Grant conducted the most brilliant campaign ever waged on U.S soil, the Vicksburg campaign. The manuevering alone was worth the price of admission. But for a couple of inferior subordinates, a couple of his moces in the Wilderness-Petersburg campaigns would have ended the war a lot sooner. Cold Harbor was a bad mistake. Even Grant admitted it.But he could afford attrition, and Lee couldn't [having suffered a higher percentage of losses per army in all but two of his battles]. Kind of like sending 15,000 men accross a mile and a half of open field under enemy artillery to attack uphill.
As bad as it looked, Pickett's Charge was a sound military decision, based on the info Lee had. He had been repulsed on both flanks, and thought the enemy was weak at the center. If he had been correct, he would have split the Federal line. However, his info was faulty.
moces=moves