CIVIL WAR Series II - Notable Union People

Ulysses Simpson Grant was the most superior and fearless general in the North. He was liked and trusted by almost everyone. Before the war, he started as a private in the Mexican-American war, and rose up in the ranks. His early fighting in the war was heavily located in the west to free the Mississippi river. He did this at the battles of Shiloh and Vicksburg. His success gained popularity and he was shown as a true hero! In late 1863, he became commander of the entire army! He then moved west to meet Lee's army and started the Wilderness & Petersburg campaigns. He sought to move into Richmond, no matter what it took. He captured Richmond and won the war! General Lee surrendered to him at Appomattox. Throughout the war, he had some haters. Some said he was too drunk and mean. Although that might of been true, we know that Grant was kind and cared about the Union. He became the countries 18th president some years later.

William Tecumseh Sherman was Grant's most trusted and ruthless general. He wasn't and easygoing man and he was very ruthless in war. Before the war, he was a big general and hated the Native Americans. He helped take part of the removal of the Indians. Despite his hate towards the Indians, he cared about the slaves and the Union cause. He mostly followed Grant throughout the war. "I will make Georgia howl" he said, referencing his plan to march through Georgia. He succeeded in his task and was highly noted. Fun fact, General Sherman trees are named after him.

Frederick Douglas was the most influential African American speaker and influencer during the time. He pushed for the freedom of blacks before, during, and after the war. He suggested that blacks should join the war and often aided Lincoln. Here is some backstory. He was a southern slave who failed to escape many times. In 1838, he became successful in escaping with his family and lived in the North. He became a preacher, and then traveled to Europe to learn about slavery and freedom. His dream was for everyone, regardless of race, gender, and belief to be free. And he did that! He took part in reuniting the country into one nation through his involvement in the Civil War. Today he is known as one of the most influential people of the war.

George McClellan was one of the first generals that Lincoln appointed in command of a large army. Sadly, he was way to hesitant and was afraid to go in to battle. The union lost many battles, as well as many men under him. He caused the US to lose Antietam - the bloodiest one-day battle of the war. Lincoln got mad at him for stalling time during the Maryland campaign in which he had to stop Lee. He got fired. Now we know that McClellan had right intentions, but he was just not the man for war. Soon after, he ran for presidency against Lincoln and lost by a landslide.

William Lloyd Garrison was probably the most hard-working and prominent abolitionist in the North. He is known for his newspaper pamphlets, the Liberator which focuses on why the blacks should be emancipated. He was also heavily religious and thought that the order of freeing blacks came from god. He also cared about Woman's rights too, writing books on that. But his most influential hard work was that he had to stop slavery. He proclaimed his ideas to Abraham Lincoln and was one of the people that convinced him to sign the Emancipation Proclamation. He lived to see the Union win the war.

You probably may not have heard of Matthew Brady. But he deserves to be famous. He discovered wet-plate photography, which makes the production of photos quicker, simpler, and more effective. Over the course of the Civil war, he has taken thousands of pictures from battle scenes to official portraits; of course, he had a crew. Here is how he did it: He took a wagon with his crew, he set up the camera, and he took pictures. However, he couldn't take live-action pictures because the technology back then couldn't take moving shots. Without Brady, many civil war documentaries would've been possible!

George Meade was another one of the half-dozen important Generals that Lincoln appointed in high command. He is best know for his contributions to the Victory for the Union at the turning-point battle of Gettysburg. Along with Gen. Chamberlain, he captured Big & Little Round near the town of Gettysburg. His works made Robert E. Lee of the south lose 1/3 of his generals!

Abraham Lincoln was president for the entirety of the Civil War. He was probably the most important president of the entire Union - he preserved the Union. He spent most of the war safely inside the White house planning Union generals and where they should advance. During his time, he switched off through around a dozen generals, including Hooker, Chamberlain, and McClellan. At last, he settled for Grant. During the war, he was under constant pressure to end the war from his opposers. But he knew that he had to preserve the Union - so he gave the Gettysburg address to confirm it. After he emancipated the slaves, he got lots of support and then continued on to win the entire war. Unfortunately, he was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth at Ford´s theater. The nation was in shock. He is remembered today in many places across the Union.