Advertisement

Donald Trump calls Confederate leader Robert E. Lee a ‘great general’

Click to play video: 'Trump praises Confederate leader Robert E. Lee as a ‘great general’'
Trump praises Confederate leader Robert E. Lee as a ‘great general’
At a rally in Ohio on Friday night, U.S. President Donald Trump praises Confederate leader Robert E. Lee as a "great general" as he told a story about Ohio-born Gen. Ulysses S. Grant – Oct 12, 2018

Robert E. Lee.

He was the leading general of the Confederate Army during the American Civil War, heading the military effort against Union forces after 11 southern states had seceded from the United States — with slavery one of the major reasons why they separated.

He was also the subject of praise from United States President Donald Trump at a rally in Lebanon, Ohio on Friday.

WATCH: Trump praises Kanye West and says ‘what he did was pretty amazing’

Click to play video: 'Trump praises Kanye West and says ‘what he did was pretty amazing’'
Trump praises Kanye West and says ‘what he did was pretty amazing’

Trump had kind words for Lee as he talked of a number of Ohio-born presidents whom he said history hadn’t properly recognized.

Story continues below advertisement

He first mentioned Niles, Ohio-born Republican president William McKinley, whom he praised for his achievements “in terms of trade, in terms of war.”

Trump then said that Ohio also gave America a general “who was incredible, he drank a little bit too much, you know who I’m talking about.”

READ MORE: Donald Trump — ‘I think we’re going to get the African American vote’

The president was speaking of Point Pleasant, Ohio-born general and former president Ulysses S. Grant, who commanded the Union forces in the American Civil War, and was the man to whom Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House in 1865.

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Get daily National news

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Grant was also known for his alcoholism.

As he began talking of Grant, Trump brought up Lee, saying that he “was a great general” about whom then-president Abraham Lincoln developed a “phobia.”

“Robert E. Lee was winning battle after battle after battle, and Abraham Lincoln came home, he said, ‘I can’t beat Robert E. Lee!'”

Trump said that Lincoln had generals who were the “top of their class at West Point, they were the greatest people.”

Story continues below advertisement

“There’s only one problem: they didn’t know how the hell to win, they didn’t know how to fight,” Trump said.

President Donald Trump arrives at White House in Washington, Friday, Oct. 12, 2018, from a trip to Lebanon, Ohio. AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta

Turning back to Lincoln, Trump said that the then-president turned to Grant, a man whose name he “hardly knew.”

“They said, don’t take him, he’s got a drinking problem,” he said.

“And Lincoln said, I don’t care what problem he has, you guys aren’t winning. And his name was Grant, General Grant, and he went in and he knocked the hell out of everyone.”

READ MORE: Trump looks to use Brett Kavanaugh battle to spur Republicans to vote in midterms

Trump missed a few facts in his recounting of Grant’s military career.

Story continues below advertisement

Grant was a West Point graduate who climbed the ranks of the army during the Civil War, winning battles at Fort Henry and Fort Donelson en route to the Battle of Shiloh, where he succeeded in pushing back the Confederates but was criticized for the losses he took — there were over 23,000 casualties.

Grant would later lead the siege of Vicksburg, a Confederate stronghold, forcing its surrender in 1863. He was named commander of the Union armies the following year.

Lee would surrender on April 2, 1865, and Grant would praise him for having fought “long and valiantly.”

Ulysses S. Grant. AP

Trump was correct, however, in noting that Grant’s achievements have often gone unnoticed historically.

Story continues below advertisement

He gained new prominence last year with the publication of Grant by Ron Chernow, who previously authored the biography Alexander Hamilton.

The nearly 1,000-page biography charted Grant’s time as a Civil War general, as well as his presidency fighting back against groups such as the Ku Klux Klan, who intimidated and killed black people during a period known as “Reconstruction.”

The biography became a New York Times bestseller and it’s now the basis for a six-part docuseries that was greenlit by History earlier this year, Deadline reported.

It’s being produced in part by Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way Productions.

Sponsored content

AdChoices