Great generals are critical to a nation's prosperity. They impart unity to a country and defend it from any enemy it may encounter. There are two wars that showcase such brilliant generals in American history: the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. In one, English settlers on the continent of North America broke away from their homeland to establish their own. In the other, the now firmly established nation of the United States was struggling with itself over the issue of slavery. In both cases, the people needed strong, courageous, and selfless generals to guide them through trials. Generals George Washington of the Revolutionary War and Ulysses Grant of the Civil War are excellent examples of these qualities. Although both generals were successful in their respective wars and are two of the greatest generals in American history, George Washington was superior to Ulysses Grant in several ways, including early successes, war strategies, effectiveness, and leadership. The only area in which Grant has a slight edge over Washington lies in his early military experience and successes. Unlike Grant, Washington had very informal military training (Lengel 11). Although he thrived in this education, it put him at a disadvantage. Its second notable early flaw concerns its role in the French and Indian War. In 1754 he successfully ambushed a group of French soldiers, but was later forced to retreat and surrender (Selesky). The fact that the battle was horribly humiliating for Washington's forces and for Great Britain, combined with his subsequent lack of success, was not indicative of his impending military success (Washington 46-50). Despite his relative ineffectiveness as an officer, he earned... half the paper... Our Nation. New York: F. Watts, 1986. Print. Mintz, S. and S. McNeil. "The Revolutionary War". Digital history. Digital History, 2013. Web. November 24, 2013. Selesky, Harold. "George Washington." Encyclopedia of the American Revolution: Military History Library. Ed. Harold E. Selesky. Detroit: Sons of Charles Scribner, 2006. Biography in context. Network. November 24, 2013.Smith, Gene. Lee and Grant: a double biography. New York: New American Library, 1985. Print.Washington, George and Donald Jackson. George Washington: A Biography in Its Own. Ed. Ralph K. Andrist and Joan Paterson Kerr. vol. 1-2. New York: Newsweek, 1972. Print. "Washington: Was George Washington a Great Military Strategist?" History in dispute. Ed. Keith Krawczynski. vol. 12: The American Revolution, 1763-1789. Detroit: St. James Press, 2003. 301-309. US history in context. Network. November 26. 2013.