Basically trying to pat him on the head because he played a role in freeing the slaves. All politics in the US is ultimately racial at this point.
Meaningless promotions and salutations for the dead are government activities to pursue during "good times". We are nowhere near good times. Also, military ranks for officers should be directly connected to the number of forces under their command and only effective during their time of service, not a title of nobility. Used to be that three and four stars would return to two star rank upon retirement for pay and benefit purposes. Given that most general officers walk right out of uniform into a boardroom and a big paycheck, that policy should be updated and retirement bennies probably should be bumped down a few more ranks and capped at O-6.