Posted on 10/16/2018 7:26:21 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Donald Trump spoke at a rally in Lebanon, Ohio, Friday and decided to give a little Civil War history lesson to illustrate a point about native Ohioan Ulysses S. Grant.
It's not surprising that Twitter exploded in rage:
Robert E. Lee was not a great general, President Trump.
He waged a war to hold onto the legal institution of white supremacy. https://t.co/TZvUood3kg
Southern Poverty Law Center (@splcenter) October 13, 2018
And now that Lost Cause "history" is being perpetuated by President of the United States. Robert E. Lee was not an incredible general. And monuments to his name are not "beautiful."
Southern Poverty Law Center (@splcenter) October 13, 2018
Robert E Lee was part of a faction that was willing to rip this nation apart to protect its own interests at the expense of other people & the Constitution. https://t.co/1OV96ytz79
Joyce Alene (@JoyceWhiteVance) October 13, 2018
Robert E. Lee was a traitor and a loser. Just like Donald J. Trump.
Eugene Gu, MD (@eugenegu) October 13, 2018
Seven thousand Ohioan soldiers--fighting for the Union--were killed during the Civil War. Trump praises Robert E. Lee, who led the troops that killed them. And Trump's Ohio supporters cheer. Now that's deplorable.
David Corn (@DavidCornDC) October 13, 2018 You know what? All of this is true -- to one degree or another.
But Trump never said that Robert E. Lee was a great person. He said he was a great general. And therein lies the story. Left-wing hysterics are entitled to their opinion about Lee, Grant, Lincoln, and Trump. But Robert E. Lee's generalship, while much criticized, is considered by many historians to be without peer in U.S. military history -- and not just revisionist historians of the "Glorious Lost Cause."
Several of his victories are studied to this day at military academies around the world. He did more with less than any other general except perhaps George Washington. And perhaps the surest sign that Lee was a great general was the way the men under his command felt about him.
Say what you will about him, but just because he was a slave owner doesn't make him a poor general.
Trump, however, bollixed up the story on Lee and Grant, demonstrating a Bluto-like knowledge of history.
"So Robert E. Lee was a great general. And Abraham Lincoln developed a phobia. He couldnt beat Robert E. Lee," Trump said before launching into a monologue about Lee, Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant. "He was going crazy. I dont know if you know this story. But Robert E. Lee was winning battle after battle after battle. And Abraham Lincoln came home, he said, 'I cant beat Robert E. Lee,' " Trump said.
"And he had all of his generals, they looked great, they were the top of their class at West Point. They were the greatest people. Theres only one problem they didnt know how the hell to win. They didnt know how to fight. They didnt know how," he continued.
Trump went on to say, multiple times, that Grant had a drinking problem, saying that the former president "knocked the hell out of everyone" as a Union general.
"Man was he a good general. And hes finally being recognized as a great general," Trump added.
To quote Boon, "Forget it. He's rolling."
This was already discredited last week and NBC had to issue an apology.
He then basically said but Grant was greater. The point was to make Grant look good.
Not only was RE Lee a great general, he was a fine man.
Bet these idiots wouldn’t bat an eye if Trump said the same about Marshal Zhukov or Gen. Giap.
I can think of a few freepers who would agree with the left.
Lee was the greatest general this country ever produced. Grant was a drunk.
uhh ..he WAS a great General. The historical record is undeniably clear on that point.
Both were great in my opinion. But we have some real loons on FR about Lee being evil! They may be chiming in soon...
“Eugene Gu, M.D.” should know better, whoever he is.
Whoever he is, he is an idiot. Everyone already knows that the SPLC is a bunch of race-baiting whores, like CPL.
Doesnt change the fact that Lee was a great general and also fought to heal the country after the civil war.
THAT is why hes honored as treasonous atrocities were committed on all sides of that war.
I told my Grankids that about Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson.
I’d just add, that it took me to be well into middle-aged before I developed any respect for Gen. Grant. It is now my opinion that, despite his faults, he shares equally with Gen. Lee the honor of ending the War Between the States in a civil manner. Reconstruction as it became, was not Grant’s idea of an honorable peace. Without Grant’s leadership, the post-war years could have been a nightmare beyond what it was.
Twenty years of guerilla warfare would have been a tragedy for the country.
Grant was apparently the only Union guy who realized that Lee could be crushed by Union resources. I don’t think he was as gifted as Lee but he recognized how to win.
Lee unquestionably ranks among the greatest of American generals. Unfortunately his only mistake was one of the biggest mistakes of the war.
I agree about Lee, but you are far too dismissive of Grant. He wrapped up the war in the west which allowed him to turn his attention to Lee. He didn't do anything spectacular against Lee, but he ground the Army of Northern Virginia down. His one mistake against Lee was the suicidal attack at Cold Harbor. Once he saw that he could not carry the southern position in an attack, he simply let time take its course and whittled away at them.
Grant's gracious behavior toward Lee and his men at Appomattox helped the war end with less bloodshed than it might have. Grant was the general the Union needed. Had he been in command earlier in the war, Lee might not have enjoyed that great year of success. Grant would not have been cowed like McClellan, Burnside, Pope and Hooker.
There would be no point in praising Grant if he had not fought against a worthy enemy. Lee was a great general. He was also an honorable man. Liberals forget that the Civil War generals often shared a common military history and training.
Great General? Someone never asked that to Longstreet or Pickett.
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