[drewcoo]

> One of Grant's failings was trusting too easily.

And a general who trusts too easily, just might possibly trust too readily, sir.

He was no Sherman, but his "governance" of the south led to carpetbaggers and "south shall rise again" BS that remains to this day.

If Lee had won the war or McClellan . . . we would have very different, much stronger ideas of republic today.

[bryanrasmussen]

I mean the whole being strict on the south was not just Grant's view, there were lots of people who wanted it. Johnson evidently wanted to be more lenient but was forced by the Congress to be hard.

As far as McClellan winning the war!! That really moves the alternate history from the realm of Science Fiction to one of Fantasy.

[sonofthesouf]

You have "South Shall Rise Again," at least these days, because folks have disdain towards the Federal apparatus and so the Confederacy makes for an easy monument around which to gather.

Arguably, the reason "the South" is a contentious topic as it stands presently - is a lack of folks being touched by the better angels of our nature. Grant wisely understood that in order to rebuild the nation, one couldn't become punitive towards his erstwhile and future countrymen.

[yardie]

The south had “carpetbaggers” because they were traitors. The federal government sent bureaucrats they could trust to run the government in the south.

[BrotherBisquick]

Exactly. Just like how I'm committing treason against my house by leaving it every morning.

[yardie]

The house is still there. You're just no longer part of it.

[dctoedt]

> He [Grant] was no Sherman, but his "governance" of the south led to carpetbaggers and "south shall rise again" BS that remains to this day.

A while back I read a tweet from an anonymous Army officer: "Sherman should've mowed the deep south like a lawn, making multiple passes"

https://twitter.com/pptsapper/status/1313470161974947843

[themitigating]

"and "south shall rise again"

Are you sure this can't be explained much more easily as pride?