Ulysses S. Grant

The poor performance and hesitation of the Union generals at the start of the war exasperated President Lincoln. By 1862 the government was searching for new leaders, and presenting a time of opportunity for men with courage and cunning. Ulysses S. Grant, a veteran of the war with Mexico, had returned to civilian life in Illinois only to fail at farming as well as in business. He heartily welcomed his commission as a brigadier general in the Union army.

Grant's first orders were to march his old regiment, the 21st Illinois, into southern Missouri and capture a Confederate position. Still new to generalship, Grant found the volunteer regiments he led as uncertain and confused as he was. However, through good intelligence, he managed to prevent the Confederate army from occupying strategic towns.

Ihad not been in Mexico many...