Two Great Men
Similarities and Differences of Two Great Men
General Robert E. Lee and General Ulysses S. Grant were two great men who were both involved in one of the most important events in American history, the Civil War. The two opposing generals had a couple similarities, but their differences were very dramatic. General Ulysses S. Grant and General Robert E. Lee shared some quality character traits but differed greatly with their moral and cultural ideals. “In each man there was an indomitable quality . . . the born fighters’ refusal to give up as long as he can still remain on his feet and lift his fists.” Both men possessed the character trait of perseverance that was exuded by how they treated their struggles. General Lee’s perseverance was apparent in his fight for the Confederacy. Knowing he had the smaller army, he allowed the war to mainly happen on Confederate soil so his troops had the home court advantage. His perseverance also showed in the fact that he did not surrender earlier into the war. It took beating his army down quite a bit for him to finally surrender at Appomattox. General Grant’s perseverance was shown through his life. He came up in the Western frontier where virtually no one was simply born into a privileged lifestyle like General Lee had. Grant had to fight through the struggles of life and work to get to his high rank of general. While the two men had those small similarities, their differences are what set them apart as opposing generals. General Lee believed that following tradition was the best way to live life. He was stuck in the old English ways that said chivalry and knighthood should have been transplanted into the New World. The problem with that notion is that by definition, chivalry is an exclusive, knightly code of conduct that excludes different races. His ideal of chivalry connects to his other difference from General Grant, he stood for inequality of humans. Lee’s defense was that the advantage of humans was the
General Robert E. Lee and General Ulysses S. Grant were two great men who were both involved in one of the most important events in American history, the Civil War. The two opposing generals had a couple similarities, but their differences were very dramatic. General Ulysses S. Grant and General Robert E. Lee shared some quality character traits but differed greatly with their moral and cultural ideals. “In each man there was an indomitable quality . . . the born fighters’ refusal to give up as long as he can still remain on his feet and lift his fists.” Both men possessed the character trait of perseverance that was exuded by how they treated their struggles. General Lee’s perseverance was apparent in his fight for the Confederacy. Knowing he had the smaller army, he allowed the war to mainly happen on Confederate soil so his troops had the home court advantage. His perseverance also showed in the fact that he did not surrender earlier into the war. It took beating his army down quite a bit for him to finally surrender at Appomattox. General Grant’s perseverance was shown through his life. He came up in the Western frontier where virtually no one was simply born into a privileged lifestyle like General Lee had. Grant had to fight through the struggles of life and work to get to his high rank of general. While the two men had those small similarities, their differences are what set them apart as opposing generals. General Lee believed that following tradition was the best way to live life. He was stuck in the old English ways that said chivalry and knighthood should have been transplanted into the New World. The problem with that notion is that by definition, chivalry is an exclusive, knightly code of conduct that excludes different races. His ideal of chivalry connects to his other difference from General Grant, he stood for inequality of humans. Lee’s defense was that the advantage of humans was the