Lee Robert E. Lee's life

[crazeesharon]

I have become addicted to reading about Robert E. Lee. When his father abandoned the family, Robert was just eleven, and ended up taking care of his invalid mother (who -- 15 months before Lee's birth -- had been buried alive!) Lee's own wife became riddled with arthritis and she too became an invalid. At Gettysburg, Lee suffered a heart attack, brought on by heart disease and his mourning the loss of his daughter to typhoid fever a few months before. His is a most remarkable biography.

 

[peteanddelmar]

I have become addicted to reading about Robert E. Lee. When his father abandoned the family, Robert was just eleven, and ended up taking care of his invalid mother (who -- 15 months before Lee's birth -- had been buried alive!) Lee's own wife became riddled with arthritis and she too became an invalid. At Gettysburg, Lee suffered a heart attack, brought on by heart disease and his mourning the loss of his daughter to typhoid fever a few months before. His is a most remarkable biography.

He was a good man. He just fought for a bad cause.
You will encounter folks here that will go so far to say he was a bad man. Others will partially agree or disagree.
Welcome to the forum from Missouri.

 

[crazeesharon]

He was a good man. He just fought for a bad cause.
You will encounter folks here that will go so far to say he was a bad man. Others will partially agree or disagree.
Welcome to the forum from Missouri.

Thank you....I was raised a Yankee, am writing a novel based on Confederate diaries, and found his life before the CW fascinating.

 

[Patrick H]

In my view, Peteanddelmar has it EXACTLY.

 

[Old_Glory]

Read about his relationship with Winfield Scott who offered Lee control of the Union North Army. It is fascinating to read about. It must have been extremely difficult to choose between fighting against your state, being given control of the U.S. Army, or defending your home state. It's just one of the reasons why Lee is one of the most interesting, if not the most, figure from the war.

 

[dlofting]

Lee, despite some failings, was able to make his subordinates perform at a higher level than they might have done otherwise. That is the definition of a leader IMHO.

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

http://civilwartalk.com/threads/mar...ctivist-wife-mother.94685/page-2#post-1079075

Here's a thread on Lee's wife, Mary Custis, since you're interested in his whole life. Her illness was probably something like an auto-immune disorder since it attacked her as quite a young woman. Kept coming out of the blue to almost kill her, too- only later did it go for her joints. I think sometimes Lee scholars make a mistake relegating Mary to the background or as some burden Lee had to carry. She was the absolute matriarch, ill or no. The Lee's beloved Arlington was Mary Custis's historical home, not Lee's, marriage law turned it over to him- poor Mary lost it in a squabbling match because Meigs really had it in for Lee. Never have been thrilled about Meigs making war on a woman.

Anyway, a good grasp of the marriage and the woman behind is essential in my opinion to understanding RE Lee. Mary was a pip, for some reason History has her pressed between the leaves of a book, dried out, 2 dimensional, brittle and colorless.

 

[crazeesharon]

The story of Robert E. Lee begins with his father, Light Horse Harry, continues with his half siblings, add Mary Custus' history tracing back to Martha Washington, the story of Arlington, etc. Its a rich history. Lee's father in law thought he was a golddigger like Harry.