The FReeper Foxhole Profiles General Robert Edward Lee

Robert Edward Lee, general-in-chief of the Confederate States army, is placed by general fame as well as by the cordial suffrage of the South, first among all Southern military chieftains. By official rank he held that position in the Confederate States army, and his right to the primacy there is none to dispute. Considered as a true type of the American developed through the processes by which well-sustained free government proves and produces a high order of manly character, he fully and justly gained the distinguished esteem with which all America claims him as her own. Beyond the borders of this continent, which men of his caste long ago consecrated to freedom at altars that smoked with sacrifice, and extending over oceans east and west into the old world's realms, his name has gone to be honored, his character to be admired, and his military history to be studied alongside the work of the great masters of war. Happy, indeed, are the Southern people in knowing him to be their own, while they surrender his fame to become a part of their country's glory.

Jackson and Lee at Chancellorsville

General Lee's lineage and collateral kindred constitute an array of illustrious characters, but certainly without dispraise of any, and without unduly exalting himself, it can be calmly written down that he was the greatest of all his race. Unaware he was of his own distinction. Unaware also of a common sentiment was each of his people who cherished an individual feeling in the years which followed his public service until the consensus came into open view, where all men saw that all true men honored his name and revered his memory.

Contrast of Lee with other men will not be instituted, because there were indeed others great like himself, and he more than others would deplore a contest for premiership in fame. The most that can be said in any mingling of his name with other illustrious characters has been uttered in the wonderfully felicitous and graphic sentences of Benjamin H. Hill, which may be repeated here, because of their brilliant and true characterization:

"When the future historian shall come to survey the character of Lee he will find it rising like a huge mountain above the undulating plane of humanity, and he must lift his eyes high toward heaven to catch its summit. He possessed every virtue of other great commanders without their vices. He was a foe without hate; a friend without treachery; a soldier without cruelty; a victor without oppression; and a victim without murmuring. He was a public officer without vices; a private citizen without wrong; a neighbor without reproach; a Christian without hypocrisy and a man without guile. He was a Caesar without his ambition; Frederick without his tyranny; Napoleon without his selfishness; and Washington without his reward. He was obedient to authority as a servant, and royal in authority as a true king. He was gentle as a woman in life; modest and pure as a virgin in thought; watchful as a Roman vestal in duty; submissive to law as Socrates; and grand in battle as Achilles."

It will be understood by all who read any biographical sketch of one so eminent as the Southern military leader thus portrayed in Mr. Hill's splendid words, that the facts of his life must sustain the eulogy. Fortunately this support appears even in the cold recital which is here attempted. General Lee was born at Stratford, Virginia, January 19, 1807, and was eleven years old on the death of his chivalric father, General Henry Lee, the "Light Horse Harry" of the American revolution. In boyhood he was taught in the schools of Alexandria, chiefly by Mr. William B. Leary, an Irishman, and prepared for West Point by Mr. Benjamin Hallowel1. He entered the National military academy in 1825, and was graduated in 1829, without a demerit and with second honors. During these youthful years he was remarkable in personal appearance, possessing a handsome face and superb figure, and a manner that charmed by cordiality and won respect by dignity. He was thoroughly moral, free from the vices, and while "full of life and fun, animated, bright and charming," as a contemporary describes him, he was more inclined to serious than to gay society.

He married Mary Custis, daughter of Washington Parke Custis, and grand-daughter of Martha Washington, at Arlington, Va., June 30, 1831. Their children were G. W. Custis, Mary, W. H. Fitzhugh, Annie, Agnes, Robert and Mildred.

At his graduation he was appointed second-lieutenant of engineers and by assignment engaged in engineering at Old Point and on the coasts. In 1834 he was assistant to the chief engineer at Washington; in 1835 on the commission to mark the boundary line between Ohio and Michigan; in 1836 promoted first lieutenant, and in 1838, captain of engineers. In 1837 he was ordered to the Mississippi river, in association with Lieutenant Meigs (afterward general) to make special surveys and plans for improvements of navigation; in 1840 a military engineer; in 1842 stationed at Fort Hamilton, New York; and in 1844 one of the board of visitors at West Point. Captain Lee was with General Wool in the beginning of the Mexican war, and at the special request of General Scott was assigned to the personal staff of that commander. When Scott landed 12,000 men south of Vera Cruz, Captain Lee established the batteries which were so effective in compelling the surrender of the city. The advance which followed met with serious resistance from Santa Anna at Cerro Gordo. Here Captain Lee made the reconnaissances and in three days' time placed batteries in positions which Santa Anna had judged inaccessible, enabling Scott to carry the heights and rout the enemy.

