With all of the nifty discussion at the Lincoln Brigade post, I thought this quote about the "reconstruction" from Robert E. Lee (as an aside, a direct descendant of St. Thomas More) might spark some discussion. I never read it, or knew of it, until I read DiLorenzo's The Real Lincoln:"Governor, if I had foreseen the use those people designed to make of their victory, there would have been no surrender at Appomattox Courthouse; no sir, not by me. Had I foreseen these results of subjugation, I would have preferred to die at Appomattox with my brave men, my sword in my right hand."
--Robert E. Lee to Texas Governor Fletcher S. Stockdale (September 1870), as quoted in The Life and Letters of Robert Lewis Dabney, pp. 497-500.
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6 comments:
Of course, referencing Lincoln in the context of what Lee perceived as the ills of "reconstruction" five years after Appomattox could be a bit misleading, since Lincoln was assassinated just five days after Lee's surrender.
I referenced the post on the Lincoln Brigade and the conversation it sparked.
My apologies for seeing a broader context in light of recent conversations.
Methodist Jim: I'm not quite sure what the point of your response is. Could you provide more clarity?
Many thanks.
Dan, which response is unclear. If my apology is unclear. Sorry. Apparently I read more into Timman's post than he intended.
This quotation allegedly made by Lee is widely recognized as a fraud. Indeed, Lee after the surrender until his death worked for reconciliation between the North and South and honored the terms of surrender. Lee was too honorable a man to have ever said anything close to this fradulent attribution.
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