This one is an apotheosis of Robert E. Lee. It closes with the finger-wagging warning that I, and anyone else I might forward this drivel to, should not change history. Aahhh, OK.
We therefore proceed to the deep study of the historical facts that according to above referenced email, will support the idolatry due to Master General in charge of the Confederate Forces.
1. He worked with Grant during the Mexican / American War - USA
2. That earned him a decoration as a war hero - USA
3. His wife broke the law by teaching slaves to read and write
4. He believed that slavery was a great evil
5. He worked with Andrew Jackson in the Reconstruction - USA
6. He became popular with northern states and some barracks at West Point are named after him
7. He was a great man who served his country his entire life in one form or another - ?
8. No decorated war hero should be treated as such - ?
9. This is not Iraq and this is not a statue of Sadam(sic)
10. He was very torn about the prospect of the South leaving the Union -?
11. George Washington had a great influence on his life
12. He believed that states rights trumped the federal government
13. The government demanded that he pay his taxes in person - USA
14. When he did not pay his taxes in the proper form, the government took his land and turned into a cemetery for burying Union soldiers - Now Arlington National Cemetery
Poor Robert! Looks like he had a pretty good thing going until he decided to commit treason. He had some good things going for him. He had a rather good upper middle class life, what with having a solid education, arable land, working slaves and solid political connections. The decision that he made to fight for the independence of the states over the decisions of the federal government was a bad one. The decision to fight to the death for the continuation of slavery was a bad one. The decision to go counter to the intelligence that had been delivered to him did not deter him from attacking at Gettysburg was a bad one.
So, General Robert E Lee agreed to meet with the respected General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomatox. Lee surrenders. Grant accepts. They go their separate ways...but it doesn't end there.
What the email doesn't say is that Lee was never prosecuted for treason. Why doesn't anyone ever bring that up? It is true. He was never brought to justice for all the killing and the misery that he visited upon the country that he tried to vanquish. Something happened between that April day in 1865 and the rest of Lee's life. It is my strong suggestion that what happened between that day and the rest of Lee's life is the greatest monument that could exist because it tells the story of how the United States treats the victims of the wars that it wins. It happened despite the fact that Lee had tax problems. It happened because his friend, General Grant and Frederick Douglas (Yes, it's true), who lost the debates to be the presidential candidate, convinced Abraham Lincoln not to pursue charges.
The bottom line is that history does not have to be changed. It is beautiful as it is. I won't change it. Before you warn me not to change it, be sure that you have the bottom line facts that matter, not just the feel-good fluffy ones, but the hard ones, straight. Like the one that an escaped slave was instrumental in saving your hero's ass from prosecution.
You are surely one person who will not be tempted to cry at my funeral.
