“He wasn’t a traitor.
Lee’s primary allegiance like that of so many people back then, was to his state - Virginia.”
It was not.
Many Virginians served in the Union. Lee was not bound by anything to fight for a breakaway government. In fact a chunk of the state stayed with the Union. Virginia wasn’t even for succession until the U.S. had the nerve to not surrender federal property to a mob with guns pointed at Ft. Sumter.
So to whom was his loyalty naturally supposed to fall?
He rightfully resigned his post, and had hoped that it didn’t have to come to that, but in the end he had to betray his nation to work for another. That’s just the logic of the situation.
But he handled himself with such dignity and professionalism that he was saved from a firing squad in the end.
But he handled himself with such dignity and professionalism that he was saved from a firing squad in the end.
Jeff Davis too? The Union wouldn’t try either one as the issue of Constitutionality of secession would be brought up
and they feared the results.
The other positive thing he did was he used his influence on the rebel hot heads to put down their guns. If things had turned out differently there could have been a guerrilla war for years.