Gen Robert E. Lee
Feb. 17, 1864, Orange,VA

In his report Scott wrote: "I am compelled to make special mention of Captain R. E. Lee," and the brevet as major was accorded the skillful artilleryman. The valley of Mexico was the scene of the next military operations, and here Lee continued to serve with signal ability and personal bravery. One act of daring General Scott afterward referred to as" the greatest feat of physical and moral courage performed by any individual in my knowledge pending the campaign." Having participated in the daylight assault which carried the entrenchments of Contreras, Captain Lee was soon afterward engaged in the battles of Churubusco and Molino del Rey, gaining promotion to brevet lieutenant-colonel. In the storming at Chapultepec, one of the most brilliant affairs of the war, he was severely wounded, and won from General Scott, in his official report, appreciative mention as being "as distinguished for execution as for science and daring." After Chapultepec he was recommended for the rank of colonel. The City of Mexico was next taken and the war ended.

Among the officers with Lee in Mexico were Grant, Meade, McClellan, Hancock, Sedgwick, Hooker, Burnside, Thomas, McDowell, A. S. Johnston, Beauregard, T. J. Jackson, Longstreet, Loring, Hunt, Magruder, and Wilcox, all of whom seemed to have felt for him a strong attachment. Reverdy Johnson said he had heard General Scott more than once say that his "success in Mexico was largely due to the skill, valor and undaunted energy of Robert E. Lee." Jefferson Davis, in a public address at the Lee memorial meeting November 3, 1870, said: "He came from Mexico crowned with honors, covered with brevets, and recognized, young as he was, as one of the ablest of his country's soldiers." General Scott said with emphasis: "Lee is the greatest military genius in America." Every general officer with whom he personally served in Mexico made special mention of him in official reports. General Persifer Smith wrote: "I wish to record particularly my admiration of the conduct of Captain Lee, of the engineers--the soundness of his judgment and his personal daring being equally conspicuous." General Shields referred to him as one" in whose skill and judgment I had the utmost confidence." General Twiggs declared" his gallantry and good conduct deserve the highest praise," and Colonel Riley bore "testimony to the intrepid coolness and gallantry exhibited by Captain Lee when conducting the advance of my brigade under the heavy flank fire of the enemy."

In the subsequent years of peace Lee was assigned first to important duties in the corps of military engineers with headquarters at Baltimore, from 1849 to 1852, and then served as superintendent of the military academy at West Point until 1855, when he was promoted brevet lieutenant-colonel and assigned to the Second cavalry, commanded by Colonel Albert Sidney Johnston This remarkably fine regiment included among its officers besides Johnston and Lee, Hardee, Thomas, VanDorn, Fitz Lee, Kirby Smith, and Stoneman, later distinguished in the Confederate war. With this regiment Lee shared the hardships of frontier duty, defending the western frontier of Texas against hostile Indians from 1856 until the spring of 1861. In October, 1859, he was at Washington in obedience to command, and fortunately so, as during his visit occurred the John Brown raid. President Buchanan selected him to suppress the movement, which he did with prompt vigor, after giving the proper summons to Brown to surrender.

Returning to Texas, he was in command of the department in 1860 and early in 1861, while the Southern States were passing ordinances of secession, and with sincere pain observed the progress of dissolution. Writing January 23, 1861, he said that the South had been aggrieved by the acts of the North, and that he felt the aggression and was willing to take every proper step for redress. But he anticipated no greater calamity than a dissolution of the Union and would sacrifice everything but honor for its preservation. He termed secession a revolution, but said that a Union that can only be maintained by swords and bayonets had no charms for him. "If the Union is dissolved and the government disrupted, I shall return to my native State and share the miseries of my people; and save in defense will draw my sword on none."

About a month later Lee was summoned to Washington to report to General Scott and reached the capital on the 1st of March, only a few days before the inauguration of Lincoln. He was then just fifty-four years of age, and dating from his cadetship at West Point had been in the military service of the government about thirty-six years. He had reached the exact prime of maturity; in form, features, and general bearing the type of magnificent manhood; educated to thoroughness; cultivated by extensive reading, wide experience, and contact with the great men of the period; with a dauntless bravery tested and improved by military perils in many battles; his skill in war recognized as of the highest order by comrades and commanders; and withal a patriot in whom there was no guile and a man without reproach. Bearing this record and character, Lee appeared at the capital of the country he loved, hoping that wisdom in its counsels would avert coercion and that this policy would lead to reunion. Above all others he was the choice of General Scott for the command of the United States army; and the aged hero seems to have earnestly urged the supreme command upon him.

Edward S. Valentine's magnificent statue of General Lee in the Lee Chapel at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia

Francis P. Blair also invited him to a conference and said, "I come to you on the part of President Lincoln to ask whether any inducement that he can offer will prevail on you to take command of the Union army." To this alluring offer Lee at once replied courteously but candidly that though "opposed to secession and deprecating war he would take no part in the invasion of the Southern States." His resignation followed at once, and repairing to Virginia, he placed his stainless sword at the service of his imperiled State and accepted the command of her military forces. The commission was presented to him in the presence of the Virginia convention on April 23, 1861, by Mr. Janney, the president of that body, with ceremonies of great impressiveness, and General Lee entered at once upon duties which absorbed his thought and engaged his heart. The position thus assigned confined him at first to a narrowed area, but he diligently organized the military strength of Virginia and surveyed the field over which he foresaw the battles for the Confederacy would be fought. As late as April 25 he wrote, "No earthly act would give me so much pleasure as to restore peace to my country, but I fear it is now out of the power of man, and in God alone must be our trust. I think our policy should be purely on the defensive, to resist aggression and allow time to allay the passions and permit reason to resume her sway."

