The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-12-14

making him unconsciouSly drawer n
better as a man. SO it is easy TO see
how the South's ideal of the soldier,
the Christian. and the gentleman un-
folded. and was realized in him as the
war went on. His army was made up
chiefly of men of low estate, but the
truth is that it takes the poor to see
ideals.
Taking into account, then, these
mysterious yet real forces, religion
and exalted character, we have all the
elements, | think, for a complete an
swer to the question We hav raised
But now, let the following extracts
from Lees letters leave their due In
preston of what kind of a man he
was at hear. for it is by these inner
depths of our nature that we stand or
fall, whether we were born in the
same room of the palatial mansion of
Stratford where two signers of the
Declaration of independence were
born, or in a log cabin in Kentucky.
The first was written to his son Gus
It's on the 18th of January, 1863, just
about a ear before our fancied visit
to his camp:
Camp, 18th January. 1868.
Il hope we Will be able to do m
thing for the ervants l executed a
deed of manumissiOn. embracing all the
names sent me by your mother. ana
some that I r~ecollected, but as / had
Othing to refer to but my memory L
fear many are omitted. 1t was my
desire to manumit all the people Of
Your grandfather, whether present on
the several estates or not.
Later, he sent the following:
q have written to him ca Mr..
CrockfOrd) to request that Harrison
Cone Of the slaves be sent to Mr..
Eacho. Will you have his free papers
given him? I see that the Va. Cen
tro1 d D &c 0fforjno Sd0 a month
and board. l would recommend he
engage with them, or on some other
work at once. : = 8 AS regards
Leanthe and Jim, ] presume they had
better remain with Mrs. d. this year
and at the end of it devote their earn
ings to their own benefit But wna'
can be done with poor little jim? II
would be cruel to turn him out on the
World. He could not take care OF
himself. He had better be bound OUT
to some one until he can be got to his
s~randfather's. His father is
and his mother dead or in
parts.
Lee, who had just been released
from captivity. and whose wife Char
lotte had died:
God knows how I loved youl
dear, dear wife, how sweet her mem
Dry is to me. My grief could not DC
greater if you had been taken IRON
me: and how l mourn her loss! Yol
we're both equally dear to me. M
heart is too full to speak on this sub
iect. nor can / write. But my grle
is for ourselves. h is brighter anC
happier than ever-Safe from all eV1
and awaiting US in her heavenly ABODE
May GOD in His mercy enable US te
ioin her in eternal praise to our Lore
and Saviour. Let US humbly bow
ourselves before Him. and offer per
petual prayer for pardon and forgive
ness. But we cannot indulge IN grle1
however m~ournfully pleasing. Our
country demands all of our
all our energies. If victor
ious, we have everything to hope for
in the future. If defeated, nothing
will be left us to live for. This week
will in all probability bring us work,
and we must strike fast and strong
NV whole trust is in God, and | am
ready for whatever He may orda1n.
Nav He guide, guard and strengthen
us is my constant prayer.
Your devoted father,
"'R. E. Lee
"In the foregoing reference to Lee,
and to the spirit of his army, l trust
there is some food for reflection, AND
somewhat that is informing. For
cannot make myself belleve tnat d
true history Of the war can be written,
fair to the South and fair to the
| North, tina does not try at least 70
make these spiritual forces real.
Surely due measure cannot be gwen
to the gallantry of the soldiers OF the
North. who won victory for their
country at last, if we do not realize
what they had to overcome IN the al
Nersaries.'