Probably we make too much of it. Grant was a very simple person. To him, it was obvious that the war would only end by stamping out the resistance. Nothing less would do.

Over the next few weeks, as the casualty lists multiplied, Grant would be called “the butcher.” Very rarely did he attempt to persuade the public, or any particular person, of the reason for his methods. He had the confidence of the president, and that was what mattered.