LEE's DEFINITION OF A GENTLEMAN"The forbearing use of power does not only form a touchstone, but the manner in which an individual enjoys certain advantages over others is a test of a true gentleman. The power which the strong have over the weak, the employer over the employed, the educated over the unlettered, the experienced over the confiding, even the clever over the silly-the forbearing or inoffensive use of all this power or authority, or a total abstinence from it when the case admits it, will show the gentleman in a plain light.
The gentleman does not needlessly and unnecessarily remind an offender of a wrong he may have committed against him. He cannot only forgive, he can forget; and he strives for that nobleness of self and mildness of character which impart sufficient strength to let the past be but the past. A true man of honor feels humbled himself when he cannot help humbling others." --Robert E. Lee
**********************************ROBERT E. LEE by Stephen Vincent Benét (1898-1943)
The man was loved, the man was idolized,
The man had every just and noble gift.
He took great burdens and he bore them well,
Believed in God but did not preach too much,
Believed and followed duty first and last
With marvellous consistency and force,
Was a great victor, in defeat as great,
No more, no less, always himself in both,
Could make men die for him but saved his men
Whenever he could save them was most kind
But was not disobeyed was a good father,
A loving husband, a considerate friend.
I have come to see, through looking for the truth, that the Republic, which I treasure, could not survive the wound inflicted upon it in 1861 - 65 by the Northern Aggression. The Republic is either long dead (on a pessimistic day) or just barely still alive, and not for long. If the Republic still lives it is alive only in the hearts of a few.
Robert Edward Lee gave the preservation of the Republic everything he had. I don't idolize him, but respect him greatly. His men, who in war came to know him best (except for his family, of course) loved him nearly to a man. Soldiers in war become highly accurate judges of the character of their commanders.