 Several historians of the Civil War described Kelly's remarks as ignorant, and as a misuse of history reminiscent of Lost Cause mythology.They also broadly reject Kelly's remark that a failure to compromise led to the Civil War, noting that the war was predominantly fought over slavery and that a number of compromises on slavery were made in the lead-up to the war.The White House defended Kelly's remarks, citing non-fiction writer and historian Shelby Foote.