Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Robert E. Lee Revisited, 150 Years After Civil War

Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee still holds a distinct place in the history of the South — a history that will be revisited many times in 2011, as the nation marks 150 years since the Civil War began. That bloody conflict continues to resonate in culture and politics to this day, as Americans continue to debate the legacy of slavery and states' rights, and consider the extent of federal authority. NPR's Neal Conan spoke with historian Noah Andre Trudeau, reporter Mary Hadar, and Joseph Riley, Mayor of Charleston, S.C. about how and why we mark the anniversary Civil War. Trudeau, author of Robert E. Lee, says Southern leaders turned Lee into an icon as a way to save face after the destructive war. "They came up with the lost cause," says Trudeau. That explanation re-framed the war and their losses in terms of the South's pride and perceived moral high ground, and cast the North's win as simply about their greater numbers. "They needed that iconic leader at the top of the heap, and Lee was the one they chose." Washington Post projects editor Mary Hadar has been tweeting the events leading up to the secession of South Carolina. She's using original documents to compose her tweets, and has been struck by the emotional pull the material has on her. For example, Maj. Robert Anderson, the commander of Fort Sumter, was a "a heroic figure," she says, torn by the realities of fighting with the Union, against fellow Southerners fighting for the Confederacy...more

1 comment:

Seeker said...

Actually the "revisiting" of Lee is pathetically politically correct, meant not to offend even the most ardent Lee worshiper.

Ironically, perhaps the best book about Lee was written by one of his worshipers -- Elizabeth Pryor.

While Ms.Pryor tries valiantly to excuse or minimize Lee's brutality and cruelty to slaves (yes, brutality) she does more than anyone to expose the rough edges of Masser Lee.

For example, she shows from his own handwritten account books, how Lee personally paid six times his normal bounty, to capture one run away mulatto girl -- who he then had tortured, while he screamed at her.

This is not the Lee of Myth, this is the Lee from his own personal papers. While Ms PRyor swims in a sea of euphemisms, she is sometimes astonishingly candid.

She does try to absolve him of blame, however. For example, she claims Lee's torture of slaves was only because "of his poor cross cultural communication" -- as if the torture of girls was attributable to his listening skills.

She also claims Lee "separated every family unit, but one." Separated family units? You mean sold the babies born to these young girls -- the mulatto girls?

What did Lee do with the white looking babies born to these slaves, and did the girls run away because Lee was selling their children?

We know from Pryor's book that in Lee's listing of his slaves, he had only young slave BOYS, he got rid of all the young slave girls. Where did he sell them off to? Did he sell the white looking baby?

Lee kept meticulous notes on the white looking babies, and paid handsomely for their capture -- why?

This won't be the last you heard about Lee's own handwritten account books.

http://leepapers.blogspot.com/