Grant-Victory/Defeat-Belmont!

[5fish]

The Battle of Belmont was Grant's first engage where he was in command of a large union force. He sailed down the Mississippi River and landed near Belmont, MO and engage a similar size Confederate force.

At the end of the engagement Grant had shatter the Confederate force and control the southern camp but when Confederate reinforcement arrive Grant chose to retire or maybe retreat to his transports and leave the area.

It was interesting battle for Grants behavior like leading the attack against the Confederate force and getting his horse shoot and almost being left behind while looking for a lost Union unit.

Historians call it an inclusive battle but at the end of the day Grant held no ground and left the area, while the Confederate held and still controlled their ground. I think Historians are giving Grant a pass on this engagement.

The Question is: Was the Battle of Belmont a victory, or defeat for Grant or just a inconclusive meaningless battle that claimed 600 casualties on both sides?

A note: The units on both side most were made up of what would called "Green Horns".

[OpnDownfall]

Victory in drawn battles is like beauty, it is usually in the eyes of the beholder.
The real significance of the battle, was felt in Washington D.C., where Pres. Lincoln's attention was drawn to general who was aggressive and willing to fight, at a time when most Union Generals were amassing hurge armies, but were bleating about how much more they needed and how tidy everything needed to be before they could actually engage the enemy.
Early in the War, the only real military success East of the Mississippi River, always seemed to involve Grant.

[timewalker]

I voted "other."

Tactically, I think it was a defeat and even Grant apparently thought so. However, for Grant personally I think it classifies as a "victory" in that in the great scheme of things it helped Grant politically, it "seasoned" his troops and he learned many things necessary for his later victories.

[samgrant]

For Grant it was a victory in that he was able to get his raw troops into battle, and in consequence boosted their moral for the future battles to come. He also exposed the vulnerability of the Confederate troops at Columbus.


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[J_Man0507]

I am going to go with inconclusive. In the grand scheme of things, the battle didn't truly do much strategically, though tactically it was a defeat of Grant, because he had to leave the field. However, he did give his men some experience and he did bring notice to himself as a fighting general. So as a battle, it was inconclusive, though it gave experience and attention to Grant.

Sam, I am gonna have to disagree on the Columbus point. I don't think Belmont really did much to show its vulnerability. What proved its vulnerability was Grant's move down the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers, thereby flanking the Gibraltar of the West. Grant could easily have moved to besiege the city if he had deemed it prudent and necessary, but I think his move down into the heart of the Confederacy proved his point enough, because once he took Forts Henry and Donelson, Columbus was abandoned.

[5fish]

This battle was about a victory for Grant in the intangibles of war, like leadership of a large force in battle, the political good will it earn him from Washington, his men gaining experience under fire, and others as well.

But what a battle is usually grade on like control of the field and vanquishing one's enemy. Grant does not make the grade in this little encounter with Johnny Reb.

I will defer to "C " and chose inconclusive for I do not want to put a blemish on Grants military record with a defeat.

[ole]

I've taken a hard line with regards to who won and who lost. To wit: The one who leaves first, lost. Ergo, Grant lost at Belmont. (Which doesn't mean Schofield lost at Franklin -- he paused on his way to Nashville.) And I agree that, in a sense, he won by judiciously leaving the field before his loss could be demonstrated. But I won't put Belmont on Grant's victory list.

ole

[Blockaderunner]

Defeat in my opinion. If capturing an enemy camp then been driven off counts as victory, then that means Early won at Cedar Creek. Clearly he did not.