Opinion of Ulysses S. Grant

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Excellent General, and perhaps the first Post Napoleonic era General, much less use of tactics in favor of direct assualts and more systematic uses of Trenches. Granted the latter had become more and more widespread towards the middle of the war, it should be noted that he didn't seek to be the second coming of Napoleon like McClellan or Hooker obviously did and thus allowed entrenching to become standard operating procedure.

As President he had early success in pacifying the South and getting voting rights for Blacks, however, corruption, a Depression, and renewed violence proved to much to handle and the GOP became far less ambitious in the civil rights front after his term, seeking instead to find a new issue to occupy their attention (Civil Service Reform).