"I am a damned sight smarter man than Grant. I know more about military history, strategy, and grand tactics than he does. I know more about supply, administration, and everything else than he does. I'll tell you where he beats me though and where he beats the world. He doesn't give a damn about what the enemy does out of his sight, but it scares me like hell. … I am more nervous than he is. I am more likely to change my orders or to countermarch my command than he is. He uses such information as he has according to his best judgment; he issues his orders and does his level best to carry them out without much reference to what is going on about him and, so far, experience seems to have fully justified him." -- William T. Sherman
Yes, Grant understood the great advantage of making the enemy react to his moves rather than the reverse. While he is carrying out his plan as intended, letting nothing dissuade him, his opponent must undo their own to react to him. He got two prizes for the effort of taking one: he accomplishes his objective while denying his opponent their own.