“It is probably well that we had the war when we did. We are better off now than we would have been without it, and have made more rapid progress than we otherwise should have made. Now our republic has shown itself capable of dealing with one of the greatest wars ever made, and our people have proven themselves to be the most formidable in war of any nationality. But this war was a fearful lesson and should teach us the necessity of avoiding wars in the future.”
Ulysses S. Grant
