Robert E. Lee – "Letter to his Family"

Robert E. Lee was a general in the Confederate Army (Wilhelm). He fought in the Battle of Gettysburg against General Ulysses S. Grant. Lee had been winning many battles, but he lost in one of the bloodiest battles of American history: the Battle of Gettysburg. The Battle of Gettysburg was a turning point in the Civil War that turned the tables from the Confederate army to the Union army. Robert E. Lee is mostly known for his great leadership skills and for his brave and daring war tactics (Wilhelm).

Robert E. Lee's "Letter to his Family" describes a different side of him from the above appearance. In history, most people look back and see Lee as a great military man who loves to fight and loves war and has very powerful and bloody war tactics, but according to Lee's "Letter to his Family" he is just the opposite. In Lee's letter he expresses the guilt and sadness he feels for his country (Lee). Lee does not want to be leading men to fight against their brothers, sons, and friends (Lee). Lee says, "I shall mourn for my country and for the welfare and progress of mankind. If the Union is dissolved, and the government disrupted, I shall return to my native state and share the miseries of my people; and, save in defense, will draw my sword on none" (Lee). Basically Lee is saying that if the Confederacy wins the war, he will be sad and feel terrible, but he feels that he has done what he had to do (Lee). A soldier can do nothing but fight until the war is somehow miraculously resolved, and Lee, as a general, has to stay strong and lead his men to victory, no matter how he really wants the outcome to be.

Robert E. Lee's, "Letter to his Family", depicts Realism in quite a few ways. "Letter to his Family" portrays Realism in that he tells how Lee truly feels about the war. Lee wants to be a good and strong general, but he feels sad and sorry for his country and for what he is fighting for. He does not believe in what the Confederacy is fighting for. Lee says, "The framers of our Constitution never exhausted so much labor, wisdom, and forbearance in its formation, and surrounded it with so many guards and securities, if it was intended to be broken by every member of the Confederacy at will...Still, a Union that can only be maintained by swords and bayonets, and in which strife and civil war are to take the place of brotherly love and kindness, has no charm for me" (Lee). Here Lee is saying that he does not believe in the cause of the Confederacy. He does not think it is right for the Confederacy to think that they are able to form their own union. Lee believes that the founders of our country should be honored by us keeping the country one whole country.

Lee's "Letter to his Family" reflects it's time period because he writes his letter about the Civil War which is taking place at that time. Government is seen in his letter because he speaks of how the "framers of our Constitution" (Lee) should not have had to go through all the work they did for them (the Confederacy) to toss it all aside to decide to make their own country. If a hero had to be described from this letter I would say that Lee is a definite hero. Lee is fighting for his country and for his men even though he does not believe in what they are fighting for. Lee remains a brave leader straight to the end.

Works Cited:

Lee, Robert E. "Letter to his Son." Glencoe Literature. Ed. Jeffrey Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Colombus: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 385. Print.

Wilhelm, Jeffrey. "Meet Robert E. Lee (1807-1870)." Glencoe Literature. Ed. Jeffrey Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Colombus: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 382. Print.