General Lee was without a doubt the most honorable foe ever to take up arms against the United States. Rest in peace General. We honor you.
I don’t believe Lee was such a great general, only that the North had such bad leadership until Grant, Sheridan, and Sherman came along, who understood that the key to defeating the Confederacy was to destroy her economic base and not her armies.
If only the average American high school or college student could write as eloquently as General Lee did in his resignation letter.
Robert E. Lee was the son of ‘Light Horse Harry’ Lee. His wife was the granddaughter of Martha Washington. Lee shared the beliefs of the Founding Fathers regarding the immorality of slavery and illegality of secession. He was horrified by the Confederate rebellion. He felt compelled to side with his home state, but only after she had seceded.
Somebody had to do it
August 9, 1960
Dear Dr. Scott:
Respecting your August 1 inquiry calling attention to my often expressed admiration for General Robert E. Lee, I would say, first, that we need to understand that at the time of the War Between the States the issue of Secession had remained unresolved for more than 70 years. Men of probity, character, public standing and unquestioned loyalty, both North and South, had disagreed over this issue as a matter of principle from the day our Constitution was adopted.
General Robert E. Lee was, in my estimation, one of the supremely gifted men produced by our Nation. He believed unswervingly in the Constitutional validity of his cause which until 1865 was still an arguable question in America; he was thoughtful yet demanding of his officers and men, forbearing with captured enemies but ingenious, unrelenting and personally courageous in battle, and never disheartened by a reverse or obstacle. Through all his many trials, he remained selfless almost to a fault and unfailing in his belief in God. Taken altogether, he was noble as a leader and as a man, and unsullied as I read the pages of our history.
From deep conviction I simply say this: a nation of men of Lee’s caliber would be unconquerable in spirit and soul. Indeed, to the degree that present-day American youth will strive to emulate his rare qualities, including his devotion to this land as revealed in his painstaking efforts to help heal the nation’s wounds once the bitter struggle was over, we, in our own time of danger in a divided world, will be strengthened and our love of freedom sustained.
Such are the reasons that I proudly display the picture of this great American on my office wall.
Sincerely,
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Lee was an extraordinary man and it is well that he is remembered
“In 1847, the State of Maryland gave permission to the United States War Department to construct a fort in the shallow water of Sollers Point Flats to protect the city of Baltimore. Fort Carroll was important for the defense of Baltimore before the fort’s construction, Fort McHenry just outside the city was the only military defensive structure between Baltimore and the Chesapeake Bay. The fort was part of the “Permanent System” or Third System construction program, which aimed to defend Americas most important ports.
Then Brevet-Colonel Robert E. Lee designed the hexagonal structure and supervised the construction, which the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers commenced in 1848. Lee went on to become Superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point before the fort received its name on 8 October 1850.”
Just another reason to remember Lee
The Dukes of Hazzard’s car had a birthday?
Happy Birthday!
Sorry, I’ll let you guys have this one. Where would I be today if the south had won?
God bless General Lee!
It didn’t take long for the pro Lincoln crowd to stir things up.
Placemarker
Hey look! Another thread worshipping a mortal man!!
At least Lee would have been embarrassed by it, unlike a lot of the wannabe Confederates here...
Ping for later