“He was a man that gave up his country to fight for his state, which, 150 years ago, was more important than country,” he added. “It was always loyalty to state first back in those days. Now it’s different today. But the lack of an ability to compromise led to the Civil War. And men and women of good faith on both sides made their stand where their conscience had to make their stand.”

A number of U.S. historians have criticized Kelly’s comments about the Civil War, calling them “strange,” “sad,” and “wrong.” Stephanie McCurry, a history professor at Columbia University, told The Washington Post that Kelly’s comments echoed talking points of a “pro-Confederate view of the Civil War.”