jews put both Grant and
Lincoln in the precarious positi of involving religious and socia groups in the military command arena. After Lincoln rescinded the order, Grant obeyed and took what he learned from this experience and applied it to his presidency. Showing no ill will against those of the Jewish fait Grant appointed several Jews as members of his cabinet. General McClernand was one of the most politically powerful generals in the Union army. Grant was an academy graduate; McClernand was a volunteer. They never saw eye to eye on
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