Grants greatest talent was recognizing that he could sacrifice more men and still win a war of attrition.
So, how does that square with Lee at Gettysburg where he lost more men and lost the war of attrition?
Easy. Grant had a fundamental strategy of being okay with losing more men in order to win a war or attrition. That was never ever an option for Lee. Lee was on the other side of the coin so to speak. That Grant realized an obvious advantage while those before him seemed to have missed it speaks well for Grant and being a solid General but it wasn’t brilliant leadership or strategy. Far from it. Grant was known for being often drunk but well liked.
