Robert E. Lee and Southern Memory
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Campus where you would like to present
SURC 271
Start Date
16-5-2013
End Date
16-5-2013
Abstract
Immediately following their defeat in 1865, the Southern people underwent a period of intense spiritual and social upheaval. How could a righteous people, who believed they had the favor of God, suffer such a monumental defeat? This troubling question led to a fierce belief in the Confederacy as a Lost Cause, a glorious and noble society doomed to failure. Belief in this particular vision of Southern society was so powerful that it came to be viewed by many of its proponents as having a near-religious element. This mentality also led to a belief in the knightly chivalry of its leaders. The most venerated Confederate leader in the postwar South was Robert E. Lee, whose military achievements, gentleness, and graceful acceptance of defeat defined him as the embodiment of Southern virtue. By venerating the military glory, admirable personal qualities, and humble postwar life of one man, the South was able to present a noble and defiant face to the world in the shadow of crushing defeat. Drawing on the works of many Lee biographers, including Douglas Southall Freeman, Burke Davis, Emory Thomas, and a host of others, along with some leading experts on Southern memory, including C. Vann Woodward and David Blight, I will trace the changing circumstances that have led to Lee’s current veneration in the South and also the South’s complicated relationship with its Confederate heritage.
Recommended Citation
Hedgers, Kellie, "Robert E. Lee and Southern Memory " (2013). Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE). 45.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2013/oralpresentations/45
Additional Mentoring Department
History
Robert E. Lee and Southern Memory
SURC 271
Immediately following their defeat in 1865, the Southern people underwent a period of intense spiritual and social upheaval. How could a righteous people, who believed they had the favor of God, suffer such a monumental defeat? This troubling question led to a fierce belief in the Confederacy as a Lost Cause, a glorious and noble society doomed to failure. Belief in this particular vision of Southern society was so powerful that it came to be viewed by many of its proponents as having a near-religious element. This mentality also led to a belief in the knightly chivalry of its leaders. The most venerated Confederate leader in the postwar South was Robert E. Lee, whose military achievements, gentleness, and graceful acceptance of defeat defined him as the embodiment of Southern virtue. By venerating the military glory, admirable personal qualities, and humble postwar life of one man, the South was able to present a noble and defiant face to the world in the shadow of crushing defeat. Drawing on the works of many Lee biographers, including Douglas Southall Freeman, Burke Davis, Emory Thomas, and a host of others, along with some leading experts on Southern memory, including C. Vann Woodward and David Blight, I will trace the changing circumstances that have led to Lee’s current veneration in the South and also the South’s complicated relationship with its Confederate heritage.
Faculty Mentor(s)
Daniel Herman