[stevem]

Why should he feel the need to apologize for portraying a man, a former general and president, who served his country to the best of his ability?

I think Thompson might just be having a little fun with his acting career.

The fact of the matter is, there were a good many Confederate soldiers that came to admire and respect Grant during and after the war. Then there were prominant confederates, like George Pickett, who counted Grant as a friend and James Peter Longstreet who considered Grant as one of his closest personal friend's before and after the war.

[PzLdr]

Longstreet was married to either Julia Grant’s sister, or cousin.