Abraham Lincoln 's War Strategies

Lincoln and His Generals is a book by Thomas Williams that focuses on the Civil War as being the first modern war and the way President Lincoln lead his divided nation during this dark historic time. Williams introduces the Union army as one that has no shape to it. This includes the lack of any plan of attack, as the thought of war had not been converted into any type of scheme. The armies lacked organization and communication, and existing generals were old and incompetent. The first task that Lincoln had was the immediate selection of Generals. Lincoln's selection process was sometimes based on political and personal grounds, and he was in the position of selecting from a pool of generals

Although James McPherson presents Lincoln as having numerous qualities that defined him as a brilliant leader, he wastes no time in revealing what he believes to be Lincoln’s greatest strength. In his Introduction, McPherson states regarding Lincoln’s political leadership: “In a civil war whose origins lay in a political conflict over the future of slavery and a political decision by certain states to secede, policy could never be separated from national strategy…. And neither policy nor national strategy could be separated from military strategy” (McPherson, p.6). Lincoln could not approach the war from a purely martial standpoint—instead, he needed to focus on the issues that caused it. For the catalyst of the war was also the tool for its solution; a war started by differing ideologies could only be resolved through the military application of ideology. This non-objective approach to the waging of the war almost resembles the inspired approach McPherson brings to his examination of Lincoln himself.

     The South’s dominating strategy in winning the civil war was attrition. They believed they could wear down the political will of the North if they held out long enough to make the Northerners tired and question value of the means to achieve the ends. Military stalemates, guerilla war tactics and inconclusive battles would help the South achieve this goal. “Confederate armies did not have to invade and conquer the North: they needed only to hold out long enough to force the North to the conclusion that the price of conquering the South and annihilating its armies was too high, as Britain had concluded in 1781 and as the United States concluded…” (Why Did the Confederacy Lose?, pg 117)The South really enjoyed McClellan’s performance in the Southern theatre with his tendency to retreat when he could have won. This was another helpful hand the South would need to cause attrition. In response, Lincoln knew he had to do two things to prevent attrition and win the war more quickly. He needed to fire McClellan, and shift the theme of the war in the view of the North so that it would not lose its thunder. He did this by issuing the Emancipation Proclamation and converting the war for unionism into the war for morality. The

This article explains how President Abraham Lincoln helped Americans avoid a great war with Great Britain. During the Civil War era our military was not as strong and large as Great Britain’s; thanks to the efforts of President Lincoln we avoided a devastating loss. The article goes into detail on how our country was divided on this issue, should we or should we not go against Great Britain at war? This was the article’s title as well as the main idea. This article was clear and easy to follow and touched on the fact that many were willing to go to war against Great Britain just to have satisfaction that our country would have defeated a nation that had won amongst many other European countries. Even leaders were advising President Lincoln

As one of the most pivotal moments in American history, Abraham Lincoln initiating the civil war has far reaching consequences. However, as important as these consequences are the reasons for fighting the war; and the persistence/heart to endure the war. I believe that Lincoln started the war with the intentions of preserving the union, but as the war went on a new reason came to be -- ending slavery.

The Civil War was a war that was fought over the civil and humane treatment of every person, regardless of their outward appearances. It left a scathing scar on the nation After the atrocities that were suffered in the Civil war, the nation need a way to heal it’s wounds and unite again. Lincoln had a battle of his own to fight within the congress for the Reconstruction of the nation, While Lincoln believed that the south had suffered enough and had a long road to recovery, the radical republicans wanted to punish the south. They believed that the act of secession by the southern states was treason and the penalties should be strict.

One may not have known that President Abraham Lincoln kept only his most important documents in his hat; however those documents were not the only things of significance under that hat. Lincoln’s above average intelligence and nationalism towards the United States allowed for an increased chance of Union victory during the civil war. After winning the election, Lincoln led a successful victory for the Union by stopping confederate troops at Antietam, emancipating the slaves, and using Gettysburg as the turning point for the war. Without these strategic events, the ending of the civil war would have been drastically different.