The Confederate government in May, 1861, employed his splendid talent for organization, an advantageous employment, indeed, but one that kept him from that command in the field for which he was eminently qualified. Subsequently the expeditions in the West Virginia campaign were attended with such peculiar disadvantages that General Lee had the mortification of observing a sudden and unjust waning of his reputation. Thus his service in the field for which he was best fitted was still further postponed, and he spent the winter of 1861 in command of the department of Georgia, South Carolina and Florida, to which he was assigned by President Davis, giving his talents as an engineer to organization of a system of coast defense. From these duties he was called in March, 1862, to become the military adviser of the President, a position in which he gave constant attention to the movements of the enemy as well as to the Confederate means of defense, and was in readiness to assume any duty that might be assigned.

The severe wounding of General J. E. Johnston, at the battle of Seven Pines, and the illness of General G. W. Smith, next in rank, brought to him the command of the army of Northern Virginia, which he immediately led to successive victories over the great armies of McClellan, Pope, Burnside and Hooker, attaining for him. self, in a few months, a fame for generalship which spread over the world.

His subsequent career throughout the Confederate struggle was distinguished by his regard for the humane usages of war; his exhibition of great military skill; a spirited personal courage, as well as that nerve of leader. ship that impelled him to give battle whenever he saw an opportunity to strike an effective blow; a courteous bearing toward his officers and a tender concern for the welfare of the men in line; an untiring attention to details and an unexcelled devotion to duty. All these characteristics and much more were made apparent as the war wore on to its disastrous end.

The details which establish his reputation as a military genius are to be found in all the books which have been written on the Confederate war. Referring to them for special information we pass on to see him at Appomattox, nobly yielding himself and his army when resistance was no longer possible, and then departing for his home, to refuse offers of place that would bring profit and high civil position, and finally turning his glorious life into channels of beneficent influence.

With clear insight into all the merits of the cause for which he drew his sword in 1861, he wrote on January 5, 1866: "All that the South has ever desired was that the Union as established by our fathers should be preserved, and that the government as originally organized should be administered in purity and truth." Six months later he wrote: "I had no other guide, nor had I any other object than the defense of those principles of American liberty upon which the constitutions of the several States were originally founded, and unless they are strictly observed I fear there will be an end of Republican government in this country."

He lived only a few years after the fall of the Confederacy, and those years were nearly all spent in service as president of the Washington-Lee college. The anxieties of his military life had changed his hair to gray, but he was still in vigorous health. His nearest friends alone saw that his sympathy for the misfortunes of his people became a malady which physicians could not remove. With sincere purpose to observe his parole, and, after all military operations had ceased, to lend his influence fully to peace, he carefully avoided all things which would irritate the people in power. Rigidly preserving his convictions, as he felt he must do, he nevertheless promoted the restoration of harmony among the people of the whole country. Thus his life passed until he was suddenly seized with sickness on the 28th of September, 1870, at his home in Lexington, and on Wednesday morning, October 12th, he died in the Christian's faith, which he had all his life confessed. Demonstrations of sorrow as sincere as they were imposing manifested the great love of his own people in the South, but these exhibitions also extended into the North, and from the European press America learned how highly the eminent Confederate was esteemed abroad. "The grave of this noble hero is bedewed with the most tender and sacred tears ever shed upon a human tomb. A whole nation has risen up in the spontaneity of its grief to render the tribute of its love." His name will lure his countrymen to revere truth and pay devotion to duty, and until the nation ceases to be free the glory of his character will be cherished as priceless national treasure.

(Biography taken from the Confederate Military History, Volume I)

1 posted on 09/13/2003 12:00:54 AM PDT by SAMWolf

To: AntiJen; snippy_about_it; Victoria Delsoul; bentfeather; radu; SpookBrat; bluesagewoman; HiJinx; ...

Lee's Farewell to the Army of Northern Virginia

Farewell to the Army of Northern Virginia

After four years of arduous service, marked by unsurpassed courage and fortitude, the Army of Northern Virginia has been compelled to yield to overwhelming numbers and resources.

I need not tell the survivors of so many hard-fought battles who have remained steadfast to the last that I have consented to this result from no distrust of them; but feeling that valor and devotion could accomplish nothing that could compensate for the loss that would have attended the continuance of the contest, I determined to avoid the useless sacrifice of those whose past services have endeared them to their countrymen. By the terms of the agreement, officers and men can return to their homes and remain until exchanged.

You may take with you the satisfaction that proceeds from the consciousness of duty faithfully performed, and I earnestly pray that a merciful God will extend to you his blessing and protection.

With an unceasing admiration of your constancy and devotion to your country, and a grateful remembrance of your kind and generous consideration of myself, I bid you all an affectionate farewell

He Lost a War and Won Immortality

Even among the free, it is not always easy to live together. There came a time, less than a hundred years ago, when the people of this country disagreed so bitterly among themselves that some of them felt they could not go on living with the rest.

