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At the time of the Civil War, people did not consider a "State" to be merely a division of the U.S.A.
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Pretty clearly, if you graduated from West Point, took an oath of office as an officer, fought for the United States in Mexico, and went on to head West Point, you were a citizen of the United States with obligations and commitments to the United States.
Whatever somebody or other in the middle of nowhere thought, you came out of a tradition of service to the United States. Pretending some kind of amnesia about all that doesn't let you off the hook.
I used to believe all that nonsense about Virginia being Lee's "country" but it really doesn't fly -- not for a career military officer. It would be refreshing to be honest about this and look facts in the face.
The country that he served at West Point? The United States. The country that he fought for against Mexico? The United States.
You are assuming that the Union = the United States, which, in 1861, was not the case.
He had a decision to make, whom shall you serve - the Union, or the Confederacy. He chose to serve Virginia, and by extension, the Confederacy.
If he were a traitor, why didn’t he serve the Union and serve poorly? Is Lee, who fought well and bravely for the Confederates more of a traitor than McLellan, who ran on a platform of reconciliation with the South, against Lincoln, and who’s policy of war directly lead to it’s extension?