Besides Lincoln's revered speeches, there are other things he is remembered for during his two terms as president. He is best remembered for his very important role as the leader in preserving the Union during the Civil War and beginning the process that led to the end of slavery in the United States. He is also remembered for his Godly character, his many speeches and letters, and as a man of humble beginnings whose determination and perseverance led him to become the nation's 16th president.

Abraham Lincoln influenced america and other historical figures. Martin Luther King Jr. and Lincoln were one of the most prominent leaders when it came to slavery. He showed courage to stand up for what’s right and fight against for what’s wrong. Without Abe Lincoln we would not be in the position and success we have in the modern world (smithsonian). Abe Lincoln was a “Progressive man”, he made strides to free the slaves and to abolish slavery(smithsonian1). He was one of the most known and recognized leaders in american history.

Undoubtedly, Abraham Lincoln is among the most celebrated figure in American history. Lincoln reshaped the United States for the lasting benefit of all Americans. Lincoln began his civil career as a lawyer and later becoming a member of the United States and Illinois House of Representatives and soon after the President of the United States. I respect Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth President of the United States, for his dedication, courage, and leadership.

Abraham Lincoln's foreign policy was a success in preventing other countries from messing with America's Civil War (Lehrman. “Mr. Lincoln and Freedom. P.2). Acts and amendments like the Thirteenth Amendment that ended slavery in the United States, the Homestead Act, the Morrill Act, the National Banking Act, and a bill that chartered the first transcontinental railroad, all helped Lincoln keep a great and preserving foreign policy (“Abraham Lincoln Biography. P 5”). Abraham Lincoln set an example of strong character, leadership, and honesty that helped him win the election. He showed this by giving many great speeches before and during his presidency like the House Divided Speech, the Cooper Union Address, the First Inaugural Address, the Gettysburg Address, and the Second Inaugural Address (“Abraham Lincoln Biography. P

Additionally, after Lincoln’s yearning to abolish slavery through his Emancipation Proclamation, and succeeding, Lincoln started to focus on his most important priority, to win the Civil War. Although Lincoln hated the deaths and destructions that war brought, he believed that this was the only solution to preserve the Union. This pacifist was the leader of the bloodiest war in American history with more than 45,000 total people being missing, wounded, captured, and killed. Furthermore, Lincoln was the foundation of the Union’s victorious military strategy and led the north to triumph. Lincoln’s strategy was a type that was based on destroying the opposing forces instead of conquering their territory. Also, he conducted the Union armies to attack the enemy on all fronts. These strategies would surely catch the opponents off guard and ultimately give the Union a win on their battle record. Similarly to playing lacrosse,

Abraham Lincoln is one of the most well known presidents in the history of the United States of America. He as thought to be the man who led this great country through the toughest times it had to encounter. His determination to get the United States through the Civil War is one of the best things that have ever happened for this country. Lincoln’s argument about the relationship between slavery, the Constitution, and the Union changed throughout the Civil War. Lincoln’s view of the purpose of the war was to save the Union because of the southern states seceding from the Union. However, the argument changed to the war being about slavery because of Fredrick Douglass’s speeches and the Confederates surrendering at

Lincoln’s main goal for his presidency was to unify the Union after the Civil War had torn the North and the South apart. In Lincoln’s “Second Inaugural Address” he says, “While the inaugural address was being delivered from this place, devoted altogether to saving the Union without war...” (Lincoln 68). When Lincoln was elected for his first term, he wanted to unify the Union even before the war had

The Civil War was a war between the union, and confederate states in the United States that occurred from 1861-1865. Many people believed that the Civil War was about slavery and southern states right to defend their states’ rights. The confederates were fighting for their liberty and independence under the leadership of Abraham Lincoln, who they felt was a tyrant. However, the union, was fighting to preserve their territory, that was created by their founding fathers from chaos and dismemberment. President Jefferson Davis believed that the civil war was based on the confederate rights to secede from the union. Jefferson also felt that Abraham Lincoln was to blamed for the start of the civil war, since he was against slavery. Lincoln’s intended goal was to preserve the union, he claimed slavery was not the reason. “If I could save the union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all slaves I would do it, and if I could slave it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that (Shi &Tindall, 2015, pg.465)”. Lincoln told everyone that if the southern states were to return to the union that slavery would still exist. However, many people believed that Lincoln wasn’t being truthful.