Robert E. Lee: The Man Behind the Myth

This video is part of the series How We Became America: The Untold History. Made for students and teachers, but easy-to-consume by all, the series is designed to fill in the gaps and bring new stories to life.

[DoyleHargraves]

You can not judge historicsl figures by modern morality and standards.
You must judge them in the context of their own time and place.

[Brandon_]

I get you can't make 2hr documentaries every time you want to discuss Lee. I think 2mins is a little to short and truly not very informative. ABT should easily be able to post greater content. That being said THANK YOU for all that you guys do!

[bowen]

You can’t say Lee was a owner, because the slaves at Arlington were owned by his father in law and were freed by his father in law

[patmyles]

"Lost Cause" or not, Lee's life was admired not only by the South but by the North as well. Lee was not fighting for a cause. He was fighting to defend his love and duty to Virginia.

[je]

Slavery isn't just an American thing. If people would look at written history as a whole and judge people of the past by standards of the past it would make more since. Every race enslaved another at some point. We learn from the past and get better. We don't just stare at the past sins and cripple our future. Until we can look at each other not by skin color or other features we will stay in this rut. Some history shows that people killed each other because of the shape of the nose.

[SouthernGentleman]

Dear Dr. Scott: 
Respecting your August 1 inquiry calling attention to my often expressed admiration for General Robert E. Lee, I would say, first, that we need to understand that at the time of the War between the States the issue of secession had remained unresolved for more than 70 years. Men of probity, character, public standing and unquestioned loyalty, both North and South, had disagreed over this issue as a matter of principle from the day our Constitution was adopted. 
General Robert E. Lee was, in my estimation, one of the supremely gifted men produced by our Nation. He believed unswervingly in the Constitutional validity of his cause which until 1865 was still an arguable question in America; he was a poised and inspiring leader, true to the high trust reposed in him by millions of his fellow citizens; he was thoughtful yet demanding of his officers and men, forbearing with captured enemies but ingenious, unrelenting and personally courageous in battle, and never disheartened by a reverse or obstacle. Through all his many trials, he remained selfless almost to a fault and unfailing in his faith in God. Taken altogether, he was noble as a leader and as a man, and unsullied as I read the pages of our history. 
From deep conviction, I simply say this: a nation of men of Lee’s calibre would be unconquerable in spirit and soul. Indeed, to the degree that present-day American youth will strive to emulate his rare qualities, including his devotion to this land as revealed in his painstaking efforts to help heal the Nation’s wounds once the bitter struggle was over, we, in our own time of danger in a divided world, will be strengthened and our love of freedom sustained. 
Such are the reasons that I proudly display the picture of this great American on my office wall. 
Sincerely,
President Dwight D. Eisenhower

[TheStapleGunKid]

The part about Lee calling slavery a "moral and political evil" needs to be understood in proper context. The source of that quote is from a private letter he wrote to his wife in 1856. There is no record of him ever publicly speaking out against slavery before the war, nor any other time before it when he said anything privately against slavery again. While he called slavery a moral and political evil, he said this was more so for whites than blacks. He also said slavery was "necessary instruction", that blacks as slaves were ultimately better off, and that they would have to remain as slaves until god decided it was time for slavery to end.

These were pretty typical pro-slavery views of the day. The idea that slavery should end some day, but for the moment was a necessary evil was a common argument among slave owners back then, as was the idea that slavery ultimately improved the condition of blacks.

Lee wasn't a hardcore pro slavery zealot, but he was a typical slave owner of his time. He owned slaves, managed slaves, beat slaves, and commanded an army that took slaves, in service to a rebellion carried out for the purpose of preserving slavery forever. And whatever his personal views on matter were, the fact remains that by winning battles for the South, Lee did as much as he could possibly do to prolong the continuation of slavery. Wheas his defeat and surrender was one of the most important things that ever happened to end it.

[SouthernGentleman]

They mentioned the new lost cause myth?

And what was the lost cause mythology?
Confederates fought for their home?
Most Confederates weren’t owners? 70% of the south didn’t have slavery
Most Confederate soldiers were under the age of 30?
Every race fought for the confederacy?
Thousands of blacks fought for the Confederacy like black Confederate sailor David White from CSS Alabama, Cuban Woman Loretta Velasquez dressed as a man to fight for the Confederacy, Cherokee and Choctaw tribes fought for the Confederacy. The last Confederate General to stop fighting was Cherokee General Stand Watie. 10, 000 Jews fought for the Confederacy, like Moses Ezekiel. 13, 000 Hispanics and 3, 000 Mexican-Texans fought for the Confederacy as well, like Santos Benavides. Hundreds of Asians fought for the Confederacy like Charles Chon. Hawaiian Confederate sailors sailed on the CSS Shenandoah.

