A
abolitionist
Guest
I am the opinion he was. He was a commisoned officer in the United States of America Army which is a position of trustn and responsiblity. It was his duty first to honor that commitment.
I think his biggest mistake was trusting his generals to keep him informed at Gettysburg, some of his generals were doing there own thing...........they never carried out the orders they were given. My first post dont be to hard on me,.I am the opinion he was. He was a commisoned officer in the United States of America Army which is a position of trustn and responsiblity. It was his duty first to honor that commitment.
I find it hard to understand what lee did. I know that most Southerners fought because they believed that the Yankees were out to conquer the South, take their slaves, and make Dixie over into a new New England and they had to fight to protect their homeland. Lee knew better than that. He knew that it was the US Government that had educated him, not the Commonwealth of Virginia, that it was the US government that had been paying his salary for the previous 20 some odd years, not Virginia and that his oath was to the US, not Virginia. Whatever his motives were to say "No" when the US Government most needed his services is something that has always eluded and disturbed me. He may have been a gentleman and otherwise honorable and even virtuous but I have always seen his refusal to honor his oath, to take command of the US Army when it needed him, distasteful as it may have been, as a failure of character. I think the Virginians George Thomas and Winfield Scott men of greater character.
I am the opinion he was. He was a commisoned officer in the United States of America Army which is a position of trustn and responsiblity. It was his duty first to honor that commitment.
He was but he was stuck. His choice was to be a traitor to the United States or be a traitor to Virginia and his own kin. Lousy choice.
I think he was after glory. He thought this would be another revolutionary war and that he would be a hero. I listened to a book on cd and they said the newspapers in the south ran inflammatory stories and editorials about how the Yankees were going to come down and make their daughters marry blacks. Of course the average joe got upset and ran to arms. But, like you said, Lee should have known better.
I find it hard to understand what lee did. I know that most Southerners fought because they believed that the Yankees were out to conquer the South, take their slaves, and make Dixie over into a new New England and they had to fight to protect their homeland. Lee knew better than that. He knew that it was the US Government that had educated him, not the Commonwealth of Virginia, that it was the US government that had been paying his salary for the previous 20 some odd years, not Virginia and that his oath was to the US, not Virginia. Whatever his motives were to say "No" when the US Government most needed his services is something that has always eluded and disturbed me. He may have been a gentleman and otherwise honorable and even virtuous but I have always seen his refusal to honor his oath, to take command of the US Army when it needed him, distasteful as it may have been, as a failure of character. I think the Virginians George Thomas and Winfield Scott men of greater character.
By the way, George Thomas - the Rock of Chickamaugua (ok, I can't spell) - was a Virginian, honored his oath to his country, and his family never spoke to him again. They didn't return his sword either. There is a real strange exhibit on him in the Virginia Museum in Richmond. Worth noting as to the ambivalence of Southerners on non-Confederate guys.
He was but he was stuck. His choice was to be a traitor to the United States or be a traitor to Virginia and his own kin. Lousy choice.
I agree completely. Lee, to me, is the picture of vainglory.
Not all southrons. 40% of Virginia officers remained with the Union. Some of Lee's family fought for the Union. His sister never spoke to him again. Chincoteague refused to seceded and even flew a large Union flag to ruffle their neighbors. They were loyal to a case and not the south or particular states.
His choice was to be a traitor to the United States or be a traitor to Virginia and his own kin. Lousy choice.
A majority of those Southern soldiers did not even own slaves. Most volunteered simply because they lived in the South, their community was going off to war, or because they were seeking what they thought was going to be an "adventure" and the "glory" of battle. Imagine if you lived in the North or the South and your country is going to war, all your family members and friends are going off to fight. Most people in that situation would stay and fight with their family and friends, no matter what their political beliefs were. Also, many on both sides, at least in 1861 expected the war to be over fast, so many wanted to see it before it ended. Although all soldiers fight for their own personal motives and usually what keeps them fighting is separate than what drove them to go off to war.I find it hard to understand what lee did. I know that most Southerners fought because they believed that the Yankees were out to conquer the South, take their slaves, and make Dixie over into a new New England and they had to fight to protect their homeland. Lee knew better than that. He knew that it was the US Government that had educated him, not the Commonwealth of Virginia, that it was the US government that had been paying his salary for the previous 20 some odd years, not Virginia and that his oath was to the US, not Virginia. Whatever his motives were to say "No" when the US Government most needed his services is something that has always eluded and disturbed me. He may have been a gentleman and otherwise honorable and even virtuous but I have always seen his refusal to honor his oath, to take command of the US Army when it needed him, distasteful as it may have been, as a failure of character. I think the Virginians George Thomas and Winfield Scott men of greater character.
Not to start a war, but what the hay. Could and should he have been court martialed and imprisoned on the spot??? His next move was pretty obvious. Why not stop it before he started?I find it hard to understand what lee did. I know that most Southerners fought because they believed that the Yankees were out to conquer the South, take their slaves, and make Dixie over into a new New England and they had to fight to protect their homeland. Lee knew better than that. He knew that it was the US Government that had educated him, not the Commonwealth of Virginia, that it was the US government that had been paying his salary for the previous 20 some odd years, not Virginia and that his oath was to the US, not Virginia. Whatever his motives were to say "No" when the US Government most needed his services is something that has always eluded and disturbed me. He may have been a gentleman and otherwise honorable and even virtuous but I have always seen his refusal to honor his oath, to take command of the US Army when it needed him, distasteful as it may have been, as a failure of character. I think the Virginians George Thomas and Winfield Scott men of greater character.