A test of arms was made to decide whether Americans should remain one nation or become two. The armies of those who believed in two nations were led by a man named Robert E. Lee.

What about Lee? What kind of man was he who nearly split the history of the United States down the middle and made two separate books of it?

They say you had to see him to believe that a man so fine could exist. He was handsome. He was clever. He was brave. He was gentle. He was generous and charming, noble and modst, admired and beloved. He had never failed at anything in his upright soldier's life. He was a born winner, this Robert E. Lee. Except for once. In the greatest contest of his life, in the war beween the South and the North, Robert E. Lee lost.

General Robert E. Lee and Staff, 1865
At the photographer's request General Lee reluctantly put on his uniform and posed at the back of his residence with his son, General George Washington Custis Lee (left), and his chief of staff, Colonel Walter H. Taylor (right). The image conveys the pathos of defeat for the Confederacy and for Lee personally. For Brady, who had been present at the first battle of the Civil War at Bull Run, this portrait completed his photographic coverage of the conflict.
MATTHEW B. BRADY

Now there were men who came with smouldering eyes to Lee and said: "Let's not accept this result as final. Let's keep our anger alive. Let's be grim and unconvinced, and wear our bitterness like a medal. You can be our leader in this."

But Lee shook his head at those men. "Abandon your animosities," he said, "and make your sons Americans."

And what did he do himself when his war was lost? He took a job as president of a tiny college, with forty students and four profes- sors, at a salary of $1500 a year. He had commanded thousands of young men in battle. Now he wanted to prepare a few hun- dred of them for the duties of peace. So the countrymen of Robert E. Lee saw how a born winner loses, and it seemed to them that in defeat he won his most lasting victory.

There is an art of losing, and Robert E. Lee is its finest teacher. In a democracy, where opposing viewpoints regularly meet for a test of ballots, it is good for all of us to know how to lose occasionally, how to yield peacefully, for the sake of freedom. Lee is our master in this. The man who fought against the Union showed us what unity means.

Louis Redmond

Additional Sources:

members.tripod.com/~jrw6
www.americaslibrary.gov
www.rjgeib.com/thoughts/lee
www.truthinhistory.org
www.roberteleetheman.com
personalpages.tds.net/~mikethorson
www.sterlingprice145.org
www.worcesterart.org
www.disordered.org
www.americanmastersgallery.com
users.erols.com/kfraser
www.markscollection.com
www.hq.usace.army.mil
www.americanmastersgallery.com

2 posted on 09/13/2003 12:01:40 AM PDT by SAMWolf (The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)

'With all my devotion to the Union and the feeling of loyalty and duty of an American citizen, I have not been able to make up my mind to raise my hand against my relatives, my children, my home. I have therefore resigned my commission in the Army, and save in defense of my native State, with the sincere hope that my poor services may never be needed, I hope I may never be called on to draw my sword..... '

-- Lee in a letter to his sister, April 20, 1861

'It is well that war is so terrible, or we should grow too fond of it. '

-- Robert E. Lee

'They do not know what they say. If it came to a conflict of arms, the war will last at least four years. Northern politicians will not appreciate the determination and pluck of the South, and Southern politicians do not appreciate the numbers, resources, and patient perseverance of the North. Both sides forget that we are all Americans. I foresee that our country will pass through a terrible ordeal, a necessary expiation, perhaps, for our national sins.'

-- Robert E. Lee,
May 5, 1861

'Do your duty in all things...You cannot do more; you should never wish to do less.'

-- Robert E. Lee

'Governor, if I had foreseen the use those people designed to make of their victory, there would have been no surrender at Appomattox Courthouse; no sir, not by me. Had I foreseen these results of subjugation, I would have preferred to die at Appomattox with my brave men, my sword in this right hand.'

-- General Robert E. Lee,
August 1870 to Governor Stockdale of Texas

3 posted on 09/13/2003 12:02:04 AM PDT by SAMWolf (The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)

4 posted on 09/13/2003 12:02:35 AM PDT by SAMWolf (The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)

To: The Mayor; Prof Engineer; PsyOp; Samwise; comitatus; copperheadmike; Monkey Face; WhiskeyPapa; ...

.......FALL IN to the FReeper Foxhole!

.......Good Saturday Morning Everyone!

If you would like added or removed from our ping list let me know.

5 posted on 09/13/2003 12:04:36 AM PDT by snippy_about_it (Pray for our troops)

To: snippy_about_it; SAMWolf

You can't talk of Lee without thinking of the "what ifs". If only Jackson hadn't fallen to friendly fire then Little Round Top would have been captured before nightfall the first day, a few regiments and batteries taken defensive positions, and the Federals would have wasted themselves on unplanned night attacks against guns loaded with canister, and find destruction in the morning. The Union troops might have run, spreading despond, and Washington might have fallen.

Or Davis might have realized Bragg was an idiot, and appointed Lee as Supreme Commander of the Armys in about Jan. '62, unleashed Forrest against the Northern rail system and Jackson against the Northern Cities. "Hold them for ransom," Jackson said.

