Upbringing: His roots in Ohio and his West Point experience prove Grant is of a hardier stock than the hobby-hunting, gun club Roosevelt. Grant's father was a tanner, which leads me to believe that number 18 had his hide tanned many-a-time. At West Point, he certainly wasn't the smartest (finishing in the bottom half of his class) but he had a reputation for fearlessness. Teddy may have been a boxer, but he was a boxer at Harvard. Advantage: Grant.
War Experience: Grant, proving his relentlessness, led the Union troops into Shiloh on the way to Antietam. This was the bloodiest battle in American history. Needless to say, he won't shy away from the fight. Even though Teddy's experience was in the endlessly funny Mexican-American War, he is the only President to be awarded the Medal of Honor. This one's a draw.
Tactics: Grant was a drinker. There is no denying this. He also seemed like the brooding, drinks-by-himself kind of drinker. These folks are dangerously bad communicators and often let their fists do the talking when a negotiator may think twice. I see Roosevelt as a negotiator, sacrificing the first blow or two to a staggering Grant. Advantage: Grant.
If they fought 10 times and it was determined Roosevelt would win nine, my money is still on Grant. This is about guts and I think Grant shows up.
Let's make sure we give Teddy his due here. He explored an unknown portion of the amazon river when he was in his 60's. The trip was so harowing that one of the porter's went crazy, killed another porter, and stole the food. Teddy became seriously ill, yet still walked out of the jungle some 30 pounds lighter. That portion of the river was named after him (Rio Teodoro).
ReplyDeleteAlso in my favorite Teddy moment, after being shot in the chest during a speech, he rose to his feet and instructed the crowd not to hurt the would-be assassin. He then, with a bullet in his chest, finished the speech. The surgeon who retrieved the bullet said that Roosevelt's extraordinary physical condition and muscular frame had stopped the bullet and prevented any serious damage. He's one bad ass Bull Moose.