What Longstreet Understood About Grant That Lee Refused to Accept Until It Was Too Late

The Untold Story of James Longstreet & Ulysses S. Grant.

"At Appomattox Court House in April 1865, after four years of brutal Civil War, Ulysses S. Grant walked toward Confederate General James Longstreet and said one word: “Pete.” "A nickname from another life. Before the war. Before Gettysburg. Before the bloodshed. "But here’s the part history rarely tells: Longstreet understood Grant better than almost anyone in the Confederacy. He knew Grant long before the Civil War—through West Point, Jefferson Barracks, Mexico, and even Grant’s connection to Julia Dent. "When Grant came east in 1864, Longstreet warned Robert E. Lee that this Union general would be different. Grant would not stop. He would not retreat after setbacks like previous Union commanders. He would keep pressing until the Confederacy ran out of time, men, and options. "Lee didn’t fully believe it—until it was too late. "In this video, we explore the hidden friendship between Grant and Longstreet, the warning Confederate leaders ignored, the brutal Overland Campaign, Petersburg, Appomattox, and how the Lost Cause myth later punished Longstreet for being right."

"Grant‘s wife, Julia, wasn’t just nearsighted. She had strabismus - commonly referred to as cross eyed. Later in his career, she wanted to have surgery to correct it because she was feeling self-conscious. Grant told her to cancel it because he fell in love with her just as she was. I think this detail speaks to his character and genuine feeling." From the comments.