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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 came to this with high hopes but shelved it pretty let down after coming back to it after a long hiatus. What I thought would be an engaging, perhaps provocative, work was — in the end — a rather banal, tiresome, poorly written, yet extremely self-important personal account of coming to terms with one’s prior idolization of a Confederate icon. I couldn’t help feeling as if the author was trying to “southernersplain” or maybe “generalsplain”(to play on the term “mansplain”) something that we all already know … at least something that anyone, Southern or not, military or not, already knows if they’ve actually read this period of our history. Everything here is old news, but it’s presented as somehow groundbreaking. It isn’t. Moreover, it’s essentially so cobbled together from anecdotes and personal conclusions that I find it hard to categorize this as real historical scholarship. I sense that’s what the author wants this to be, but unfortunately, he’s ultimately unsuccessful.
This is a long review. The tl;dr review: This is an engaging reassessment of Robert E Lee that occasionally bogs down in unnecessary minutiae, but is otherwise quite interesting, even though I do not agree with all of the author's conclusions. It's worth reading if for no other reason than coming to an understanding how and why all those Confederate monuments got there in the first place, and why it is necessary to remove them. Okay, on to the long version:
"I have a convert's zeal. I know it. Sometimes my passion can verge on righteousness, but the facts don't care about feelings," writes Ty Seidule in this mostly engaging reassessment of Robert E. Lee. Mr. Seidule, who was by career a historian in the Army, writes a book which does not take a sort of scholarly step back in his assessment and he does not mean to. This is fine with me. I don't agree with all of Mr. Seidule's interpretation of the facts, but one cannot fault his desire to correct what he calls "the myth of the lost cause."
I have some acquaintance personally with the myth of the lost cause and it is quite interesting. If you only listened to the guys espousing this theory, you would think that slavery was nothing more than white plantation owners hanging out with their adoring and dedicated black slaves who would much rather be a slave making no money, than free in the big bad world (I am not making this up). All you have to do to correct this notion is read Frederick Douglas' biography.
[An interesting side note here: The author argues, correctly in my view, that the Southern interpretation of the Civil War won out from about 1865 to 1970 or 80. I thought everyone said that the victorious wrote history
"I have a convert's zeal. I know it. Sometimes my passion can verge on righteousness, but the facts don't care about feelings," writes Ty Seidule in this mostly engaging reassessment of Robert E. Lee. Mr. Seidule, who was by career a historian in the Army, writes a book which does not take a sort of scholarly step back in his assessment and he does not mean to. This is fine with me. I don't agree with all of Mr. Seidule's interpretation of the facts, but one cannot fault his desire to correct what he calls "the myth of the lost cause."
I have some acquaintance personally with the myth of the lost cause and it is quite interesting. If you only listened to the guys espousing this theory, you would think that slavery was nothing more than white plantation owners hanging out with their adoring and dedicated black slaves who would much rather be a slave making no money, than free in the big bad world (I am not making this up). All you have to do to correct this notion is read Frederick Douglas' biography.
[An interesting side note here: The author argues, correctly in my view, that the Southern interpretation of the Civil War won out from about 1865 to 1970 or 80. I thought everyone said that the victorious wrote history
What I found excellent about this book and different than others I've read about similar topics is that the author is a middle-aged white man, a 30-year army veteran, a military historian, the former head of the history department at West Point, a W&L grad, and was boy and young man who grew up in the South revering Robert E. Lee and the Lost Cause myth. Only through his own research did he come to realize how the myth was created and and why, and he's become an evangelist for correcting the record.
I think this perspective is important, because it shows that an incorrect view of Civil War history may not be the product of racist intent, and it can be changed. The way the author uses his own biography as an outline to educate the reader about history is creative and effective.
I give a 4 instead of 5 as the writing is good but not great, sometimes repetitive. A little more military history than interests me, but to be expected.
I think this perspective is important, because it shows that an incorrect view of Civil War history may not be the product of racist intent, and it can be changed. The way the author uses his own biography as an outline to educate the reader about history is creative and effective.
I give a 4 instead of 5 as the writing is good but not great, sometimes repetitive. A little more military history than interests me, but to be expected.
I read this book at the recommendation of a fellow historian. What a powerful read it is!! Seidule is retired US military and Professor Emeritus of History at West Point. His honesty is what makes this such a poignant read. Seidule describes in detail what he was taught as a child versus the major disconnects with historical truths that are sometimes painful to read.
However, this book gave me hope for the future for my country. If someone steeped in the myths of the Lost Cause and white supremacy can face hard truths and come out on the other side as a compassionate, informed citizen, then we all can.
