‘If you think about it, why?’
This morning, in a radio interview, President Trump took a moment to contemplate the American Civil War. “People don’t realize, you know, the Civil War, if you think about it, why?”… Read More»
Tag: Robert E. Lee
This Day (It’s a Long Life Edition)
Happy birthday to Mary Anna Randolph Custis, who was born on this day in 1807 at Annfield, in Frederick County. She was the great-granddaughter of Mrs. George Washington, and the… Read More»
This Day (Splitting Up Edition)
On this day 150 years ago, Confederate general Robert E. Lee issued Special Orders No. 191, instructing Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson to take about two-thirds of the Army of Northern… Read More»
Memento Mori
From the National Archives: The Telegraph dramatically increased the speed with which military officers communicated with each other and with civilian authorities. Newspapers also used the telegraph and rapidly delivered… Read More»
The Man Behind the Lost Order
This just strikes me as a strange image. It’s from Wikipedia, and shows a copy of Robert E. Lee‘s famed Special Orders No. 191, which described the various movements of… Read More»
Statues for No One! Statues for Everyone!
You might recall the argument in Charlottesville over Confederate statues. It began at our dear old Festival of the Book, and was prompted by City Councilor Kirstin Szakos’s suggestion that “a lot of people”… Read More»
“Proud, honorable, and stoic … a gentleman”
Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day! The University of Virginia—and Encyclopedia Virginia, too—is observing the federal holiday, while the administration of Washington and Lee University has decided to take a… Read More»
Spotlight: Surrender at Appomattox
We just posted our entry on the surrender at Appomattox, certainly one of the most famous scenes of the Civil War if not of all American history. We already have… Read More»
Admiring Lee for Who He Was
In the wake of Virginia governor Bob McDonnell’s declaration of Confederate History Month and all the resulting hoopla, Ta-Nehisi Coates considers the memory of Robert E. Lee. In so doing,… Read More»
Letters: Why Do You Hate Robert E. Lee?
For the last several weeks, we have excerpted our Robert E. Lee entry into separate Virginia Vignettes: Was Lee Called Robert, Bob, or R. E.? What Did Robert E. Lee… Read More»
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