Hold in the East, attack in the West where the Confederates enjoyed interior lines. I think it would have worked.

6 posted on 09/13/2003 2:12:32 AM PDT by Iris7

Robert E. Lee is no proper hero for Americans, saying in 1865 that the best relationship of whites and blacks was that of master and slave. (1)

Lee agreed that the system of chattel slavery in the south was a positive good, both rational and Christian, and thus an institution fit to be made permanent to serve as the cornerstone of the Confederate "nation". Too, he was in fact a slave owner, his estate at Arlington being the home of 63 slaves. (2)

Lee took up arms against the United States before his letter of resignation was accepted. (3)

He was not even a very successful general, squandering his army's manpower in bloody battles that destroyed his opportunity for offensive action and ultimately led to mass desertions. "He failed to rise above local professional concerns and view the war as a whole, displaying little interest or understanding of the overall strategic situation, demonstrating a predilection for Virginia - and Virginians - to the exclusion of all other theaters." (4)

If you like losers, Robert E. Lee is the man for you.

And Lee's honor? His statements were inconsistant and self serving:

"The framers of our Constitution never exhausted so much labor, wisdom and forebearance in its formation, and surrounded it with so many guards and securities, if it was to be broken by every member of the Confederacy at will. It was intended for 'perpetual union' so expressed in the preamble, and for the establishment of a government, not a compact, which can only be dissolved by revolution, or the consent of all the people in convention assembled. It is idle to talk of secession." January 23, 1861 (5)

"All the South has ever desired is that the union, as formed by our founding fathers, should be preserved." Jan 5. 1866 (6)

Robert E. Lee is not a suitable hero for Americans today.

(1) Lee Considered, By Alan Nolan p. 21

(2) Ibid p. 10

(3) Ibid p. 52

(4) from "A Civil War Treasury" by A.A. Nofi

(5) Lee Considered By Alan Nolan p. 34

(6) Ibid p. 56

Walt

7 posted on 09/13/2003 2:16:43 AM PDT by WhiskeyPapa (Virtue is the uncontested prize.)

To: snippy_about_it

Good morning, Snippy and everyone here at the Foxhole. How's it going?

8 posted on 09/13/2003 3:07:48 AM PDT by E.G.C.

To: snippy_about_it

9 posted on 09/13/2003 6:25:56 AM PDT by The Mayor (I have to change my tagline, I've been Taglinus FreeRepublicused again : ))

On This Day In History

Birthdates which occurred on September 13:
1739 Grigory Potemkin army officer, statesman, Catherine II's lover, OS
1755 Oliver Evans pioneered high-pressure steam engine
1819 Clara Schumann (n‚e Wieck) Leipzig, Germany, pianist/composer
1847 Milton Hershey, founder of the famous candy company.
1851 Walter Reed US Army Surgeon, proved mosquitoes transmit yellow fever
1857 Milton S Hershey , chocolate manufacturer/philanthropist
1860 Gen John J (Blackjack) Pershing US commander in WW I
1863 Arthur Henderson Britain, socialist/disarmament worker (Nobel 1934)
1866 Adolf Meyer US, psychiatrist/neurologist (pioneered mental hygiene)
1874 Arnold Schonberg Vienna Austria, composer (Second Quartet)
1876 Sherwood Anderson Winesburg, Ohio, author/publisher (Winesburg)
1894 J(ohn) B(oynton) Priestly author (Good Companions)/wed Jessica Hawkes
1895 Ruth McDevitt Coldwater Mich, actress (Jo-All in the Family)
1896 Morris Kirksey US, 4 X 100m (Olympic-gold-1920)
1904 Gladys George Patten Maine, actress (Roaring Twenties)
1912 Reta Shaw South Paris Maine, actress (Ghost & Mrs Muir)
1913 Roy Engle Mo, actor (Police Chief-My Favorite Martian)
1917 Robert Ward Cleveland Ohio, composer (Pantaloon)
1918 Ray Charles Chicago, orch leader (Perry Como)
1920 Carole Mathews Montgomery Ill, actress (Wilma-The Californians)
1924 Maurice Jarre Lyons France, composer (Dr Zhivago-Acad Award 1966)
1924 Norman Alden Fort Worth Tx, actor (Pilaski-Hennesey, Al-Fay)
1924 Scott Brady Bkln NY, actor (China Syndrome, Gremlins, Johnny Guitar)
1925 Mel Torm‚ Chic Ill, jazz singer "Velvet Fog" (Jet Set, Night Court)
1926 Emile Francis NHL player/coach/GM (Rangers, Blues, Whalers)
1928 Ernest L Boyer educator/chancellor of NY's State Universities (SUNY)
1930 James McLane US, 1500m freestyle swimmer (Olympic-gold-1948)
1931 Barbara Bain Chic, actress (Cinnamon-Mission Impossible, Space 1999)
1933 Eileen Fulton Asheville NC, actress (Our Private World)
1937 Fred Silverman broadcasting exec (ABC/NBC)
1938 Judith Martin Miss Manners
1939 Larry Speakes presidential press secretary
1939 Richard Kiel Detroit Mich, James Bond adversary
1941 Oscar Arias S nchez president of Costa Rica (1986- ) (Nobel 1987)
1944 (Winifred) Jacqueline Bisset England, actress (Class, Deep, Secrets)
1944 Peter Cetera Chicago, lead singer (Chicago-25 or 6 to 4, Old Days)
1948 Clyde Kusatsu Honolulu Hawaii, actor (Ali-Bring 'em Back Alive)
1948 Nell Carter Birmingham Ala, actress (Nell-Gimme a Break, Lobo)
1951 David Clayton-Thomas singer (Blood Sweat & Tears-You've Made Me So Very Happy, Spinning Wheel)
1952 Karen Wyman Bronx NY, singer (Long & Winding Road)
1953 Taryn Power LA Calif, actress (Maria)
1956 Joni Sledge Phila, vocalist (Sister Sledge-We are Family)
1958 Ann Dusenberry Tucson Az, actress (Jaws 2, Lies, Basic Training)
1965 Zak Starsky drummer, son of Beatle Ringo
1971 Stella Nina McCartney daughter of Paul & Linda McCartney

