Stuff like this gives me goosebumps! Eagerly looking forward to what new information these trunks contain.
In most high school History texts today, Lee is a nonperson. Because he fought for the side which upheld slavery he can’t be mentioned, or only mentioned in passing.
His military brillance, his character, his love of his country, Virginia are all unmentionables. Ask a teenager about Lee today, most of never heard of him.
And that’s the way it is.
In a similar but much more humble vein, a woman that I go to church with presented me with a old tin box. She had no one to leave the contents to and knowing my love of history thought I would be best to inventory and conserve the items. When I opened it I was amazed to find a beautiful collection of artifacts that were owned and carried by her Great Grandfather who was a Sgt with the 141st NY Vol. during the war. Best of all was a bundle of letters tied in ribbon. Over 300 of them from 1862 to 1868 almost all were from him to his future wife. Most of them are describing camplife and being on the march with Sherman. Its mostly a love story set against the backdrop of the war. I assembled them in the order he wrote them and began the task of deciphering the faded and spidery writing. It took me about four months to get them all in clear text. Originally I simply wished for my friend to meet her ancestor. She had once tried to read them but gave up. When I presented her with the stack of pages I watched her hands tremble as he held the first page and she began to cry. Later she suggested that it might make a good book. I agreed and with her permission it is in process of being published both as a book and as a screen play. The photographs and relics are very nice some of them are things I’ve never seen before. It should be out sometime this Fall.