“I have heard of the indictment and made up my mind to let the authorities take their course. I have no wish to avoid the trial the government may order”. In discussion with a pastor he said, “Doctor there is a good old book which I read, and you preach from, which says, ‘Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you’. Do you think that your remarks this evening were quite in the spirit of that teaching? I have fought against the people of the North because I believed they were seeking to wrest from the South dearest rights. But I have never cherished toward them bitter or vindictive feelings and have never seen the day when I did not pray for them.”
Note these dearest rights did not include slavery which Lee opposed, because Lincoln had already said at his first inauguration before Lee resigned his commission, “the Federal Government shall never interfere with the domestic institutions of the States, including that of persons held to service”. Lee’s determination, and that of most Southerners, was to resist the northern states if they attempted to use the federal government to impose their political aspirations through military occupation of the South.
Indeed, which was the real point of my post. He was an important American figure, love him or hate him, and there is a reason why his memorials/monuments exist. Instead of tearing them down, use them to teach. We live in a day and age where many different perspectives on many topics can be shared instantly. These sites have many different possible messages to share and should be preserved and enhanced, not torn down and blotted out as if history didn’t exist. Imagine going to a town square, seeing a statue, and being able to instantly download a short (or long) podcast/video interactive by someone of some authority, or someone with expertise, or just about anyone (since user-ratings will serve to validate the content) who has information to share. That is my point. The left is still fighting the last war, as ever. They have an opportunity they cannot see, or do not care to capitalize. So does the right and the non-partisans who can teach about art, civics, culture, the placement etc etc. Why tear down when you can build up?