Summary
Richard G. Williams Jr.'s depiction of Robert E. Lee ("Lee the educator committed to character," The Civil War, Saturday) follows a tradition of Southern writers who have eulogized the Civil War general who later became president of Washington College. Mr. Williams does an admirable job of describing Lee's empathy toward the soldiers he led in battle and the young men he prepared for life at his educational institution. The author also defends Lee against what he characterizes as recent politically correct efforts to denigrate his public image.
I agree with what Mr. Williams describes as Lee's strengths as an individual, but he glosses over and defends Lee's decision to resign his commission in the United States Army, renounce his citizenship and take up arms against his former countrymen in defense of the Southern way of life based on a slave-driven economy. Mr. Williams characterizes Lee's actions in this case as "one of the most famous self-sacrificing decisions in history." A more objective observer would see this as an effort to emphasize Lee's finer points selectively while overlooking anything that might tarnish his image.See the full content of this document
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Politically Correct or Historically Correct?
Providing historically ac...
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