Lincoln feared that the war would end before reelection and his chances at the time were slim. The Union was suffering under heavy losses from battle that they fought and he had no general who could lead the troops let alone turn the tide. That all change when he gave Ulysses S. Grant command of the Armies of the North. Grant won at Vicksburg and later on the North won a series of battles such as Chattanooga, The March to the Sea that led to a victory for the Union.