The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1873-06-01
The Character Of Lee.
AN ENGLISH OPINION OF THE GREAT coNrEpER-
ATE CAPTAIN.

The following review of an article upon Gen
r. Z. Lee, which appeared in the last humble
of the Edinburgh Reriew, is taken from th,
London Standard:
The most interesting, perhaps, of the articles
or an unusually lively number of the Edin
burgh Reriew is one reviewing what is as VET
about the best life of the great American com.
mandcr, and the best account of the war in
virginia, that has been published, and sketch
That character was, in a military point of
view, SO glorious, so full of brilliant achieve
ments and of merit more solid than striking, so
! grand a lesson in the art of war and the onaii
ties of soldiership; that character is. from,
| every point of view, so admirable in its moral
grandeur, its perfect simplicity, its close ap-
proach to the highest ideal of the Christian
soldier and gentleman, that it commands an
interest which does not fade with the fading
memory of the keen excitement and often Das.
sionate sympathies of ten years ago. In the
OF the highest political moment and of the
profoundest military Significance; in the char
acter of the Virginian leader we have q model
Of all that hero of an enlightened and Chris
tian age should be, than which no nobler eI-
ample can be set before the youth entarinp on
the temptations of military life, or the trials
and perplexities of q great public career
We have also an historical question Of con.
siderable Importance practically solved, for all
those who are not too prejudiced to accept a
solution which does not suit their forejudged
Gen. Lee at the outset of the war. No one can |
read the story Of the secession movement In
the documents of the time without Seeing at; |
though slavery was the open sore that kept |
the passions of North and South in constant !
irritation, and afforded occasion for the violent
collisions of Kansas and Harper's Ferry, which
precipitated the issue and made its decision Inv
any other arbitration than that of the sword
impossible, it was not the issue itself. Slavery
had no place in the counseis which hurried
State after State out of the Union for slaverv
was the interest of the few, and iE was bv the
many that secession was precipitated. The
Southern people resented Northerh dietation |
Northern assertions of superiority, Northern
pretensions to an exclusive right in their terri
tories, Northern intermeddling and Northern
as the most furious of English dis
'enters would resent the interpretation of Ro-
nan Catholic Powers in the question of Church !
in England. When then the
'eVen Southern States had withdrawn, the .
border States which were deeply concerned in
he Northern attacks on slavery, still chung to {
he Union; Virginia, despite the piratieai in {
'asion of her territory and the midnight rob- Z
'ery and murder passiOuateIy sanctioned by c
Ier New England sisters, still refused to &C. g
EIDE and only when the treacherous attempt 9
L che Federal Government to reinforce the L
DIT It had promised to evacuate, and surprise
,harleston with an armed feet, preci plated 6
ne reluctant sections into war, and when Mr.. q
'incoln forced upon her the choice between I
ghting for Southern freedom and State rights,
Northern ascendancy and Federal despotism,
i'd she throw in her lot with the Coufederates. o
lAvery then was not her Determining mo ii yes. u
iavery' made no appearance in the private
'tters of the men who, one after another,
,ent with their States It is q remarkable
Ict, that while scores of leading Northern
ZEN denounced the war, not q single SOutheru- n
: of high character, education aud iuauenoe h
eserted the cause of the South. They uni G,
ersaly held that their alleS lance was duo to q,
leir native States; aud on that ground alone | y
icy threw up career, fortune, fame, and f,