Abraham LincolnPresident of the United Statesby WayneAbraham Lincoln was President of the United States during the Civil War from 1860-1865. He was born in a log cabin near Hodgenville, Kentucky, on February 12, 1809. When he was president he was also the Commander-in-Chief of the Union Army, which is the highest-ranking military officer. He appointed generals to command his troops. In 1863 he issued the Emancipation Proclamation which declared that all slaves in the Confederate States would be free. This helped end slavery in the United States. The same year he gave a great speech called the Gettysburg Address at a cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. He wanted to honor all the soldiers who had lost their lives in the war. Many people thought he was a great president, but some people did not like his views on slavery. President Lincoln was assassinated on April 14, 1865 by John Wilkes Booth at a theater in Washington DC. This was only five days after the South surrendered to end the Civil War.Jefferson DavisPresident of the Confederacyby GeorgeJefferson Davis was the President of the Confederate States of America. He was also Commander - in - Chief of the Confederate Army. He was a colonel in the United States Army during the Mexican-American War. He was Secretary of War and also a United States Senator.Jefferson Davis was born in the South and grew up on a cotton plantation. When he was 16 years old he went to the Military Academy at West Point. The training he got at the military school helped him to become a great military leader and is one of the reasons the Confederates won so many battles at the beginning of the Civil War.

Ulysses S. GrantUnion Generalby AmandaUlysses S. Grant was the leader of the Union Army. He had all the qualities President Lincoln wanted for the commander of his army. Grant fought very hard and was very stubborn in battles. He did not like to be defeated.Grant was trained at the Military Academy at West Point, New York. During the Mexican-American War he was a second lieutenant in the army. In 1854 he went home to his family. When the Civil War began and the North began losing so many battles, Grant joined the Army for a second time. He was an excellent military leader because of his training and skill. General Robert E. Lee, The leader of the Confederate Army had to surrender to General Grant in 1865. Later General Grant became president of the United States twice. People remember him as a great war hero. They felt he did more as a leader of the army than what he did as president.Robert E. LeeConfederate Generalby DarrielleRobert E. Lee was the South's greatest general during the Civil War. He graduated from West Point Military Academy and became a colonel in the army before the Civil War began. He was from Virginia and decided to fight on the side of the Confederates even though President Lincoln asked him to be commander of the entire Union Army. General Lee wanted to fight for the South and remain loyal to his home state.General Lee was a fierce fighter and helped his soldiers win many battles at the beginning of the Civil War. But the Union Army was bigger and stronger. Lee felt he had to surrender to the North to stop so many of his soldiers from being killed.