possessed all these many virtues to the highest degree.He was not "dignified" in the way that General Lee was, though rough and ready, he was always a gentleman, in the best meaning of the word. He was proud of his soldiers and his work, and ambitious to do his utmost for his country. He had so great a faith in the Union cause that he never for a moment lost hope that in the end it would succeed.Grant was endowed with a great hope, but his modesty and honesty in regards to himself had also given him wisdom. He was never content to do just what other people did. He was no copyist but a student, not only of things and other people, but of himself. His common sense was such that he possessed the inestimable gift of being able to learn from his own mistakes, as well as from the mistakes of others. He was never bound by traditions, he had a horror of formalities. His common sense was due to his reasoning nature, he always had a reason for what he did. Chance and luck he didn't believe in. Here is what he said about luck in war: "Some of our generals failed because they worked out everything by rule. They knew what Frederick did at one place and Napoleon at another. They were always thinking what Napoleon would do. Unfortunately for their plans, the Rebels would be thinking about something else."This is wisdom, this is common sense which in itself is wisdom. Conditions and not rules governed Grant's actions. He did not resist circumstances, neither did he seek a justification for failure. Rather, he analyzed circumstances and acted accordingly. He learnt something of importance from each operation he undertook. From these lessons, and every engagement was a lesson and not merely a victory or defeat, he built up his own art of war. In the Vicksburg campaign, Grant's moral courage has seldom been equaled. His plan met with no support and Sherman strenuously objected to it. Grant, having thought it out, knew that it was good plan...
