Jessica Rodriguez: Reaction to "Grant and Lee" A Study in Contrast (Blog # 13)

This is a great essay about two amazing generals, Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee. Lee came from the age of aristocratic chivalry. Unlike Lee, Grant was from the democratic west. They were both representative for their regions. Lee didn't want to change anything in his society but however, Grant fought for a growth, expansion, and a constantly widening horizon. In addition, they also had much in common, such as they both wonderful fighters, and they were able to turn from war to peace. The author also mentions that the two titans had their similarities. As Catton puts it, "They were two strong men, these oddly different generals, and they represented the strengths of two conflicting currents that through them, had come into final collision". Grant and Lee were born into nearly opposite families and environments, which greatly influenced who they later became. Both men embraced democracy, but Grant stood for the concept realistically while Lee only stood for it idealistically. Grant was a modern man, whereas Lee was quite old-fashioned.