On April 27, 2021, the Grant Monument Association hosted a live online colloquy to mark President Ulysses S. Grant’s 199th birthday: General David Petraeus was joined by General Ty Seidule, professor emeritus of history at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and author of the just published Robert E. Lee and Me, and General Dana Pittard, a decorated combat leader and commander who led the initial U.S. response to halt the spread of ISIS in Iraq and co-authored Hunting the Caliphate.
The epic contest between Generals Grant and Lee was one of the most consequential between any two commanders in military history. Both men have seen dramatic changes to their historical reputations, as well as to understandings of their respective causes, over time. Discussion explored why this was the case and how Grant and Lee responded to the circumstances they faced in their shared time during one of the most tumultuous and pivotal periods in American history.