Was Henry Clay the greatest hero of the Civil War?

Note: this answer assumes that the OP knows that Henry Clay was dead and decomposed nearly a decade before the attack on Fort Sumter. Trying to form an argument that Henry Clay was the greatest hero of the civil war would rely upon a cause and e... read more

Henry Clay died June 29, 1852, nine years before the Civil War began. Therefore, he cannot be one of the heroes of the Civil War. The comment to the question suggests that this is directed to Clay's actions towards compromise and avoid war. read more

Leader of the Whig party and five times an unsuccessful presidential candidate, Henry Clay (1777-1852) played a central role on the stage of national politics for over forty years. read more

Henry Clay failed in his all consuming ambition to become President of the United States. "I would rather be right than President," was his most famous remark, and probably one of the greatest utterances of political sour grapes of all time. read more