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Next to George Washington, Robert E Lee, is arguably the finest and noblest American! Also unreported by the politically correct historians, was the fact that Lee recognized the humanity of the newly freed blacks. This was most poignantly displayed one Sunday morning in 1865 in his church; when the priest called for the earnestly repentant to come forward to take communion, a black man from the back was the first to come kneel at the altar. The rest of the congregation held back, appalled, confused, etc. After a few moments of the awkward silence, an elder white man came forward and knelt down beside the man and took communion with him. Such was the nature of Lee's leadership, by example.

Also unreported by the politically correct historians, was the fact that Lee recognized the humanity of the newly freed blacks. This was most poignantly displayed one Sunday morning in 1865 in his church; when the priest called for the earnestly repentant to come forward to take communion, a black man from the back was the first to come kneel at the altar. The rest of the congregation held back, appalled, confused, etc. After a few moments of the awkward silence, an elder white man came forward and knelt down beside the man and took communion with him. Such was the nature of Lee's leadership, by example.

Nice story. Apparently, it first appeared in a newspaper forty years later, in 1905. A lot of myths attached themselves to Lee in later years. Whether this story is true or not would be hard, maybe impossible, to say for sure.

Curiously, the spin attached to the story at the time is different from how it would be interpreted today. TL Broun, who made public his memory of the incident put it this way:

By this action of Gen. Lee the services were conducted as if the negro had not been present. It was a grand exhibition of superiority shown by a true Christian and great soldier under the most trying and offensive circumstances.