Supposedly Grant tried to put Lee at ease during their meeting at Appomattox by talking at length about the war in Mexico where Grant first met Lee. Lee said he vaguely recalled the meeting, but couldn’t remember what Grant looked like.
Lee was already on the fast-track to higher command. Grant was a lowly quartermaster. Well the quartermaster in Grant made him better suited to planning a lengthy campaign. I wouldn’t have wanted to play chess against Grant.
That’s an interesting observation - that Grant’s service as quartermaster made him better able to plan a lengthy campaign. I am not sure that I entirely agree (or disagree), but I will certainly examine the campaign keeping your observation in mind.