In Honor of Gen. Robert E. Lee

Remembering General Robert E. Lee, CSA (1807 - 1870)
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Today we mourn the passing of one of the greatest Americans who ever lived. A Southern Gentlemen, in the true sense of the word, and a man whose gallentry, and bravery, and love of his home state of Virginia, knew no bounds. I speak, of course, of General Robert Edward Lee, late of the Army of Northern Virginia.

In Response to a letter condemning Gen. Lee, President Dwight D. Eisenhower replied with the following letter back in 1960:

August 9, 1960

"Respecting your August 1 inquiry calling attention to my often expressed admiration for General Robert E. Lee, I would say, first, that we need to understand that at the time of the War Between the States the issue of Secession had remained unresolved for more than 70 years. Men of probity, character, public standing and unquestioned loyalty, both North and South, had disagreed over this issue as a matter of principle from the day our Constitution was adopted.

General Robert E. Lee was, in my estimation, one of the supremely gifted men produced by our Nation. He believed unswervingly in the Constitutional validity of his cause which until 1865 was still an arguable question in America; he was thoughtful yet demanding of his officers and men, forbearing with captured enemies but ingenious, unrelenting and personally courageous in battle, and never disheartened by a reverse or obstacle. Through all his many trials, he remained selfless almost to a fault and unfailing in his belief in God. Taken altogether, he was noble as a leader and as a man, and unsullied as I read the pages of our history.

From deep conviction I simply say this: a nation of men of Lee’s caliber would be unconquerable in spirit and soul. Indeed, to the degree that present-day American youth will strive to emulate his rare qualities, including his devotion to this land as revealed in his painstaking efforts to help heal the nation’s wounds once the bitter struggle was over, we, in our own time of danger in a divided world, will be strengthened and our love of freedom sustained.

Such are the reasons that I proudly display the picture of this great American on my office wall.

Sincerely,Dwight D. Eisenhower

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There is no way I could say it any better than General Eisenhower.

Gen. Lee is forever enshrined in the pantheon of Southern Heroes and , by right, should be a hero to all Americans.

Longstreet .... (There is another beautiful memorial to Gen Lee over at Texas Fred's site at: http://texasfred.net/archives/624 . We urge you to visit it also.)

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