Civil War Presidents. Which was more prepared to be commander-in-chief

p 2 CIVIL WAR PRESIDENTS . WHICH WAS MORE PREPARED TO BE COMMANDER-IN CHIEF The Civil War , which started in 1861 , was a conflict between the Union or the United States of America , led by Abraham Lincoln , and the Confederate States of America , under the wing of Jefferson Davis Office of the Chief of Military History United States Army , The Civil War , 1861 ' American Military History Army Historical Series http /www .history .army .mil .books /AMH-09 .htm (accessed May 30 , 2008

The root cause of the war was slavery and how the Union

and the Confederates expressed their views on it . Lincoln and the Union were against slavery whereas Davis and the predominant South states that comprised the Confederates owned slaves . When the war ended in 1865 , the country had lost 620 ,000 soldiers . Britannica .com , s .v . American Civil War ' http /www .britannica .com /ebc /article-9355164 (accessed May 30 2008 Lincoln was a self-educated man whereas Davis came from a family of revolutionary soldiers . Davis himself went to West Point military academy . Davis was truly a military man , disciplined and unwavering . He was a man who would not desert a fight he started . This is not to say that Lincoln 's lack of military experience made him ill-equipped to be commander-in-chief . It was precisely Lincoln 's military experience , or lack thereof , that made him a better president during the Civil War . He showed more compassion to those who err , especially the court-martial soldiers whereas a military man would probably be more authoritarian Again , this is not to say that Davis would have done the opposite and persecute them . But a military upbringing would have made him straightforward , have definite answers for everything . That and the fact that Davis wanted to preserve slavery spells a lot of thing , one of him being racially prejudiced . Or maybe he simply wanted to safeguard the federal government and he thought that maintaining slavery , which was until that time , part of the US system . Lincoln took the different route , one that showed both sympathy and empathy

A military strategy would probably not have changed a thing . Lincoln although did not have a military background , had a military man in the person on his general , Ulysses Grant . Grant 's perspective on how things should be handled in a way reflected Lincoln 's , too .Lincoln may have been the chief commander but Grant 's influence on his decisions should not be taken for granted . Lincoln changed the racial future of his country , when he endorsed the 13th Amendment to the Constitution to abolish slavery . He preserved the Union and put an end to slavery through his non-military instinct . That alone makes him a better commander-in-chief .BIBLIOGRAPHY Britannica .com , s .v . American Civil War http /www .britannica .com /ebc /article-9355164 (accessed May 30 , 2008 Office of the Chief of Military History United States Army . The Civil War , 1861 ' American Military History Army Historical Series http /www .history .army .mil .books /AMH-09 .htm (accessed May 30 , 2008...