Allegedly how one story about how Grant responded at Fort Donelsion when Buckner was trying to weasel out of unconditional surrender
Lizard_Lawyer on
During the Vicksburg Campaign, 1863, Ulysses S. Grant had besieged the fortress town of Vicksburg, Mississippi, which was important as it was the last major stronghold along the Mississippi river, which the Union needed to capture as part of Winfield Scott’s Anaconda Plan.
Initially, Grant tried two assaults on May 19 and 22, which were repulsed with heavy casualties. On May 25th, he decided to siege the city, like he did at Fort Donelson earlier in the war. This siege lasted for more than 40 days, with many Civilians starving or near starving. Yet during all this, Grant refused to offer terms of surrender. On July 3rd, the Confederate General sent a note to consider surrender. Grant initially stuck to his guns and demanded unconditional surrender, but then decided he didn’t want to feed and take care of the 30,000 some odd Confederate Troops in union prison camps, and offered to parole all prisoners, which was shortly accepted.
Later on, at during the siege of Petersburg, something similar, and after a few unsuccessful assaults, Grant constructed trench lines that eventually extended over 30 miles (48 km) from the eastern outskirts of Richmond, Virginia, to around the eastern and southern outskirts of Petersburg, which eventually lead to Lee abandoning both cities and surrendering.
TheodoreFMRoosevelt on
Grant had a singular experience early in the war when leading his regiment into an attack against a Confederate position. He admits in his memoirs he was terrified, it took all his courage not to run back to Union lines as fast as his legs could carry him. As he finally crested the last hill to attack the Confederate force… he discovered they’d ran away. They were as scared of him as he had been of them. It was a lesson he always remembered, but few Union commanders ever discovered.
It’s no wonder that when Lincoln was told he should dismiss Grant because he was a drunk, he jokingly asked what Grant’s preferred brand of whiskey was, so he could send a few barrels to his other generals.
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Simon Bolivar Buckner: You sir are no gentleman.
Grant: Artillery goes boom boom
Allegedly how one story about how Grant responded at Fort Donelsion when Buckner was trying to weasel out of unconditional surrender
During the Vicksburg Campaign, 1863, Ulysses S. Grant had besieged the fortress town of Vicksburg, Mississippi, which was important as it was the last major stronghold along the Mississippi river, which the Union needed to capture as part of Winfield Scott’s Anaconda Plan.
Initially, Grant tried two assaults on May 19 and 22, which were repulsed with heavy casualties. On May 25th, he decided to siege the city, like he did at Fort Donelson earlier in the war. This siege lasted for more than 40 days, with many Civilians starving or near starving. Yet during all this, Grant refused to offer terms of surrender. On July 3rd, the Confederate General sent a note to consider surrender. Grant initially stuck to his guns and demanded unconditional surrender, but then decided he didn’t want to feed and take care of the 30,000 some odd Confederate Troops in union prison camps, and offered to parole all prisoners, which was shortly accepted.
Later on, at during the siege of Petersburg, something similar, and after a few unsuccessful assaults, Grant constructed trench lines that eventually extended over 30 miles (48 km) from the eastern outskirts of Richmond, Virginia, to around the eastern and southern outskirts of Petersburg, which eventually lead to Lee abandoning both cities and surrendering.
Grant had a singular experience early in the war when leading his regiment into an attack against a Confederate position. He admits in his memoirs he was terrified, it took all his courage not to run back to Union lines as fast as his legs could carry him. As he finally crested the last hill to attack the Confederate force… he discovered they’d ran away. They were as scared of him as he had been of them. It was a lesson he always remembered, but few Union commanders ever discovered.
It’s no wonder that when Lincoln was told he should dismiss Grant because he was a drunk, he jokingly asked what Grant’s preferred brand of whiskey was, so he could send a few barrels to his other generals.