Deaths which occurred on September 13:
0081 Titus Flavius Vespasianus, emperor of Rome (69-81), dies at 42
1321 Dante Alighieri author of the Divine Comedy, dies
1598 Philip II King of Spain (1556-98), dies at 71
1759 James Wolfe British general (Plains of Abraham), dies at 32
1803 Commodore John Barry, considered by many the father of the American Navy, died in Philadelphia.
1881 Ambrose Everett Burnside, US Union general, dies at 57
1950 Sara Allgood actress (Jane Eyre, Spiral Staircase), dies at 56
1977 Leopold Stokowski symphonic conductor, dies in England, at 95
1981 William Loeb publisher of Manchester Union Leader, NH, dies at 75
1982 Philip Ober actor (Gen Stone-I Dream of Jeannie), dies at 80
1991 Joseph Pasternak movie producer, dies at 89 of cancer
1998 - George Wallace Governor of Ala., presidential candidate at 79.

Reported: MISSING in ACTION
1965 MOSSMAN JOE R. SPRINGFIELD PA.
1966 COAKLEY WILLIAM F. LENNOX MA.
[REMAINS RETURNED 05/89]
1967 REID HAROLD ERICH SALT LAKE CITY UT.
[REMAINS IDENTIFIED 03/27/99]
1968 BRIGHAM JAMES W. OCALA FL.
[01/01/69 RELEASED, DECEASED]
1970 MILLER WYATT JR. PHILDELPHIA PA.

POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.

