| Robert
E. Lee was a man who believed that men should act as gentlemen.
To clarify the meaning of "gentleman," he once wrote:
- "The forebearing 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 magistrate over the citizen, the employer over the employed,
the educated over the unlettered, the experienced over the confiding,
even the clever over the silly; the forebearing and 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 imparts sufficient strength to let the past be but the past.
- A true man of honor feels humbled
himself when he cannot help humbling others" 3
For
Lee these were not merely words, but a strict code that he applied to
his own life. In so doing, he was a gentleman in both word and deed.
Further insight
into Lee's character is evident in the advice he once gave to his son:
-
"You
must study to be frank with the world. Frankness is the child of
honesty and courage. Say just what you mean to do, on every occasion,
and take it for granted that you mean to do right. If a friend asks
a favor, you should grant it, if it is reasonable; if not, tell
him plainly why you cannot; you would wrong him and wrong yourself
by equivocation of any kind.
-
Never do a
wrong thing to make a friend or keep one; the man who requires you
to do so is dearly purchased at the sacrifice. Deal kindly but firmly
with all your classmates; you will find it the policy which wears
best. Above all, do not appear to others what you are not.
-
If you have any fault to find with any one, tell
him, not others, of what you complain; there is no more dangerous
experiment than that of undertaking to be one thing before a man's
face and another behind his back.
-
We should live,
act, and say nothing to the injury of any one. It is not only for
the best as a matter of principle, but it is the path of peace and
honor.
-
In regard to
duty, let me, in conclusion of this hasty letter, inform you that
nearly a hundred years ago there was a day of remarkable gloom and
darkness -- still known as "the dark day" -- a day when
the light of the sun was slowly extinguished, as if by an eclipse.
The Legislature of Connecticut was in session, and as its members
saw the unexpected and unaccountable darkness coming on, they shared
in general awe and terror. It was supposed by many that the last day
-- the day of judgment -- had come. Some one, in the consternation
of the hour, moved an adjournment. Then there arose an old Puritan
legislator, Davenport, of Stamford, and said that, if the last day
had come, he desired to be found at his place doing his duty, and
therefore moved that candles be brought in, so that the House could
proceed with its duty. There was quietness in that man's mind,
the quietness of heavenly wisdom and inflexible willingness to obey
present duty. Duty, then, is the sublimest word in our language. Do
your duty in all things like the old Puritan. You cannot do more;
you should never wish to do less. Never let your mother or me wear
one gray hair for any lack of duty on your part." 4
Up to the very
end of his life, Lee continued to exemplify a high standard of honor and
integrity. Thus, when he died of heart failure on October 12, 1870,
he was greatly admired throughout America and even Europe. His remains
were interred beneath the chapel at Washington College—now known as Washington
and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia.
The Civil War ended Lee's life as a military figure. It did not,
however, diminish Lee's strength of character nor the influence that he
would have in later years. During the Great Depression of the 1930's,
Lee gained a whole new generation of admirers, throughout America, who
were inspired by his unconscious symbolism of the “Lost Cause.”
To many downtrodden Americans, Lee was a shining example of the victory
that the human spirit could achieve in spite of adversity. Humans need
their heroes. Unlike many great men whose reputations have been
tarnished over time, Robert E. Lee continues to stand out as a great American
worthy of all of the accolades that have been placed upon him over the
years. He continues to be the personification of all that is good
and noble in mankind.
Footnotes:
1 and 2 -- From
a speech delivered by Col. Archer Anderson, at Richmond, Virginia, May
10, 1890
3 -- From quotes
by Robert E. Lee
4 -- From a
letter written to his son George Washington Custis Lee
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