However, this book gave me hope for the future for my country. If someone steeped in the myths of the Lost Cause and white supremacy can face hard truths and come out on the other side as a compassionate, informed citizen, then we all can.
Not the greatest work on the Lost Cause, but it is a powerful one in how it mixes the broad strokes of the history with the personal journey of Seidule. Definitely a book I would recommend for folks who need to have a similar reckoning to his own.
Read for book club. This was so well done, so honest. I really admire that he is willing to admit to the problems with how he was raised and educated, and reach for the truth, and then tell it fearlessly. One more stab in the Lost Cause body. I love how he came right out and said Robert E Lee was a traitor to his country, to the army, to West Point.
If you’ve read this book, congrats…you’ve read some critical race theory! I grew up here in the south, and I was never taught the truth. Yet everywhere you look, there are painful reminders that the south holds onto, with pride. Neighborhood names end with the word ‘plantation’. Homes are on the market and advertised with ‘plantation shutters’ features. Streets, schools, churches, military forts and more are named after Confederates. It just goes on and on.
Robert E. Lee was a terrible human being and he deserves no honor. The sight of so many of these flags still flying, monuments still standing is sad. It’s not about heritage and it never was. It never will be.
This was such a heart breaking book but it’s one everyone should read. We must dismantle white supremacy once and for all lest it destroy us.
Robert E. Lee was a terrible human being and he deserves no honor. The sight of so many of these flags still flying, monuments still standing is sad. It’s not about heritage and it never was. It never will be.
This was such a heart breaking book but it’s one everyone should read. We must dismantle white supremacy once and for all lest it destroy us.
Much has been discussed in the public sphere over the past 15 years during and after the sesquicentennial observation of the American Civil War about the continued endearment shown towards the losing side in that conflict. Several recent events within our nation continue to bring forth the idea that it no longer is politically acceptable to honor those who were traitors to the United States.
General (ret.) Ty Seidule presents compelling arguments toward that end. The authors small volume, part memoir / part history, is a quick read, but one in which a slower pace might tend to have more of an impact. I found myself re-reading many passages and going back to earlier pages as well as checking out the many noted references.
From his childhood through his teen and college years (he and I were born the same year, and graduated high-school and college the same years), Seidule had developed a respect and “hero worship” of General Robert. E. Lee. From his text, he lays out the history of the 19th century and the drive to both emancipate (from a northern stance) and to strengthen (from a southern…) the ‘peculiar institution’ which we know as chattel slavery from the enforced labor camps (popularly known as ‘plantations’).
Critiques of the Jim Crow law era, to segregation, to continuing voter suppression and details of ‘white supremacy’ rallies, displays for us that the Civil War and its long lasting effects are still with us. Statements by the author such as “Racism is not only morally wrong, but fiscally stupid” and “…economically stupid” drive home a point that has taken over 150 years for complete realization.
I concur with Ty… statues venerating traitors, army bases name after traitors, and holidays honoring the memory of traitors must end and be relegated to museum installations, not the public square.
General (ret.) Ty Seidule presents compelling arguments toward that end. The authors small volume, part memoir / part history, is a quick read, but one in which a slower pace might tend to have more of an impact. I found myself re-reading many passages and going back to earlier pages as well as checking out the many noted references.
From his childhood through his teen and college years (he and I were born the same year, and graduated high-school and college the same years), Seidule had developed a respect and “hero worship” of General Robert. E. Lee. From his text, he lays out the history of the 19th century and the drive to both emancipate (from a northern stance) and to strengthen (from a southern…) the ‘peculiar institution’ which we know as chattel slavery from the enforced labor camps (popularly known as ‘plantations’).
Critiques of the Jim Crow law era, to segregation, to continuing voter suppression and details of ‘white supremacy’ rallies, displays for us that the Civil War and its long lasting effects are still with us. Statements by the author such as “Racism is not only morally wrong, but fiscally stupid” and “…economically stupid” drive home a point that has taken over 150 years for complete realization.
I concur with Ty… statues venerating traitors, army bases name after traitors, and holidays honoring the memory of traitors must end and be relegated to museum installations, not the public square.
Great book! The author, a career military man and historian, grew up in The South, like me. And like me, was taught that Lee was a "great man". Also, like me, over the course of his life, he changed his mind about that. In this book, he explains the how, when and why of that change of heart. I don't think I was really his target audience, having heard most of these stories about Lee, and his "co-rebels" before. I think his mission is to try to explain to the "Lost Causers" and neo-Confederates why they are wrong about Lee. If you are a Southerner, or just a person interested in the legacy of the Civil War, you need this book.