General Ulysses S. Grant's strategy to win the Civil War can be characterized primarily by:
- to wage total war on the South.
Grant's approach involved aggressive campaigning and the use of total war tactics. He aimed not only to defeat Confederate armies but also to destroy the South's ability to sustain the war effort by targeting infrastructure, supply lines, and civilian resources. This strategy was evident in campaigns such as the Siege of Vicksburg and the Overland Campaign, where Grant applied relentless pressure on Confederate forces.
While the other options contain elements that were part of the broader Union war effort, they do not encapsulate Grant's primary strategy as effectively as the total war approach.