Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee did not meet on the field of battle until May of 1864

Ulysses S. Grant, who was born in Ohio, and Robert E. Lee, who was born in Virginia, are arguably the two most well-known military figures to have come out of the American Civil War. There wasn't much between the two men. Lee was from a distinguished Virginia First Family with connections to the Continental Army and the country's founding founders. Grant, on the other hand, came from a middle-class family without any political or military links. Both men fought in the old army and the Mexican-American War after graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point.

In 1861, Lee was allowed to head the federal army that was assembling in Washington, but he turned it down and joined the Confederacy. Lee's early military career had a difficult beginning, but after taking command of the army he named the Army of Northern Virginia in June 1862, he began to find his footing. Grant, on the other hand, saw early success in the war despite persistent suspicions that he was an alcoholic. The two men were unquestionably the best generals in their respective armies by 1863. Grant was given the rank of lieutenant general in March 1864 and transferred to the Eastern Theater of the conflict, where he and Lee waged a relentless campaign from May 1864 until Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House eleven months later.