Efforts to conciliate. Known as washington and lee university. What were gonna do today ladies and gentlemen as what we are going to do robert italy and the post war years. My coworker when we were upstairs before asked me if this was going to be a beatific asian did i get that were right . I guess it never hit me but i guess it might in a way. I am a big fan of robert e. Lee. What im hoping to do among others besides give you a timeline about what robert haley did in the post years, which i think is obviously one of the most overlooked portion of his life. Civil war is always going to be first and foremost. The other main theme of this lecture im going to try to get across tea. Park services is big on themes. The amount, i wouldnt say that he did a lot of work in theory, but through his own personal example is probably the best way, through his own personal example, robert e. Lee tries to reconcile the nation. What i think a lot of us as americans today have forgotten that how far apart this country was in 1865. I think it is the view of a lot of people that lisa renders and half a mattocks and then, well just forget about it. Okay, well just hold hands and will just reunite and just continue down that path again. It takes the country decades, some would say a century, some would say not even yet for the country to really reunite. I would probably put the country seriously coming back together in the same vein in the spanish american war when we had a common enemy instead of each other. That would be roughly 30 years after the end of the civil war. Robert e. Lee does not live that law. Hes only going to look for five years. When you think about who symbolized the confederacy coming out of the civil war and who these southerners were going to emulate as they were coming. It put yourself in the shoes of the man himself. Youre robert e. Lee. Everything you do is under a microscope, everything. You know he hated that. Crowds, everything else. All right, so half a maxes on april 9th, of 1860. Five he surrendered to general grant. I think robert e. Lee is greatly surprised by the turns that he gets from the u. S. Grant. Grant couldve imposed harsh terms i think that you less ulyssesesque grant magnanimous gesture there is often overlooked in a reconciliation of the cup she. I can do a whole lecture on, that maybe will do on the summer. The robert e. Lee has to stick around half a mattocks for a few days as an Army Commander and he has to do up paperwork. And then three days after he surrenders on april 12th, sets it for a fanatics riding his famous horse. Eventually three days later hes gonna make his way back to richmond virginia. When he gets to richmond, this is the site which he beholds. Now he did not see this personally because he was down in petersburg but the confederate set the town on fire when they were evacuating. When richmond failed. You look at all those char rules, thats the Virginia State capital obviously in the old capital of the confederacy right there in the middle. Three days later, on april 15th, robert e. Lee is gonna pull up up up at the james river for the look of the cross of the scene of desolation. As he crosses over hes not gonna have a big cavalcade within. Hes not gonna have a lot of people, you can have one staff officer, his son is with him, hes got a wagon its coming behind thats actually stabbed u. S. On the side. Its Services Headquarters wagon first personal lap baggage. Eventually that wagon and lean on horseback in the rest of it the party are gonna wind through the rubble streets of richmond, up main street and then turned on franklin street. They literally come up to the front of the house at 7 07 franklin street. Believe it or not ladies and gentlemen, that fire that engulfed richmond had come right up to the house next door. But that one had been saved. Now a crowd gathered and want to touch lee as if hes an icon. But can you imagine us tuna today . Well you know who died in 1977. Lee gets off his horse. He bow bravely to everyone and then he walks inside the front door. This is the scene which i dont have any record of and this is the one i always been curious about. When robert e. Lee amounts of steps right there leading those steps leading in the house, he bows to the crowd graciously in everything, and he walks back and he still got his uniform a. That will be the last time i suppose in his official capacity that he will put it back on for these pictures in a day or two. I will be in his last capacities a soldier. When he walked through that front door, went what went through his mouth . Never thought about that . What did he do . As wife, is children, they have four daughters, it children ranging from 19 to 32 years of age at the time. He came in and they were always kind of a close family,s what was someone he could turn to. I wonder what he said to marry . City expressing regrets . Did you say . In to decry . At some point, every soldier has to look back. Look back at what theyve done and you can do from privates to four generals to lieutenant to can but captains to major generals to lieutenant general. Everybody looks back at the decisions they made. I wonder when he came home that day what he thought . Now, as hes trying to get his thoughts back together, none other than the famous civil war photographer Matthew Brady is going to call upon him. I mean go through some of these pictures. Not to show you all of them but i initially some of these pictures in a sec. This picture right here which you seem cropped and blown up and call arise denied color eyes turn sideways, halfway and so forth. That picture is always chosen for a reason because that face right there sums up robert elite at this point in his life. While hes there he can only imagine, oil is in this franklin street houston right after for the next few weeks, you can only imagine the people that are coming by to call upon the. Some autograph seekers, some just want to see, im old friends, acquaintances, george mead came by, just reading about it up here, and leaders want to see all these people. Its the last thing he wants to do up here. So one day, costs to your left right up there, costas is gonna answer the door and is gonna be this ragged will confederate soldier standing. And the soldiers got his arm and sling and he says to hospice, id like to see generally. Costa says, while the general is not receiving at this time. He says well im from texas and id like to see the general that i followed and so many campaigns. Standing there it is, rises probably stick in a high havent, the truth be known. Customs looks him over and says all do see what i can do. He loughlin into his house. Lee is upstairs in that franklin house, and some bedroom office. So the show of a soldier in. He sits down, the texans sits down. A few minutes later, here comes this the steps of robert e. Lee. Most of mitigate as he came out is he recognized. At the soldier, the staff and officers start as the came around the corner. Lee comes around, he bows graciously to the people that are in a room then he extends his hand and he walks over that texan, this private. The texan extends his hand, and they embrace in handshake. Lee looks at him and the texan looks at him and the soldier cant say anything. He just cant say anything. