In his extraordinary book, Lee the Last Years, Charles Flood gives a rare blend of history and emotion. After Lee’s surrender at Appomattox courthouse, he only lived a total of five years before his death. Some people might think that he was just a general, but the best years of his life were after the war because he changed the minds of the south and he changed education. Even though Robert E. Lee is best remembered for his military campaigns, this is a part of history not told in many history books because he did more than any other American to heal the wounds of the south and he served as a president for Washington College, which was later renamed after his death to be Washington and Lee University.
The beginning of the book begins with surrender at Appomattax. On April 9, 1865 General Robert E. Lee signed the letter in which he accepted Grants terms for the surrender of the northern army of virginia. The terms required by Grant were generous compared to the what Lee expected. He feared that his army would face humiliation and prison camps, but the terms only required the release of the prisoners and the surrender of Lee’s army, with the prerequisite of the army laying down there arms. From this moment to the end of his life, Lee never allowed an unkind word about Grant to be spoken in his presence.
Throughout the war, Lee had been awed by his soldiers dedication. He issued General Order Number 9, which was his last official communication to his army. The order told the army of his admiration and appreciation for them. The tribute was so eloquent that generations of southern school children would recite it as their counterpart to Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.
As Lee arrived back to his home in Richmond, his only desir...
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...olds the story of a man dignified in history. This book is truly an admirable piece of litature.
In conclusion, although some people might think that he was just a general; the best years of his life were after the war for two main reasons. First, he changed education. But most importantly, he changed the minds of the south. Without Lee’s character during his last five years, the south might have been in chaos. Lee shows evidence to the power of healing, and the difference education can make. This man truly represents what a true christian was, and should be studied for ages to come, but as the man he was, as opposed to the general. The last years of this mans life are by far the most amazing, and should get just as much attention as his years in the war.
Works Cited
Flood, Charles Bracelen. Lee the Last Years. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1998. Print.
After the Confederate victory at Chancellorsville in May of 1863, General Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia embarked on their 2nd invasion of the north. General Lee’s first campaign into the north resulted in the Confederate defeat at Antietam. The failure of Lee’s first northern campaign raises the question of his motives. The Confederate Army was...
The book begins with a prologue dated March 4, 1865, on the day of Abraham Lincoln’s second inauguration, a photographer is preparing for the event and in the background, the capitol building is under construction. A man is watching, unsatisfied with the events
Grant and Robert E. Lee. Catton states, “Lee was tidewater Virginia, and in his background were family, culture, and tradition…the age of chivalry transplanted to a New World which was making its own legends and its own myths” (par.5). Here, Catton uses historical facts to describe the type of person Lee was, explaining that he was a traditional kind of man. Then Catton states, “Grant, the son of a tanner on the Western frontier, was everything Lee was not. He had come up the hard way, and embodied nothing in particular except the eternal toughness and sinewy fiber of the men who grew up beyond the mountains” (par. 7). The author describes the type of man Grant was; a tough man who had to earn everything himself. Bruce Catton uses historical facts about Lee and Grant so the reader can have a better insight about the variations between the two
Screams and curses fill the air. The grassy plain runs blood red.” (page 61). All of these iconic Civil War battles led up to the Confederate surrender at the Appomattox Courthouse and the inescapable rebuilding of a new nation Abraham Lincoln had to deal with. Next, John Wilkes Booth is introduced and his pro-Confederate motives are made clear.
The book opens with a Confederate spy as he made his way through the Union lines on the night of June 29, 1863 toward Confederate General Robert E. Lee bearing news of the Army of the Potomac as they crossed paths in the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The days after follow the various Union and Confederate regiments as they regained their wits about them after the previous Battles of Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. Marching onward toward Gettysburg, where the most deciding battle of the Civil War would take place.
