At the JPHS meeting in Clinton, Kentucky on Saturday, September 22nd, Dr. William (Bill) H. Mulligan, Jr. spoke about modernizing warfare and how U. S. Grant and military engineering made an impact on the outcome of the Civil War. Mulligan focused on four main areas – the construction of forts, Grant and military strategy, Vicksburg, and railroad workers at Columbus. Intertwined were stories of Grant’s upbringing, education, and family life. Grant was an 1843 graduate of West Point. Horsemanship and math were his best subjects. It is said Grant could paint horses accurately which was definitely an asset. Sadly, none of his paintings survive.
Mulligan noted that northerners who attended West Point were more likely to enter engineering fields, while southerners were mostly agricultural and not used to problem solving. This made a difference in the war. Polk of the Confederate States of America (CSA) built a fort at Columbus, Kentucky according to Mahan’s principles. The fort was fortified with guns and artillery and troops and Grant knew he couldn’t take it. Grant needed control of the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers, as well as the Ohio River, so he built a fort at Smithland and built Fort Anderson. Other forts in the area for Belmont, Henry, and Donelson.
Grant emphasized speed and did not hesitate to move forward. He led from the front and did not want to give the enemy time to build fortifications and practice. Grant had the ability to see what was coming and some of his superiors did not get this ability, but President Lincoln did. Grant always kept his troops at the ready.
Grant is a very interesting character in history, serving later as the President of the United States. Mulligan noted that Grant’s boss at the start of the Civil War had written the book on traditional warfare, but during the war, Grant was, in a sense, re-writing it. The Civil War is considered the first modern war in the world. Mulligan kept the audience both entertained and educated with his expertise on Ulysses S. Grant.
Mulligan is a professor of history at Murray State University and serves as the JPHS President.