Although the former Confederate general James "Pete" Longstreet, a friend of Grant's before and after the Civil War, is not one of the characters in the novel, he is on the mind of several people who are.
One of them, Frank Herron, was an ally of Longstreet in postwar Reconstruction politics, and in Chapter 15 talks about the 1874 riot in New Orleans when dozens of people were killed by the White League. The White League defeated the heavily African-American state militia commanded by Longstreet, who was himself wounded and almost lynched. As a result, the state's governor was ousted until Grant sent in federal troops to restore order.
According to Wikipedia, the above inscription lauding "white supremacy" was added in 1932 to the 1891 obelisk monument celebrating the riot, or "The Battle of Liberty Place," but was apparently removed in 1993 as the city made efforts to provide some historical balance.
Although Longstreet was one of the best Confederate generals, there are virtually no statues of him in the South. The generally accepted reason is because of his postwar Republican politics.
The city took down the monument last year, along with three others, including a statue of Robert E. Lee.
Also last year, a woman was killed in a riot in Charlottesville, Va., triggered by that city government's (not yet accomplished) plan to take down a statue of Lee. That statue was designed by Henry Shrady, and completed after his death by Leo Lentelli. It is a work of art.
Shrady was the son of Dr. George Shrady, a minor character in The Last Circle of Ulysses Grant.
The younger Shrady is best known for the magnificent Grant memorial in front of the U.S. Capitol.
As I occasionally tell would-be arguers when I give tours of Grant Cottage, my rule is not to engage in controversy about events after 1885.
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