Robert E. Lee Quote

[alan polk]

Is it true that Lee said or wrote about General William Loring that "There is no room in this army for that man."?

If it is true, might someone direct me to the primary source confirming such statement? Thanks.

 

[civilwarincolor]

I found a reference for it in:

Traitors: The Secession Period, November 1860-July 1861
By Edward S. Cooper

on page 98. You can find it here.

You can also find it here.

 

[alan polk]

Thank you so very much. Yeah, I read those accounts, but was unable to discern the origin of the comment. Might it be found in the Official Records, or was it in a personal letter from Lee to someone? Again, thanks.

 

[Drew]

Is it true that Lee said or wrote about General William Loring that "There is no room in this army for that man."?

If it is true, might someone direct me to the primary source confirming such statement? Thanks.

If General Lee didn't say this, he should have.

 

[Bee]

If General Lee didn't say this, he should have.

Se non è vero, è molto ben trovato -> If it is not true it is very well invented

--Italian proverb​

 

[JoeWheeler]

General Loring broke the first rule of the soldiers code. He bucked the chain of command and undermined the authority of his superior. Adding to this his lack of discipline with the troops under his command which lead to their poor record we can see that General Lee's evaluation of General Loring was well founded.

 

[civilwarincolor]

Thank you so very much. Yeah, I read those accounts, but was unable to discern the origin of the comment. Might it be found in the Official Records, or was it in a personal letter from Lee to someone? Again, thanks.

Can't say for sure, but I suspect that the book may have the sources listed, but the link was just a sample page that had the quote. You would need to get a copy of it to find out for sure. That said, it seems like it should be possible to find the source for the quote online. I don't have a primary source for you.

 

[alan polk]

Thanks for your help, civilwarincolor. I'm trying to polish up on my Google abilities. If the statement is true, the source must be out there, as you said.

 

[alan polk]

Hey guys, apparently my Google abilities are not that great. Nor are my other research abilities.

I appeal to the smart folks here!

Is the above quote a mere myth, or is it simply a post-war construction, narrative? For the life of me I cannot find an original source for this.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[diane]

Well, I can't help with an original source either, but I can lend a little substance to the probability it was said. Lee's relative by marriage, John Augustine Washington, was killed at Cheat Mountain by a Union picket, and Lee blamed Loring for the death. This relation was the great-grand nephew of George Washington, and the last member of the Washington family to own Mt Vernon - he was a very big deal in Mary's family as they very much revered anything and all things Washington. I believe the subject of Loring's promotion came up with Lee and he was supposed to have said this but to whom and when I don't know. And, as this is an unusually candid thing for Lee to say, almost out of character, it should be noted that his son Rooney was with Washington and barely escaped being killed himself. Lee might have been a little more than just unhappy with Loring!

 

[alan polk]

Thank you Diane, it makes me feel better to know I'm not alone in being unable to find an original source for the comment.

I think your post above provides at least a penumbra of evidence that some form of the statement occurred. I suppose if I refer to it in writing, I will say "Lee is alleged to have said . . . ."

Again, thanks for taking time to respond.

 

[jackt62]

Didn't Lee say something similar about George Pickett ("Why is that man still with the army?") after Lee had supposedly relieved Pickett after Sayler's Creek, yet found that Pickett was still around?