His commitment to the Word of God led him to a devotion to family and community that is rare today. It is this same commitment that inspired and emboldened the men of his father's generation. That generation set in paper the 'givens' of liberty and founded a nation built upon them. Robert E. Lee learned from his father the intentions of the Founders. He gained his fame in the defense of those same principles against a Federal Government run wild in an unconstitutional movement to strip the states, and by extension, communities and families of their inalienable rights. The actions he undertook to defend his beloved Commonwealth of Virginia and the Confederate States of America are legendary. The loss of that cause does not negate its legitimacy.
Robert E. Lee was beloved by those who fought under his command. On more than one occasion when his blood was up in battle he strove to inspire his men by riding through his men's lines toward the enemy coming within range of the enemy. The men pleaded for him to retire to his rightful and proper position in the rear. His courage was unassailable. The men who followed him respectfully and lovingly called him "Mars' Robert." They marched hundreds of miles on meager rations, often unshod and poorly clothed. Yet, in battle they were a force that frequently won against overwhelming odds.
I'm a descendant of one of those men. He left such an impression upon my Great Great Grandfather, James Russell Underwood, that one of his sons was named Robert Edward Underwood.
Happy Birthday, Sir.
Deo Vindice
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The South Will Rise Again!!! Deo Vindice! Robert E. Lee lives in death!
"The march of Providence is so slow, and our desires so impatient; the work of progress is so immense and our means of aiding it so feeble; the life of humanity is so long, that of the individual so brief, that we often see only the ebb of the advancing wave and are thus discouraged. It is history that teaches us to hope."
-Robert E. Lee, shortly before his death
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