I’ve been thinking quite a bit about Robert E. Lee in recent weeks. I am working on a presentation on Lee and memory for two dates one of which has been pushed back indefinitely. I mentioned a few days ago that Bob Krick kicked off UVA’s month-long symposium on Lee; this week Gary Gallagher will address Lee’s generalship. Next week the Lee Chapel in Lexington, Virginia is hosting a day-long symposium on Lee. Luckily I have the day off so I plan on attending. The line-up is first-rate and includes Gordon Rhea, Aaron Sheehan-Dean, Emory Thomas, J. Tracy Power, Peter Carmichael, and A. Wilson Greene. It’s nice to see that the organizers for the conference at the Lee Chapel knew who to invite. You won’t have to sit there and listen to some nut go on and on about how Lee is the greatest thing since sliced bread or that he is evil incarnate. Keep that to yourself. What you can anticipate are thoughtful presentations that address historical rather than moral issues.
Plenty of Lee to Go Around
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