US general, slippery thing recalled (3)
I believe the answer is:
lee
'us general' is the definition.
(US Confederate general Robert E Lee)
'slippery thing recalled' is the wordplay.
'slippery thing' becomes 'eel' (slippery fish).
'recalled' says the letters should be written backwards.
'eel' back-to-front is 'LEE'.
(Other definitions for lee that I've seen before include "Robert E. - - , US hero" , "Bruce ___, martial arts ace" , "Commander of the Confederate States Army in the American Civil War" , "Shelter" , "The sheltered side of something" .)