The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-01-24
ROBERT EDMUND LEE, THE
SOLDIER AND CHRISTIAN
BY W. H. benson.

BENSON.
to give General Scott the notice which
would insure the cooperation OF his d.
vided forces in the mornings attack.
In his report General Scott says, Il
had sent seven officers since about sun
down to communicate instructions to
those on the other side of the barrier.
They had all returned without getting
through, but the gallant and indefatigable
Captain Lee of the engineers came to me
from Contreras about midnight with a
message from General Smith having pass
ed over the difficult ground, the field Of
Pedregal, during the darkness and storm
or night; this was the greatest feat OF
physical and moral courage performed by
any individual In the pending campaign"
Thus Lee offered himself as a sacrifice
Tor the welfare of others, which is the
browning glory OF man.
Never Shirked Responsibility
One great virtue Lee possessed in a
pre-eminent degree was that he never
! shirked responsibility he ever readily as
sumed it. If there is one element that is
often a part Of mans character, that
brave men, men of convictions, do abom-
mate and detest. 1t is that element that
seeks position of responsibility, but is
I
brave, courageous, honest, true man
would prefer to live one hour as such,
than to live an age as a craven, unwilling
to assume responsibility for his conduct
through fear of public opinion or of sub
jecting himself to loss of position. Be
masculine one hour, rather than be a
mugwump for an aeon Of time
| At Gettysburg when Lee knew his or
ders had not been obeyed and that by one
| word he could have fixed such disobed-
= fence and truthfuly upon another Cen
eral Lee refused to make any such init
nation. When the sublmely heroic Pick
ett beaten but not dismsyed with his gal
| liant men retraced their way across the
field strewn with their dead, he rode up
| to General Lee, dismounted and saluting
| said, In a sorrowful, tremulous voice:
| General, my noble division has been
swept away" Lee replied, 'T-alone am
responsible General Pickett" thus exhib-
iting that heavenly gift, fearlessness Of
| responsibility.
Memorable Utterance.
| At Appomattox, after receiving inform
| alton from Gordon that he could do no
more unless heavily reinforced by Long
street. General Lee was silent for mo-
ment and then replied There is nothing
left but to go to General Grant and L
would rather die a thousand Deaths" One
of his staff officers remarked, What will
history sayo our surrendering If there is
any possibility of escape? Posterity will
not understand it?" To this General Lee
replied, Eyes, yes, they will not under
stand our situation, but this is not the
question. The question is whether it IS
right and if 1t is right 1 take the re-
| sponsibility'
No nop,er, more divine or sublimer
courage and lofty sentiments ever fell
from the lips of man. Timoleon never
gave expression to such words, and never
conceived as sublime an ideal of duty.
Observance Of duty without responsibility
is common place, discharge of duty. as
suming perilous responsibility for results,
is sublime and God-like.
Inspire Love.
Such sentiments inspire the race with
an ardent love for the man and a pro-
found veneration for his character. 1t was
so massive and noble, so grand in its
| proportions, that all men must admire it's
fidelity to duty and truth, and emulate
its heroism and gallantry. he
What was strained eulogy when Monte
squieu said of another great soldier
Turenne-that This life was a hymn in
praise of humanity is II applied to Lee,
the language of sober truth.
To show his freedom from Partially,
even concerning his own youngest son,
] but mere immature lad and to manifest
| General Lees appreciation of the dis
! charge of duty, whatever might be the
results to him. relate an incident of the
battle of Sharpsburg. The unceasing firing
| of the enemy was so terrific and deadly
that men and horses fell as though now
ed down by a scythe. A battery had suf-
fered so much that 1t had to be withdrawn
for repairs and some fresh horses, but as
/ General Lee had no troops, even to form
reserve, as soon as this battery was
repaired it was ordered forward.
General Lee related the incident to
| President Davis. He said that as the bat
| terry passed him a boy, mounted as a
/ driver of one of the guns, much stained
with powder said Are you going to put
us In again, general?D Replying in the
affirmative, the general was struck by the
voice of the boy and asked him, Whose
son are your" To which the boy replied,
Il am Robbie" whereupon his father said
J God bless you, my son, you must go
| i'm
Does the effort of Abraham to offer up
as a sacrifice, his son, Isaac on Mount
Moriah present more forceful and
majestic act of conservation to duty. than
that of Lee offering his own son in the
flaming vortex Of battle to tie cause of
his country? Let the soul answer.
Exalted in Defeat.
| But 1t was in the adversely of his defeat
that his exalted character shone forth
with such magnificent splendor and
grandeur as to embellish manhood with
an ineffaceable lustre
His retirement to Lexington to super
intend the education Of his old soldiers,
and the youth of the south, his accept
ance In those classic shades of the com
mon lot of the plain soldiers of his disin-
! tegrated army exhibits a nobility of soul
that rises higher In the scale OF human
virtue than anything in the annals of the
race. The example of forbearance and
submission to the arbitrament of arms.
the resplendent manifestation of a great
soul In great citizen, procaiming tn ,
encouraging truth that human virtue
should be equal to human calamity" finds
no counterpart In all history save in the
character of job. 1t Is not mere eulogy,
! but confirmed fact that the life OF Cen
eral Lee is full complement of the
graces expressed by Peter as being evil
dence Of the divine nature. having es-
capped the corruption that is in the world
| through lust"
add to your faith virture; and to vlr-
tue knowledge; and to knowledge temper
anoa. and IN fafapera11pa pafiapca. and