Splendid idea! Southern Americans are Americans too; something that Northeastern liberals seem to want to intentionally forget. There are many wonderful and important Southern American heroes who don't get the adulation that they deserve.
I have a concern, however, and please allow me to explain. Every time I visit Louisiana, I am reminded that I can't live there because the food is too good.....I know that I would weigh about 300 lbs in a month if I were to be surrounded by Blackened Redfish, Shrimp Etouffe and gumbo all the time. My concern is that a Robert E. Lee holiday should, of course, celebrate all things pertaining to Southern heritage and culture, including the marvellous Southern cuisine.
It would end up, for me, much like Thanksgiving where I need to diet for several weeks thereafter :-)
Lousyanna isn't the only place to find good food in the South. J/K, I love New Orleans and try to make a trip there every year for the food, shopping, and the kind of atmosphere, only found in the French Quarter.
My wife makes the best seafood gumbo in the world. When I was an undergraduate in Beaumont, I would scrounge money to have a nice meal at Don's Seafood. It was owned by the Landry Brothers out of Louisiana. Get the shrimp or seafood gumbo without the okra. The bread is great. Also take a look at Pappas or Pappados. Live a little. (We got the recipe from Don's Seafood and she has perfected it over the years)