> Lincoln kept him in charge even though civilians were haranguing Lincoln to remove him because they were appalled by the high death toll. Most of the complai

> Lincoln kept him in charge even though civilians were haranguing Lincoln to remove him because they were appalled by the high death toll. Most of the complaints started and ended with the Battle of Shiloh. Grant was, by most accounts, a merely able tactician, but he did see the bigger picture, like Johnston probably did, while Lee did not. If the South had fought a purely defensive war and avoided decisive battles wherever possible, the North would probably have been forced to concede for political reasons. Grant fought so offensively and aggressively because he knew this. Lee really blew it from a strategic perspective, although to be fair, there were political pressures on him. I'm also inclined to give more credit to Grant's tactical abilities than most, because, well, he did beat Lee on the field pretty handily. I would also add that Grant felt the terms he offered Lee were what Lincoln would have wanted.