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239 reviews for:
Robert E. Lee and Me: A Southerner's Reckoning with the Myth of the Lost Cause
Ty Seidule
4.4 AVERAGE
239 reviews for:
Robert E. Lee and Me: A Southerner's Reckoning with the Myth of the Lost Cause
Ty Seidule
4.4 AVERAGE
I recommend this book to anyone raised in the south who is trying to come to terms with the way we learned history. This book is well written, persuasive, and the author’s personal history makes him an excellent narrator for the story he tells.
Interesting individual experiences of the writer add a unique lens to look at the this period and it’s effects on modern society.
informative
medium-paced
I listened to the audiobook of Robert E. Lee and Me in one-day on a road trip. I'd say it was largely worth the read, but Seidule is a little repetitive and admits several times that he has the "zeal of a convert." This can come across as self-righteous at times, even when I agree with the thing he's being zealous about. But most of his historical research is compelling -- the timing of Confederate memorials, the prevalence of anti-Black violence, the sometimes deliberate, sometimes duped romanticized narratives of the noble South and its "gentlemen" that he grew up with, the army politics of trying to create "unity" by, in the 20s-40s implementing segregation and naming forts after Confederates who weren't even good leaders by any standard and who in some cases never even served the US, the cult of Lee that largely won the historical narrative throughout the 20th century -- but had no dominance in the 19th century except among white Southerners themselves, who doggedly pushed a specific narrative. Even as a staunch Northerner, I found some of this narrative-critique relevant: as a kid, I read and absorbed a grade-school history curriculum written by conservative Southerners who certainly did not praise slavery but had decidedly fond opinions of Lee and dismissive opinions of Reconstruction. I think Seidule, a professional historian, backed up his descriptions of historical facts well. My chief complaint is that he risks making his history less compelling by rabbit-trailing a few times into his current political opinions (in his view, the Democrats are the party of justice and good governance, which...I get it, the GOP has not had a good look for quite some time, but I don't find making this about parties compelling, much less some implicit comparisons of contemporary cultural controversies with the farworse, far less morally ambiguous slavery issue). On a 1-5 scale, I give his writing a 3, his history a 4.5, and his extra-historical musings a 2.5.
“Eleven southern states seceded to protect and expand an African American slave labor system. Unwilling to accept the results of a fair, democratic election, they illegally seized U.S. territory, violently. Together, they formed a new 'Confederacy,' in contravention of the U.S. Constitution. Then West Point graduates like Robert E. Lee resigned their commissions, abrogating an oath sworn to God to defend the United States. During the bloodiest war in American history, Lee and his comrades killed more U.S. Army soldiers than any other enemy, ever. And they did it for the worst reason possible; to create a nation dedicated to exploit enslaved men, women, and children, forever.”
“Officers like Braxton Bragg and Jefferson Davis left the army to seek their fortunes with enslaved labor farms, but Lee was the only senior officer who was actually in charge of hundreds of enslaved workers and in the U.S. Army in 1861. By the time he chose succession, Lee identified far more with the southern slaveholding class than he did with his fellow officers. He certainly spent more time managing enslaved workers than he did leading soldiers.”
“To those who say I am trying to change history, they should realize that the history of Confederate monuments represents a racist legacy all people should abhor. Moreover, many people did protest their construction. In 1900, Georgia's population was 46.7 percent African American and Virginia's was 35.6 percent, but Black people had been purged form the voting rolls and had no voice on the use of public land or money.”
“I grew up with a series of lies that helped further white supremacy. That's uncomfortable. To see real agony, think about the millions of people who lived their entire lives enslaved, knowing that enslavement would be the future of their children and their children's children. Think of living with the violence of the Jim Crow era as an African American.”
I moved to Virginia in 1983. Although I had grown up in New Jersey, I had just spent two years in Illinois. One of the things I had learned in my sojourn in the Midwest was that the support for the Confederacy extended outside of the South. I had no idea.
Shortly after I got to Virginia, I was hired at the Library of Virginia as a reference librarian. Much of my time was spent doing genealogy for people who wrote to us looking for assistance. That kind of work has disappeared with the Internet. However, it was a good way to learn about the myths of the South. And to learn that Yankees were still not very welcome.
I have now been here for almost 40 years, and I do see some changes in attitude. I don’t think anyone would say to my face (as they did in 1984) that Yankees should not work at the Library of Virginia. Many of the monuments to the Confederacy have actually come down in Richmond. However, just like me, many of the white Southerners are still working on their racism. I hope we will keep working together to make changes.
However, some of my neighbors are not working on racism. My county is fighting all kinds of battles from changing the names of schools, to resisting Critical Race Theory (not that there is any in the schools, but the fear is there) to going to court so the school system doesn’t have to follow the state law about transgendered students.
I wish I could have all the resisters either read Seidule’s book or talk to him. His arguments are clear and understandable. His change of heart is what we all need to consider. We all need to ask ourselves what we believe that is not actually true. We have all been indoctrinated – even if it was not intended. History changes. People change. Life is change. We need to accept it and keep changing. It will be better for all of us.
“Officers like Braxton Bragg and Jefferson Davis left the army to seek their fortunes with enslaved labor farms, but Lee was the only senior officer who was actually in charge of hundreds of enslaved workers and in the U.S. Army in 1861. By the time he chose succession, Lee identified far more with the southern slaveholding class than he did with his fellow officers. He certainly spent more time managing enslaved workers than he did leading soldiers.”