There is no lost cause myth, only Marxist propaganda

[travisbayles]

General Robert E Lee was the best general in the Confederate army and one of the best battlefield commanders in the history of the world He and the Army of Northern Virginia defeated Union armies that were twice their own strength His brilliant tactics are still being studied in military academies both in America and abroad He deserves to be remembered with honor God Bless Robert E Lee

[johnfoster]

After reading a great deal about Lee, it is readily apparent that he was admired and was beloved for a reason : he was selfless, noble, and humble. HE could have been President like Grant, if he had led the Union Army. He thought it was WRONG for the government to attack the states who chose to secede, and he chose to defend his home, his family, his friends from a vicious attack instead....he was NOT fighting for slavery. He sacrificed his future, and possibly that of his family in fulfilling this duty. The Democrat Bolshevik Party's use of thuggish black politicians and District Attorneys to attack white people has led to a former President being charged with 91 crimes in Kangaroo courts all over the nation, and the recent MELTING of the statue of General Lee and his horse Traveller by ignorant and hateful black ghetto thugs who are increasing in number in our government. The United States is on a course to surpass South Africa as the world's leading example in its race to join the third world and its ignorant and filthy hellholes !! " Diversity is our STRENGTH !! ??

[MateoUnoobeypw]

Thank you, I have homework for Social studies for next week and this video help me so much thank you :)

[jasoncampos]

He fought for Virginia not the confederacy

[SouthernGentleman]

New York Times bestselling author Michael Korda's fresh, contemporary single volume historical biography of General Robert E. Lee in Clouds of glory, perhaps the most famous and least understood legend in American history and one of our most admired heroes. Michael Korda, author of Ulysses S. Grant and the bestsellers Ike and Hero, paints a vivid and admiring portrait of Lee as a brilliant general, a devoted family man, and principled gentleman who disliked slavery and disagreed with secession, yet who refused command of the Union Army in 1861 because he could not "draw his sword" against his beloved Virginia. Well-rounded and realistic, Clouds of Glory analyzes Lee's command during the Civil War and explores his responsibility for the fatal stalemate at Antietam, his defeat at Gettysburg (as well the many troubling controversies still surrounding it) and ultimately, his failed strategy for winning the war. As Korda shows, Lee's dignity, courage, leadership, and modesty made him a hero on both sides of the Mason-Dixon Line and a revered American icon who is recognized today as the nation's preeminent military leader. Clouds of Glory features dozens of stunning illustrations, some never before seen, including twelve pages of color, twenty-four pages of black-and-white, and nearly fifty in-text battle maps.

[ZM]

Again, I love ya ABT, but this video had too many distractions. Bobbing cutouts, random sound effects, out-of-place techno in the background. I get this is maybe meant for a younger audience but as a young man I must say that's it off-putting. That, and I take issue with the use of the term "Lost Cause" as it's a pejorative and Lee was a hero during the war not just after his death. Still, I give y'all some credit as it seems there was an attempt to be balanced and not full blown woke.

[CAROLUSPRIMA]

With respect, in my view the “bold decision” was made by Virginians such as Generals John Newton and the criminally overlooked George Thomas, who at great cost stood behind their oaths to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.

[donaldblack]

Well that was a waste of time watching. We all get it. North good South bad. End of story. No explanations needed.

[MichaelDiaz-ktgc]

Amazing that this video ends on "most of what we just said was debunked as Lost Cause mythology starting in the late 20th century. Ain't that something?"

I think you could have spent literally any time taking a more critical look at the this otherwise very flattering portrait of Lee.

[historyandhorseplaying]

Interesting video. My perspective of Lee hasn't changed though, he was an excellent leader and man. I recently discovered that my ancestor served as a judge alongside "Light Horse Harry" Lee and was likely the judge who incarcerated him for debt. In another strange twist, my ancestor owned a house that still stands in Georgetown that he purchased from a gentleman who was beaten and killed by a pro-War of 1812 mob in Baltimore, which also beat up his friend Harry Lee, causing irreparable brain damage and leading to Lee's death. Illustrating that sadly, mobs and beatings were alive and well even 200 years ago in our history.

[williewest]

Split tail commentator knows absolutely nothing

[jdm]

This video would have been better if it hadn't devolved in the second half into the post-modern woke propensity to only want to focus on slavery and diminish the character of anyone associated with it. I guess you want us to assume "the man behind the myth" was a bad man cloaked by a myth? Don't tell me want to think, please.