Why was Ulysses S. Grant given command of the Union armies in 1864?

Grant had won important Union victories in the Western theater, including at Vicksburg and Chattanooga. These successes convinced President Lincoln that Grant could coordinate the Union’s campaigns and apply pressure across multiple fronts. His record in the West—not a personal friendship or Republican Party leadership—was the main reason he received command of all Union armies in 1864.

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