“To those who say I am trying to change history, they should realize that the history of Confederate monuments represents a racist legacy all people should abhor. Moreover, many people did protest their construction. In 1900, Georgia's population was 46.7 percent African American and Virginia's was 35.6 percent, but Black people had been purged form the voting rolls and had no voice on the use of public land or money.”
“I grew up with a series of lies that helped further white supremacy. That's uncomfortable. To see real agony, think about the millions of people who lived their entire lives enslaved, knowing that enslavement would be the future of their children and their children's children. Think of living with the violence of the Jim Crow era as an African American.”
I moved to Virginia in 1983. Although I had grown up in New Jersey, I had just spent two years in Illinois. One of the things I had learned in my sojourn in the Midwest was that the support for the Confederacy extended outside of the South. I had no idea.
Shortly after I got to Virginia, I was hired at the Library of Virginia as a reference librarian. Much of my time was spent doing genealogy for people who wrote to us looking for assistance. That kind of work has disappeared with the Internet. However, it was a good way to learn about the myths of the South. And to learn that Yankees were still not very welcome.
I have now been here for almost 40 years, and I do see some changes in attitude. I don’t think anyone would say to my face (as they did in 1984) that Yankees should not work at the Library of Virginia. Many of the monuments to the Confederacy have actually come down in Richmond. However, just like me, many of the white Southerners are still working on their racism. I hope we will keep working together to make changes.
However, some of my neighbors are not working on racism. My county is fighting all kinds of battles from changing the names of schools, to resisting Critical Race Theory (not that there is any in the schools, but the fear is there) to going to court so the school system doesn’t have to follow the state law about transgendered students.
I wish I could have all the resisters either read Seidule’s book or talk to him. His arguments are clear and understandable. His change of heart is what we all need to consider. We all need to ask ourselves what we believe that is not actually true. We have all been indoctrinated – even if it was not intended. History changes. People change. Life is change. We need to accept it and keep changing. It will be better for all of us.
Robert E. Lee and Me is the story of a southern Army Officer who has discovered the truth about the Civil War that he did not know growing up. Seidule was born in Alexandria, VA, lived in Monroe, AL (the place of the last lynching), and went to college at Washington & Lee University in Lexington, VA so he could become a southern gentleman. Growing up Robert E Lee was his hero. Seidule grew up believing the Lost Cause myth and the Lee was the best General in US history only losing when he was vastly out manned and out gunned. After decades of this belief Seidule was stationed to teach military history at West Point. While there he started to question why West Point had so many monuments to Lee on campus. This question led Seidule down a path that would reveal a history he did not know about the places he grew up and that shaped him as well as the history of all confederate monuments.
He will be the first to tell you that after learning this information he because kind of a zealot in regards to removing these items and keeping more from being created but it was not until 2017 that he actually told his own personal history in the hopes that it would help people understand. This is a story of not just the horrible racial history of the places he has lived or the naming of Army Forts and building of monuments but also the path of self education on Seidule's part to learn and truly believe that the Lost Cause is in fact a myth and that the South & Lee went to war over slavery and not states rights. Towards the end of the book Seidule talks about why Lee had no choice but to fight for the south but in fact made a choice that was vastly different from other military officers of southern decent.
I think right now in this country this is an important message for all to hear. So often it is easy to dismiss the message when the messenger is not like us but here is a white, southern man who grew up in the 60s & 70s believing everything that the post-war south wanted them to believe. It is a powerful message that we can all change and grow as individuals and that sometimes if the facts will not persuade someone then maybe the backstory of the messenger will.
He will be the first to tell you that after learning this information he because kind of a zealot in regards to removing these items and keeping more from being created but it was not until 2017 that he actually told his own personal history in the hopes that it would help people understand. This is a story of not just the horrible racial history of the places he has lived or the naming of Army Forts and building of monuments but also the path of self education on Seidule's part to learn and truly believe that the Lost Cause is in fact a myth and that the South & Lee went to war over slavery and not states rights. Towards the end of the book Seidule talks about why Lee had no choice but to fight for the south but in fact made a choice that was vastly different from other military officers of southern decent.
I think right now in this country this is an important message for all to hear. So often it is easy to dismiss the message when the messenger is not like us but here is a white, southern man who grew up in the 60s & 70s believing everything that the post-war south wanted them to believe. It is a powerful message that we can all change and grow as individuals and that sometimes if the facts will not persuade someone then maybe the backstory of the messenger will.
Really excellent, clear-eyed, personal, and passionate perspective on the omnipresent danger of the mythology of "The Lost Cause".
Two stars because the writing is quite poor and hard to track. The content is interesting and well-researched.
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Started off at a 3.5 and decided to round up.
I appreciate the courage it took to realize what you believed was/is a lie.
The book was a little clunky in places, but learning lots of new things (including a fact about one of my law professors) made up for it.
I wish more Southerners would come to terms with the Lost Cause BS.
I appreciate the courage it took to realize what you believed was/is a lie.
The book was a little clunky in places, but learning lots of new things (including a fact about one of my law professors) made up for it.
I wish more Southerners would come to terms with the Lost Cause BS.
I could certainly relate to this book by a fellow Southerner who feels like he fell for a bunch of lies about the "Lost Cause" myth while growing up. I feel the exact same way, and it was refreshing to read someone else's thoughts who feels the same. I thought this book was well researched, and his conclusions are well supported with the facts. Well worth the read for me.