History
Robert E. Lee was a good and decent man. Those who knew him well had only the highest regard for him. At one time he was the best-known and most highly regarded combat soldier in the United States Army, in which he served for more than 30 years. General Scott said that having Lee in command of troops in the field would be worth 50,000 men. When he turned down the offer of command of the U.S. Army at the beginning of the war, it was an agonizing decision for him and he gave up everything he owned and everything he had worked to achieve in his military service to that point, except his personal honor. He could not stand by and watch federal government troops invade Virginia against her will. Most people today don't understand that there was a big difference between being an abolitionist and being an emancipationist. Many in the south, including Lee, were the latter. He never campaigned or fought to defend the institution of slavery, though many today are taught that he did. He accomplished more with less than virtually any military leader since Hannibal, and his campaigns are still studied today as textbook examples. After the war Lee turned down lucrative offers from businesses who wanted to use his name. Instead, he accepted a low-paying job as president of the nearly destitute Washington College (today named Washington and Lee University). He spent the remaining years of his life leading by example and encouraging southerners to put down their bitterness and prepare themselves for citizenship in the Union. He loved the United States and gave much more in her service than most of her citizens could even imagine doing. However, he loved Virginia even more and in an era when states' rights were considered much more important than today, even by those who favored a strong central government, his ultimate loyalty lay with his native state. There are those who choose to be offended by anything they can find, and who draw attention and sympathy from the uninformed. They are not worthy of our consideration.