Paper Summary:

This paper assesses and compares the generals during the Civil War: Ulysses S. Grant of the North and Robert E. Lee of the South. The paper states that neither of these two generals grew up in wealthy families, with Lee's family in poverty, and Grant's family in the lower class. The paper also examines the generals' education and training: both attended and graduated from West Point. However, the paper contrasts their accomplishments at West Point, as Lee had an enviable academic record while Grant graduated twenty-first in a class of thirty-nine. The personal lives of these generals is also discussed, as it too affected their performance in the Civil War in different, yet positive ways. The paper concludes with a look at what each general did after the war, and how their legacy is remembered.

From the Paper:

"Growing up in a less privileged society might lead some to believe the person would have a great possibility of being a less successful adult. Lee, on the contrary, grew up in poverty (Dowdey, 3), lacking all of the things most of us would take for granted, yet he somehow overcame the odds, which were overwhelmingly against him, and grew up to be one of the most successful and well known generals of all time. Perhaps the fact of growing up in poverty would push some people to want higher standards, which fits Lee perfectly. He wanted more, and he had the will power to get more, so the outcome was a young man who went to and graduated from West Point, and compiled an admirable academic record."

Visitors who viewed this Comparison Essay also liked these:

• Essay # 8782 : "Southern Battlefields in the Civil War"
• Analytical Essay # 23796 : "Whitman and the Civil War"
• Essay # 54461 : "Black Soldiers in the Civil War"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: