Posted on 01/19/2006 11:20:56 AM PST by sheltonmac
You probably won't find anything special printed on your calendar for the 19th and 21st of January. In case you are wondering, those are the respective birthdays of Generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson.
As a nation we have already honored Martin Luther King, Jr., and will commemorate the birthdays of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln next month, but Lee and Jackson are especially dear to my heart. They were great men who embodied the inspiring courage, uncompromising honesty, principled conviction and moral fortitude we no longer see in our leaders today.
Both Lee and Jackson were men of action who fought valiantly to defend their homes and families. Jackson made it clear that if it were up to him, the South would "raise the black flag" and show no quarter to the enemy invading their homeland. They realized that while war was sometimes necessary, it should never be entered into lightly. As Lee put it, "It is good that war is so terrible, else we should grow too fond of it."
Lee and Jackson were Southern gents through and through. Consider Lee's Definition of a Gentleman:
The power which the strong have over the weak, the employer over the employed, the educated over the unlettered, the experienced over the confiding, even the clever over the silly—the forbearing or inoffensive use of all this power or authority, or a total abstinence from it when the case admits it, will show the gentleman in a plain light.
The gentleman does not needlessly and unnecessarily remind an offender of a wrong he may have committed against him. He cannot only forgive, he can forget; and he strives for that nobleness of self and mildness of character which impart sufficient strength to let the past be but the past.
A true man of Honor feels humble himself when he cannot help humbling others.
Jackson's wife, Mary Anna, wrote of her husband that he "was a great advocate for marriage, appreciating the gentler sex so highly that whenever he met one of the 'unappropriated blessings' under the type of truest womanhood, he would wish that one of his bachelor friends could be fortunate to win her."
Both Lee and Jackson believed in principle over pragmatism. Lee once said, "I think it better to do right, even if we suffer in so doing, than to incur the reproach of our consciences and posterity." Jackson summed it up this way: "Duty is ours; consequences are God's."
Jackson never lived to see the fall of his beloved South, but Lee was gracious even in defeat. When approached by those who wished to remain bitter after surrendering he said, "Abandon your animosities and make your sons Americans." It was his position that "we must forgive our enemies. I can truly say that not a day has passed since the war began that I have not prayed for them."
Above all, Lee and Jackson were men of God. Lee loved to pray. He would be sure to let people know that he was praying for them, and he felt encouraged when he was remembered in their prayers. Once, upon hearing that others had been praying for him, he remarked, "I sincerely thank you for that, and I can only say that I am a poor sinner, trusting in Christ alone, and that I need all the prayers you can offer for me."
Jackson was the epitome of a life devoted to prayer. No matter was too insignificant that it did not warrant communion with the Father: "I have so fixed the habit in my mind that I never raise a glass of water to my lips without asking God's blessing, never seal a letter without putting a word of prayer under the seal, never take a letter from the post without a brief sending of my thoughts heavenward. I never change my classes in the lecture room without a minute's petition for the cadets who go out and for those who come in."
Jackson had an intimate knowledge of the sovereignty of God and rested in the promises of his Heavenly Father. Following the loss of his first wife, Ellie, who died almost immediately after giving birth to a stillborn son, he wrote to his sister-in-law, "I have been called to pass through the deep waters of affliction, but all has been satisfied. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away, blessed be the name of the Lord. … I can willingly submit to anything if God strengthens me." It was this unshakeable faith that taught him "to feel as safe in battle as in bed."
The more I see what passes for leadership today in our government, in our churches and in our homes, the more I am convinced that we need men like Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. Jackson. I guess it's time for me to watch Gods and Generals again.
I know a Texan who wishes he would MOVE! (to Mexico) :)
Sorry for the multiple posts. I kept getting an error message after I posted.
BRAVO, Very well said Sir, Very well indeed.
Who could possibly argue with, Paraphrasing: "I look forward to the day when we are judged not by the color of our skin, but by the depth of our character." But I certainly take exception to any suggestion that Communism is preferable to laissez-faire capitalism.
Send him over and we can discuss it up close and personal.
Now, since we're neighbors and all, any time you want to come by and call me a jerk, a fruitcake, or anything else to my face, just freepmail me and I'm sure we can work something out.
Read MLK's own words. He was a Marxist.
You are right about one thing. . .
It's truly sad what passes for conservatism these day.
Same here. I may have been born north of the Mason Dixon line, but I've always understood that the wrong side won the War of Northern Agression.
What an absolutely hateful SOB you are.
If the shoe fits. And don't think for one single minute that I am worried about your veiled threat.
Careful who you threaten. You might just "reap the whirlwind"
When you insult my ancestors, and their cause, you insult me. You have the right to disagree about the war, but you don't have the right to insult the memory of 60,000 Texans who were willing to die for what they believed in. And by the way: NEWSFLASH: It wasn't slavery.
Be careful what you wish for.......
Welcome to the club. There are a LOT of those types around.
Unfortunately.
I enjoy them with bourbon as well, but my taste buds prefer the Woodford taken straight. :)
"the mint must be picked by a virgin philly while the morning dew is yet upon it."
A virgin from Philadelphia, or do you mean filly, as in a young female horse?
I'll assume there's a compliment in there somewhere. ;-D
And that would be the side that knew to spell it with two "g"s. :)
That's what gets me. If you support what the Confederacy was fighting for, you are branded a racist and in favor of slavery.
They don't even their 'victory' was pyrrhic because we are now all slaves on a much larger plantation.
( o )
A typo?
Your best argument is that at 3 AM, I made a typing error?
Go away.
Happy Birthday to your son!! :)
"There will be others, I assure you."
I would like to hope so, but I fear the hand of providence that raised these men up is slowly being withdrawn from this Country.
Time will tell however.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.