[muawiyah]

Interesting that it is believed that Lee didn't want to raise his sword against Virginia 'cause he sure did raise his sword against Western PA, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota which had, in fact, long been a part of Virginia until that nation's cession of land claims to the new United States of America.

Yes, Virginia was a nationstate ~ courtesy of the Treaty of Paris ending the Revolutionary War.

Western Virginia was separately admitted to the Union, and Bobby Lee found no problem whatsoever in raising his sword against his fellow Virginians who resided in that area.

The only fair conclusion is that Lee wasn't really sure why he was raising his sword ~ unless you know how his Daddy went bankrupt ~ selling land in Indiana, et al, for a lower price than he'd paid for it. (One of my own ancestors worked as his land agent for several years peddling the Swamp Lands).

A case can be made that the man was out for revenge and it didn't have anything to do with competing patriotism. Like Tip O'Neil said, "all politics is local", and with Lee, "local" was fairly personal.

[RFEngineer]

"The only fair conclusion is that Lee wasn't really sure why he was raising his sword ~ unless you know how his Daddy went bankrupt "

I wonder what your daddy did to raise a son so morally bankrupt? You would do well to study, learn and emulate Lee.