For years, Lincoln had been frustrated by a parade of generals who were paralyzed by the enormity of the task or the fear of their own shadows. In Ulysses S. Grant, Lincoln finally found the "mettle" he had been searching for. Grant was different—he was persistent, pragmatic, and possessed an unwavering focus on the destruction of the enemy’s armies rather than the capture of cities.
Their relationship was one of the most consequential in history. Lincoln gave Grant the political cover he needed to conduct a total war, while Grant gave Lincoln the military victories necessary to sustain public morale. This chapter chronicles the grim, unrelenting nature of the Overland Campaign, where the cost of victory was measured in thousands of lives lost per week. Lincoln’s steadfast support of Grant, even in the face of brutal criticism from the press and political rivals, demonstrated his total commitment to finishing the war. It was the partnership that finally broke the back of the Confederacy.