On this day...
122 Building begins on Hadrian's Wall
604 Sabinian begins his reign as Catholic Pope
1515 King Francis of France defeats the Swiss army under Cardinal Matthias Schiner at Marignano, northern Italy.
1625 Rabbi Isiah Horowith & 15 other rabbis arrested in Jerusalem
1663 1st serious slave conspiracy in colonial America (Virginia)
1743 England, Austria & Savoye-Sardinia sign Treaty of Worms
1759 Wolfe defeats Montcalm on Plains of Abraham; Canada becomes English
1788 The Congress of the Confederation authorized the first national election, to be held "the first Wednesday in January next (Jan 7, 1789)." and declared New York City the temporary national capital.
1789 1st loan to US Govt (from NYC banks)
1849 1st US prize fight fatality (Tom McCoy)
1861 1st naval battle of Civil War, Union frigate "Colorado" sinks privateer "Judah" off Pensacola, Fla
1862 Union troops in Frederick, Maryland, discover General Robert E. Lee's attack plans for the invasion of Maryland wrapped around a pack of cigars. They give the plans to General George B. McClellan who does nothing with them for the next 14 hours
1863 The Loudoun County Rangers route a company of Confederate cavalry at Catoctin Mountain in Virginia.
1867 Gen E R S Canby orders SC courts to impanel blacks jurors
1882 Britain invades Egypt
1883 Cleveland Hugh Daily no-hits Phila 1-0
1898 Hannibal Goodwin patents celluloid photographic film
1918 U.S. and French forces take St. Mihiel, France in America's first action as a standing army.
1906 1st airplane flight in Europe
1922 136.4øF (58ø C), El Aziziyah, Libya in shade (world record)
1925 Bkln Dodger Dazzy Vance no-hits Phillies, 10-1
1927 Waite Hoyt became the only 20 game winner of the 1927 Yankees
1928 KOH-AM in Reno NV begins radio transmissions
1932 NY Yankees clinch their 7th pennant
1934 Judge Landis sells World Series broadcast rights to Ford for $100,000
1936 Cleve Bob Feller strikes out then record 17 in a game (vs Phila A's)
1942 Cubs shortstop Leonard Merullo makes 4 errors in 1 inning
1942 Battle of Edson's Ridge (2nd Japanese assault) at Guadalcanal
1942 German forces attack Stalingrad
1943 Chiang Kai-shek became president of China
1948 Margaret Chase Smith (R-Me) elected senator, 1st woman to serve in both houses of Congress
1949 Ladies Pro Golf Association of America formed in NYC
1951 In Korea, U.S. Army troops begin their assault in Heartbreak Ridge. The month-long struggle will cost 3,700 casualties.
1959 USSR's Luna 2 becomes 1st probe to contact another celestial body
1961 "Car 54 Where are You?" premiers on TV
1961 Unmanned Mercury-Atlas 4 launched into Earth orbit
1963 "The Outer Limits" premiers
1963 Yanks clinch their 28th pennant
1965 Beatles release "Yesterday"
1965 Today Show's 1st totally color broadcast
1965 Willie Mays hits his 500th HR
1970 IBM announces System 370 computer
1971 9 hostages & 28 prisoners die in take over at Attica State Prison
1971 Frank Robinson hits his 500th HR
1971 World Hockey Association formed
1973 ABC announces it obtained TV rights for the 1976 Olympics
1973 Congress passes & sends a bill to Nixon to lift football's blackout
1974 1st broadcast of "Rockford Files" on NBC-TV
1974 Phillies set NL record, using 27 players in a game, St Louis uses 24, tying record of 51. Phils win 7-3 in 17
1976 2nd Enterprise, approach & lands test (ALT) flight (5m28s)
1977 1st TV viewer discretion warning-Soap
1977 2nd test of the Space Shuttle Enterprise
1978 NY Yanks win to gain sole possession of 1st place from 14 games back
1979 South Africa grants Venda independence (Not recognized out of S Afr)
1981 33rd Emmy Awards (Hill Street Blues big winner)
1981 April Moon sets women's handbow distance record of 1,039 yds & 13"
1981 Atlanta Falcons tie record of 31 points in 4th quarter (vs Green Bay)
1981 John McEnroe beats Bj”rn B”rg for US Open title
1982 50 die in Spantax Airlines DC-10 on takeoff from Malaga, Spain
1982 Joe Lefevre gets 6 hits in one baseball game
1983 US mint strikes 1st gold coin in 50 years (Olympic Eagle)
1984 STS 41-G launch vehicle moves to launch pad
1985 John Williams introduces the new Today Show theme
1986 Bert Blyleven gives up a record 44 HRs in a season
1986 Kellye Cash (Miss Tennessee) crowned Miss America
1987 Paul Lynch of Great Britain does 32,573 push-ups in 24 hours
1988 10th time, 4 players hit baseball major-league record grand slams
1988 Hurricane Gilbert becomes strongest (26.13 barometer) hurricane in Western Hemisphere
1989 Fay Vincent named baseball commissioner
1990 Iraqi troops storm the residence of French ambassador in Kuwait
1990 Senate Judiciary Com opens hearing on confirmation of David Souter
1991 A 55 ton concrete beam falls in Montreal's Olympic Stadium
1991 Joe Colemans 3rd 100 RBI season in a row 3 teams (Cleve, SD & Toronto)
1994 Former Washington, D.C., mayor Marion Barry won the Democratic nomination for mayor. He would win his old job back that November.
1996 The Dow closed above 5,838, a new record high.
1999 At least 118 people were killed in the bombing of a Moscow apartment building. The blast was the latest in a series of explosions blamed on terrorists from the breakaway republic of Chechnya.
2000 With the government all but abandoning its case against him, former Los Alamos scientist Wen Ho Lee pleaded guilty in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to a single count of mishandling nuclear secrets; he was then set free with an apology from U.S. District Judge James Parker, who said the government's actions had "embarrassed our entire nation."
2001 Airports that wer closed after the terrorist attacks on 9-11 began reopening, but Logan Airport in Boston, where two of the hijacked planes took off, and Reagan National in Washington remained closed.

Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Pennsylvania : John Barry Day (1803)
Rhodesia : Pioneer Day (1923)
World : Dante Alighieri Day
Hispanics : National Hispanic Heritage Week (Sunday)
US : National Grandparents' Day (Sunday)
Afghanistan : National Assembly Foundation Day (1964) (Wednesday)
Scotland : Fisherman's Walk Day (Friday)
International Chocolate Day!!!
Hand-Craft Soap Month

Religious Observances
Ang : Commemoration of St Cyprian, bishop & martyr of Carthage
RC, Luth : Memorial of St John Chrysostom, bishop & doctor

Religious History
1635 The Massachusetts General Court banished Separatist preacher Roger Williams, 32, for criticizing the Massachusetts Bay Company charter and for perpetually advocating a separation of church and state.
1845 William Walford's hymn, "Sweet Hour of Prayer," first appeared in print in the "New York Observer." Walford (1772-1850), a blind lay preacher, had written the poem three years earlier in the village of Coleshill, England.
1931 Having recently suffered a nervous breakdown, Foursquare Gospel founder Aimee Semple McPherson, 40, entered an ill-fated marriage to David Hutton. (They divorced four years later.)
1940 The Southern Baptist General Convention of California was organized at Shafter by representatives of 14 congregations attending an associational meeting of the denomination.
1962 Swiss Reformed theologian Karl Barth wrote in a letter: 'God, according to 2 Cor. 5:19, reconciled the world to himself, not himself to the world.'

Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.

Thought for the day :
"Hating people is like burning down your own house to get rid of a rat."

You Might Be a Redneck if...
The bluebook value of your truck goes up and
down, depending on how much gas it has in it.

Murphys Law of the day...
it looks good,
And it taste good,
And it feels good,
There has got to be something wrong some where,

So be careful.

Clif Clavin says, it's a little known fact that...
Until the 1870s, baseball was played without the use of gloves.

10 posted on 09/13/2003 6:37:00 AM PDT by Valin (There is all the difference in the world between treating people equally and attempting to make them)

To: snippy_about_it

Good Morning Snippy. Thanks for all the help yesterday.

11 posted on 09/13/2003 6:42:24 AM PDT by SAMWolf (The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)

Good morning Iris7.

Lots of "what ifs" in the Civil War.

12 posted on 09/13/2003 7:07:14 AM PDT by snippy_about_it (Pray for our troops)

Good Morning WhiskeyPapa.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion at the Foxhole and we appreciate everyone's comments and participation.

For me, Lee was an American hero of the South who loved his country and fought for what he believed in. You can't get much more American than that.

Believing in some things that others may not does not make an American, less of an American. That's what liberty is about. The South fought for what they believed in and for a way of life that was what they knew and what they loved.

It's unfortunate that today there are a lot of people with no conviction beyond the topic of whatever is on Jerry Springer at the time.

Think about things today. We don't all like or approve of all the things that are going on in our country today. There are strong opinions on both sides of many issues.

Which ones would you fight for and can you see how others may choose to fight against you? American's are not all of one mind and that's a good thing.

Were America today to fight another "civil war" and I decide to take up arms for something I believe in I wouldn't consider my participation "against the United States" but rather for my country and the way I believe it should be.

I have great respect for the people who fought on both sides of this war because they were believers of what was right in there minds. The people of the South loved their country, there is no denying that.

There were everyday good fighting men and outstanding men both who were heroic on and off the battlefield on either side in their own way.

I'd like to believe that none of these men went to their deaths on the battlefield without conviction or honor in what they believed they were fighting for and that is admirable and very American.

Our people, American's who love this country, have a spirit unlike most and that spirit deserves to be honored from the Revolutionary War through today.

I have no harsh words for either side in the War between the States. American's all.

13 posted on 09/13/2003 7:34:55 AM PDT by snippy_about_it (Pray for our troops)

Good morning EGC. Slept in today!!!

14 posted on 09/13/2003 7:35:30 AM PDT by snippy_about_it (Pray for our troops)

Good morning Mayor.

I need that coffee, slept in and now I'm more tired than if I had gotten up earlier!

15 posted on 09/13/2003 7:36:43 AM PDT by snippy_about_it (Pray for our troops)

Until the 1870s, baseball was played without the use of gloves.

Ouch!

Good morning Valin.

16 posted on 09/13/2003 7:37:51 AM PDT by snippy_about_it (Pray for our troops)

Good Morning WhiskeyPapa.

Have to disagree with you on Lee being a proper hero. IMHO, he has been raised to an almost godlike stature in some people's eyes and they overlook his faults. I can still repect the man for fighting for what he believed in even if some of those beliefs were wrong.

If you use his slave ownership as a reason, then a lot of our Founding Fathers can't be heroes. Slavery was wrong and I can't put myself into a mindset where I can ever see it as justified, but then I have the benefit of 20/20 hindsight.

I believe that if Virginia had stayed in the Union Lee would have been a Union General, he went with his State ike a lot of others. (The feeling about ones State was a lot different back then than it is today, people looked upon themsleves as a Virginian or New Yorker first and an American second)

Lee made mistakes as a general but he also had the qualities of a good leader. The war between the States was the first of the modern wars and both sides had to learn how to fight it, Lee for the most part managed that well on the local level. IMHO, one of Lee's greatest assets was the troops that he led. They were for the most part dedicated and they adored him and were willing to go that extra mile for him.

As for his remarks on the Union, remember that the South and the North had major differences on what they felt a Union should look like. I don't find his remarks contradictory, the South's version of Union and the North's version were totally different. As formed by our founding fathers the States came first and the Federal government second. IMHO that was the real issue over which the war was fought.

17 posted on 09/13/2003 7:38:41 AM PDT by SAMWolf (The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)

Morning E.G.C. Turning out to be a nice day so far.

18 posted on 09/13/2003 7:39:32 AM PDT by SAMWolf (The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)

Morning Mayor, that coffee hits the spot today.

19 posted on 09/13/2003 7:40:21 AM PDT by SAMWolf (The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)

1862 Union troops in Frederick, Maryland, discover General Robert E. Lee's attack plans for the invasion of Maryland wrapped around a pack of cigars. They give the plans to General George B. McClellan who does nothing with them for the next 14 hours

Hey! Quit giving hints on the next days thread!!!

20 posted on 09/13/2003 7:42:01 AM PDT by SAMWolf (The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794