People of the Civil War
By: Landry L.
Abraham Lincoln
He was the President of the United States just before states started to secede, his election being one of the last reasons that pushed the southern states into secession. He stayed president of the Union through the Civil War. Although Lincoln was fighting for the North, his belief to keep the Union together was more important to him than the issue of slavery. (However, he did help to end slavery with the Emancipation Proclomation.) Lincoln probably did the best he could under the circumstances of the Civil War. If the Emancipaton Proclomation had not been issued, slaves wouldn't have fought for the Union, and may have continued to help the Confederacy economically.
Jefferson Davis
He was the elected president of the Confederacy, in 1861. He believed that slavery was essential to the success of the south's economy. When he was elected, he had many important attributes to be president of the south, however these attributes were not important as the war raged on. Davis did try for his cause, however, he probably could have done more. Despite that it appeared that the Confederacy would lose based on their resources, Davis might have been able to have done more, or been more resourceful.
Ulysses S. Grant
He was the general of the Union army. He had previous military experience and when the war began he wanted a military position for the Union. As general, he was able to win important battles necessary for the Union's victory, including Vicksburg as well as others. He believed in keeping the Union together as well as other typical Union beliefs, which is clear when he attempted to immediatly get a position in the Union military. Grant did his job well considering all of the success that came from his strategic desicions. He may have been able to do better only by eliminating some of the casualties that occurred.
Robert E. Lee
He was the general of the Confederate army. He was first offered a military job in the Union army by Abraham Lincoln, but Lee denied because he believed that it would be wrong to fight against his home state, Virginia. He was able to get some victories towards the beginning, but it started to go downhill. One of the more famous battles is the one at Gettysburg, which was a huge loss for the Confederacy in their attempts to go to Union soil and win a battle there. He even tried to resign. Lee eventually surrendered to Grant, ending the war. Lee definately did everything he could to win the war for the Confederacy, even though they lost. He had some of the right ideas and did what he could.
William Carney
He was part of the 54th Massachusettes Regiment and was the first African American to recieve the Congressional Medal of Honor. This was because of his brave efforts, especially in the battle at Battery Wagner. He was a brave soldier that was fighting for the Union and always did his absolute best. Carney did everything he could in his predicaments. He was the kind of soldier that you would want in your army that did the right things at the right times.
Philip Bazaar
He was a brave man in the US Navy fighting for the Union to end the war. He recieved the Medal of Honor for his valor at Fort Fischer. He helped to undergo several attacks and ended up being a huge benefit to the north. He did as he was told and nothing else. He probably did everything the best he could.
Julia Ward Howe
She wrote "The Battle Hymn of the Republic", which was a success from the time it was released. Despite her husband attempting to keep her from her work at some points, she managed to continue on. She was wanting this war to end and later on she became a figure in womens' rights too. She was amazing at what she did and "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" chsnged some peoples perspective. She did everything the right way.
John Wilkes Booth
He was a successful actor, but more importantly, he was Lincoln's assassinator. After the Civil War and during one of his plays, he went to Linoln and put a bullet in his head. This instantly killed Lincoln, of course. He clearly didn't like Lincoln's beliefs, especially about what Lincoln wanted to do with Reconstruction after the war. If someone disagreed with Lincoln, they would probably agree with Booth's decision. However, most agreed with Lincoln and did not like this. In theory, Booth did what he could to support his beliefs but also hurt the Union.
Wiliam T. Sherman
He is one of the more known military leaders that fought for the Union. He always had military experience and joined the Union's army to help them win this war. As the war continued on, he helped win some battles, but he is most famous for his "March to the Sea". This is when he knew to end the war the south would have to be devasted. This march went through Georgia and part of the Carolinas, and in a 40-60 mile wide path his army destroyed everything. This not only destroyed valuable resources for the south, but it also split them in half. He was a very intelligent and tactical leader that always knew what to do, and when.
"Stonewall" Jackson
He was an important military person that helped to win many battles for the Confederacy. He had previous military experience and joined the military again when the war started, because he was born in Virginia and wanted to fight for it. He climbed up some of the ranks as he continued to help out the south. Some of the famous battles he participated in are Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. Hr made some great decisions that impacted the war, and he also did everything he could. He was diligent in his efforts and fought for what he believed in.