One of the best commanders in the Confederate army was Lee still; the Union stood at a better standpoint during the battle. “Perhaps the most significant lesson from July 3, 1863, concerns the method of decision-making. Though he may not have seen it as such, Lee’s decision to attack was at best a close call.” (Gompert 2006, pg.7). The battle of Gettysburg did not happen intentionally, planned however Lee did an astounding job and his best to defeat the Union army. Ultimately Robert E. Lee was responsible for the South’s loss
Lee to confederate President Davis written in the days following The Battle of Gettysburg. In these letters, Lee expresses that he no longer feels capable of fulfilling his duties as general and asks President Davis to replace him. President Davis decides to reject Davis’s request leaving a man who is not confident in his abilities to guide the Confederate Troops. General Lee’s lack in confidence could have caused him to become a weak leader which resulted in a weak army.
After the war, Lee was tried as a traitor by the Union but after his trial he only got his civil rights taken from him. Lee took the post at Washington University, where he served until his death in 1870. The school is now renamed Washington and Lee. On Sept. 28,1870, Lee suffered a stroke that made him unable to speak. On October 12, 1870, two weeks after Lee’s stroke, Lee died at Lexington, Virginia due to effects of pneumonia. Lee was buried underneath Lee’s Chapel at Washington and Lee University where his body remains today.
The first scene takes place at Antietam Creek, Maryland Sept. 17, 1862 at The Battle of Tatum. The Union marches on foot, lead by Shaw, only to be bombarded with cannon shots and gunfire. After the battle, he was taken to a hospital where he heard Lincoln would be issuing an emancipation proclamation to free the slaves. At a house party afterwards, Robert sees Gov. Andrew meets Fredrick Douglas who tells him there is to be an all black regiment of which he would like Robert to be colonel. He asks his friend Kevin to assist him in leading this group.
This magnificent novel is a definite must read for military men because Bahr effectively combines the interesting history of the Battle of Franklin with the psychological affects of battle. Though the novel inherits some natural flaws, the pros outweigh the cons. This short read becomes very satisfying as the story progresses. Also, Bahr shatters the concept of the Confederates being hicks and cruel slave owners, but that they are actual people too, who experience war just the same as someone form the Union.
On the final day the Union soldiers were told that “if they hurried this was the day they could finish everything” although that inspired them, they were also promised that once they reached Appomattox Station rations would be handed out. Many of the men later admitted they did so “because they figured it was the quickest way to get breakfast.” After a small skirmish near Appomattox Station Lee decided to surrender his army right before the Union carried out their attack.
Union Commander Meade, out of fatigue and caution, did not immediately go after Lee, getting President Lincoln very angry who wrote a mad letter to Meade, which was never delivered, saying he missed an opportunity to end the war at this instance (The History Place Battle of Gettysburg 4). Although the casualties were basically equal, the Battle of Gettysburg was the second and last great invasion of the of the North, for the South had neither arms nor numbers to continue an assault, but the War dragged on for two more years. On November 19, President Lincoln went to the battlefield to dedicate it as a military cemetery. He spoke for a short period of time delivering what is called the Gettysburg Address, surprising many present in the audience with its shortness and leaving others quite unimpressed, but over time the speech has come to symbolize democracy as we know it today (Funk & Wagnalls Encyclopedia Vol. 11 385.
The Civil War is one of the defining wars in the history of this great nation. The Battle of Gettysburg was the bloodiest battle in American history, and a turning point in the four year war. At the time, Gettysburg was a small, quiet town generally unaffected by the war. General Robert E. Lee of the Confederate States of America and General George Meade of the Union converged in Gettysburg, and a conflict quickly arose. After three long days of battle the Union pulled away with a victory, though not an easy one. This essay will outline the six themes of history; in essence the who, what, when, where, why, and who cares of this infamous battle.
...h, and then four years later, his same devotion to principle focused on mending the torn Union. It is here that Connolly and Burrows identify the key irony of the Lost Cause as they exclaim, " The Vindication of the Confederacy rested heavily upon its supreme hero, and in the process, Robert E. Lee was robbed of much of his southernism"(95).
In the essay Grant and Lee: A Study in Contrast written by Bruce Catton, Catton compares and contrasts Civil War Generals, Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant. The essay describes the generals and states that from their backgrounds to their philosophy on life they are completely divided.