Life of Robert Edward Lee . -sistence for worthy Confederate soldiers; he exerted hisenergies and his vast moral influence to restore the wasteplaces, and efface the desolation wrought by war. Butfor the cohesive moral power exercised during the fear-ful episode of reconstruction by the survivors of Leesarmy the civilization of the South would have undergonea process of fatal disintegration, the solidarity of oursocial as well as our political life would have dissolvedinto fragments; we should have descended to the deepsof chronic anarchy. That the South escaped this climaxof debasement to whi
Life of Robert Edward Lee . -sistence for worthy Confederate soldiers; he exerted hisenergies and his vast moral influence to restore the wasteplaces, and efface the desolation wrought by war. Butfor the cohesive moral power exercised during the fear-ful episode of reconstruction by the survivors of Leesarmy the civilization of the South would have undergonea process of fatal disintegration, the solidarity of oursocial as well as our political life would have dissolvedinto fragments; we should have descended to the deepsof chronic anarchy. That the South escaped this climaxof debasement to which it was the avowed and relentlesspurpose of her enemies to reduce her, may be attributedin large measure to the salutary restraint, the wise self-control, the genius for organized action, the critical tem-per that takes occasion by the hand, so eminently dis-played by her leaders during the agony of that stood upon the verge of the precipice; it was the skilland sagacity of the men trained in the school of Lee, and. GENERAL LEEAS PRESIDENT OF WASHINGTON COLLEGE, NOW WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY FACING PACE 156 RARY LEE AT LEXINGTON 157 inspired by the power of his example, that rescuedus from the impending doom. In the retrospect of yearswe may apprehend the fatal peril; we do not see savedarkly the almost miraculous escape, nor realize except inimperfect measure the authors and the agents of our de-liverance. The overthrow of the Confederacy left Lee in the atti-tude of a private citizen, if a prisoner on parole with acharge of treason resting upon his head can be describedas a citizen. Notwithstanding his own dubious and un-defined position, he threw his vast moral and personal in-fluence into the scale in behalf of peace, in the advocacy ofrestored order, of good will and kindly sentimentthroughout the land. All should unite, he writes toGovernor Letcher, in efforts to obliterate the effects ofthe war, and to restore the blessings of peace. Theyshould remain, if po
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectleerobe, bookyear1906
