Is Grant a Butcher?-No, the term Butcher was used against Grant in the final days of the overland campaign and haunted him during tenure in the oval office by northerns and southerns alike. Grant is anything but a butcher, out west we see him time and again focus on raising the quality of life of his men. He forced on supply, not on pointless Napoleonic drill or discipline like some of his contemporaries. his men were well fed and led by competent commands prompted by merit, not thought political relevance or seniority. Grant preferred maneuver over any other civil war general but why is he still remembered as a butcher? Many compare Grant to the famed soviet marshal Zhukov who used his numerical superiority to grind down the better equipped and lead Germans. I don't believe this is an accurate comparison, statistically speaking Grant lost 18% of his men while inflicting 20% casualties on the enemy. Lee, on the other hand, Grant`s greatest rival lost on average 20% of his force and inflicted only 15% casualties on the enemy.

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