[central_va]

Washington was a Virginian, just like Lee. The two men are interchangeable. Lee would have done what Washington did in the late 18th century and Washington would have done what Lee did in the mid 19th century.

[0.E.O]

Washington was a Virginian, just like Lee. The two men are interchangeable. Lee would have done what Washington did in the late 18th century and Washington would have done what Lee did in the mid 19th century.

Washington believed that our role as Americans trumped our role as Virginians or Nebraskans. While I agree that Lee would have acted as Washington did in 1776, it's because the reasons for the rebellion then were solid. The colonies were not represented. They did not have a say in the governments that the crown chose to impose on them. There was a situation of intolerable oppression. None of that was present in 1861. The South was represented, overrepresented, in Congress. They had literally run the government to their advantage for decades. They had their own governments. They were not overtaxed. They rebelled over petulance and slavery. Washington would not have signed on to that.

[BroJoeK]

central_va: "Washington was a Virginian, just like Lee.
The two men are interchangeable.
Lee would have done what Washington did in the late 18th century and Washington would have done what Lee did in the mid 19th century."

1. Neither Washington nor Lee would have unilaterally declared secession "at pleasure" in December 1860 to February 1861 -- but Fire Eating secessionists did that.

2. Neither Washington nor Lee would have incited rebellion by ordering secessionists to illegally seize dozens of major Federal properties (i.e., forts, armories, arsenals, ships, customs houses, mints, etc.) -- but secessionists / Confederates did that.

3. Neither Washington nor Lee would have started war with the United States by a military assault on US Army troops in Federal Fort Sumter -- but Confederates did that.

4. Neither Washington nor Lee would have formally declared war on the United States, on May 6, 1861 -- but the Confederacy did that.

5. But Washington, unlike Lee, when forced to chose between his country and a rebellion (i.e., the Whiskey Rebellion) chose his country over the rebellion.

So, yes, Washington and Lee were similar in some respects, but different in one critical matter.

[rockrr]

Lee obviously didn’t do what Washington did, which was to uphold his solemn oath to defend his country. Washington would have been outraged by the (mis)conduct of lee - or lost causers like you.