Robert Rodes

[Rebelsoul]

Am in the process of buying from what I've been told is one of the best, if not the best ,biographies of General Rodes entitled " Robert E Rodes of the Army of Northern Virginia a Biography. He was considered by many of his contemporaries to be one of Lee's best division commanders. Found out that his wife burned all of his papers after his death. Seems like such a waste. Maybe he had some things to say that weren't very complimentary about some of his fellow officers or for whatever reasons. So many things we could have found out about that will now never be known. Such a shame !

 

[Hunter]

Am in the process of buying from what I've been told is one of the best, if not the best ,biographies of General Rodes entitled " Robert E Rodes of the Army of Northern Virginia a Biography. He was considered by many of his contemporaries to be one of Lee's best division commanders. Found out that his wife burned all of his papers after his death. Seems like such a waste. Maybe he had some things to say that weren't very complimentary about some of his fellow officers or for whatever reasons. So many things we could have found out about that will now never be known. Such a shame !

Unfortunately that happened all to often. There was a period after the war when it appeared that former Confederate military officers and government officials would be prosecuted and their property confiscated, and as a result many of the possible targets destroyed all incriminating evidence, particularly anything identifying them as original supporters of secession. That was not the motivation of Mrs. Rodes, whose husband had died before the war ended.

 

[Rebelsoul]

Unfortunately that happened all to often. There was a period after the war when it appeared that former Confederate military officers and government officials would be prosecuted and their property confiscated, and as a result many of the possible targets destroyed all incriminating evidence, particularly anything identifying them as original supporters of secession. That was not the motivation of Mrs. Rodes, whose husband had died before the war ended.

Yes. I understand that. And I realize that that was her perogative. I don't begrudge the lady for what she did. I'm just saying that it would have been great to know his views on the campaigns, battles, fellow officers and the men he commanded if he put that down on paper before he died. He was a a big player in the ANV and it would have been nice to be able to hear what he had to say about it all.

 

[Vicksburger]

Am in the process of buying from what I've been told is one of the best, if not the best ,biographies of General Rodes entitled " Robert E Rodes of the Army of Northern Virginia a Biography. He was considered by many of his contemporaries to be one of Lee's best division commanders. Found out that his wife burned all of his papers after his death. Seems like such a waste. Maybe he had some things to say that weren't very complimentary about some of his fellow officers or for whatever reasons. So many things we could have found out about that will now never be known. Such a shame !

You will have to post how you like the book when you get it. I have never read a book on Rodes but have wanted to.

 

[Rebelsoul]

You will have to post how you like the book when you get it. I have never read a book on Rodes but have wanted to.

I certainly will, it seems like it's going to be a great book from all the reviews I've read.

 

[5fish]

Robert E Rodes of the Army of Northern Virginia a Biography

Rodes began the conflict with a deep yearning for recognition and glory, coupled with an indifferent attitude toward religion and salvation. When he was killed at the height of his glorious career at Third Winchester on September 19, 1864, a trove of prayer books and testaments were found on his corpse.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/193271409X/?tag=civilwartalkc-20

 

[5fish]

Found out that his wife burned all of his papers after his death.

Here is something I found: http://cwmemory.com/2009/01/04/digging-for-robert-e-rodes/

At some point in the next few weeks I am going to have an opportunity to rummage through an attic. You may be thinking to yourself, "big deal", but what if I were to tell you that the attic is owned by a descendant of Confederate Major General Robert E. Rodes?

A few years ago the family shared with me a very fragile scrapbook that was owned by Rodes's wife, who supposedly burned all of her husband's correspondence following his death at the Third Battle of Winchester in 1864. The scrapbook included a number of newspaper clippings following his death as well as public eulogies. From what I've heard there are boxes filled with all kinds of documents from the Civil War period and beyond. The family is pretty much convinced that the stories of the burning of his letters are true so there is little confidence that the attic will yield much in this regard.

I can not find any post about what he found or if the items were given to the University of Virginia... It was back in 2009 when he rummaged through the attic...

 

[ErnieMac]

I read the book a few years ago and it now resides in my library. I thought it was well done and informative. As for the burning of the letters I am guessing it was more because they contained items of a personal nature rather than criticism of fellow officers.

 

[Rebelsoul]

I read the book a few years ago and it now resides in my library. I thought it was well done and informative. As for the burning of the letters I am guessing it was more because they contained items of a personal nature rather than criticism of fellow officers.

Yes that's what I was thinking also.

 

[Hunter]

Yes. I understand that. And I realize that that was her perogative. I don't begrudge the lady for what she did. I'm just saying that it would have been great to know his views on the campaigns, battles, fellow officers and the men he commanded if he put that down on paper before he died. He was a a big player in the ANV and it would have been nice to be able to hear what he had to say about it all.

I agree.

 

[Hunter]

Yes that's what I was thinking also.

She was pregnant when he died.

 

[RobtRodes]

Unfortunately that happened all to often. There was a period after the war when it appeared that former Confederate military officers and government officials would be prosecuted and their property confiscated, and as a result many of the possible targets destroyed all incriminating evidence, particularly anything identifying them as original supporters of secession. That was not the motivation of Mrs. Rodes, whose husband had died before the war ended.

According to my grandfather, Robert Rodes III, Hortense Rodes said that she went through the letters and felt that they contained information that she wished to remain private within the family.

 

[RobtRodes]

I read the book a few years ago and it now resides in my library. I thought it was well done and informative. As for the burning of the letters I am guessing it was more because they contained items of a personal nature rather than criticism of fellow officers.

That is pretty much what she told my grandfather.

 

[RobtRodes]

Here is something I found: http://cwmemory.com/2009/01/04/digging-for-robert-e-rodes/

At some point in the next few weeks I am going to have an opportunity to rummage through an attic. You may be thinking to yourself, "big deal", but what if I were to tell you that the attic is owned by a descendant of Confederate Major General Robert E. Rodes?

A few years ago the family shared with me a very fragile scrapbook that was owned by Rodes's wife, who supposedly burned all of her husband's correspondence following his death at the Third Battle of Winchester in 1864. The scrapbook included a number of newspaper clippings following his death as well as public eulogies. From what I've heard there are boxes filled with all kinds of documents from the Civil War period and beyond. The family is pretty much convinced that the stories of the burning of his letters are true so there is little confidence that the attic will yield much in this regard.

I can not find any post about what he found or if the items were given to the University of Virginia... It was back in 2009 when he rummaged through the attic...

I dug into this some time ago and I'm afraid it appears to be a dead end. I emailed the OP a couple of years ago, and he responded that he was no longer looking into the story and didn't have any contact information about the family in question. Reading between the lines, I'm going to say that the source didn't pan out as he had hoped.