Was the Destruction Perpetrated by Lincoln, Grant, and Sherman Necessary to End the Civil War

Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant in camp,1864.

January 1, 1863 marked a pivotal moment in the American Civil War. On this date the Emancipation Proclamation, the preliminary of which was issued by President Lincoln on September 22, 1862, took full and permanent effect, thus changing the Union’s ultimate war goal. The Civil War was no longer being fought to preserve the antebellum Union but rather, in the words of Lincoln, was to be a war of “subjugation…the [old] South” was to be destroyed in favor of “new propositions and ideas.”Once the aim of the war changed for the Union, so too did its leaders. The harsh and unpopular actions that were necessary to prevent the prolonged bloody carnage of continual war were tasked to three men. Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, and William T. Sherman innately understood what needed to be done in order to end the war and they courageously performed these duties.

Relieving McClellan

Lincoln with McClellan in Sharpsburg, October 1862.

April 12, 1861 marked the beginning of the Civil War when Confederate forces fired on Fort Sumter. President Lincoln, who had been inaugurated scarcely more than a month prior, engaged in the war with the goal of preserving the Union. Initially, ending slavery was not an issue for which he fought. Throughout the first year of the war,however, his thinking began to change. The humanity of ending slavery altered his to a degree but more practical implications caused him to act. By eliminating slaves from the South's war machine, Rebel forces would weaken while those of the Union would strengthen. One September 22, 1862, five days after the horrific battle of Antietam in Sharpsburg, Maryland, Lincoln issued the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation with the goal of frightening the South into submission. This tactic did not garner the intended result and after the Battle of Antietam ended with no decisive victor, Confederate General Robert E. Lee retreated with his army back into Virginia. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia was able to escape unhindered due to the ineffectual command of Union leader, George B. McClellan.

McClellan was revered by his troops yet proved to be a great frustration to Lincoln, who,after Antietam, stated that McClellan had a “case of the slows.” The general had the good fortune of receiving the orders of General Lee prior to the battle at Antietam Creek. The orders had been dropped by a Confederate courier and fell into the hands of the Union commander. He had possession of these orders two days prior to the ensuing battle yet failed to act to prevent Lee from carrying out his strategies. Additionally, on September 17, when the Union army had Confederate troops trapped in what was called the "sunken road", a request was sent to McClellan for reinforcements. McClellan not only failed to send more troops, which may have crushed Lee’s army and thus ended the war, he called off the attack. Ironically, when Robert E. Lee replaced Joseph Johnston as the leader of the Army of Northern Virginia just three months prior, General McClellan was pleased because he deemed Lee to be “cautious and weak under grave responsibility.” After Lee and his army made a successful retreat back onto Confederate soil, President Lincoln met with McClellan to personally relieve him of command. With the Emancipation Proclamation waiting on his desk and understanding its war implications, Lincoln knew he needed a strong and decisive leader to command an aggressive war. Although he did not want to harm his fellow countrymen, he knew harsher tactics were necessary, as the Union could "no longer play a game in which it stakes all, and its enemies stake nothing.” Lincoln was forced, in part by the South and in part by his own commanders, to change his focus and shift the course of the war.

Finding a Leader

Lincoln understood the magnitude of the Emancipation Proclamation and the ensuing consequences. With the threat of their very social, financial, and cultural fabric coming to an end, the Confederacy would fight more vigorously. The Proclamation inflamed Confederate president Jefferson Davis and his fellow Southerners. Lincoln showed no sympathy toward the Confederate governmentwhen he stated, “Having made war on the Government, they were subject to the incidents and calamities of war.” The “calamities” of which he spoke, included the emancipation of slaves, who were to be taken into Northern ranks as "contrabands", and for the Union Army to “strike more vigorous blows.” Lincoln realized that McClellan was not the man for the job and replaced him with General Ambrose Burnside on November 7, 1862. After the debacle at Fredericksburg in December of that year, Lincoln replaced Burnside with “Fighting Joe” Hooker, an arrogant Irishman from Boston, who advocated governing the country through a military dictatorship. When Hooker failed at Chancellorsville, he was summarily replaced by George Meade on June 28 1863, two days prior to the Battle of Gettysburg.

Gettysburg, the bloodiest battle of the war, produced greater than 51,000 dead and wounded soldiers over the course of the first three days of July, 1863. Lee opted to again retreat from Yankee soil, never to return. The following day, General Ulysses S. Grant accepted the surrender of John C. Pemberton and his 30,000 troops at Vicksburg, Mississippi. This accomplishment by Grant secured the entire Mississippi Valley for the Union.Grant’s success at Vicksburg made a lasting impression on the president while Meade’s success at Gettysburg was diminished by his refusal to pursue Lee while in retreat. Conversely, Grant was willing to take risks in order to win battles and destroy the enemy. This did not go unnoticed by Lincoln, who wanted "generals who will fight battles and win victories.” Grant, unlike McClellan, was not afraid to fail, which resulted in his ability to make bold decisions upon which he courageously acted. This was the type of man Lincoln needed to lead his army but dared not replace Meade after his victory at Gettysburg. In a bold move, Abraham Lincoln reopened the position of Lieutenant General and bestowed the position upon Grant, who was then effectively in charge of all Union forces.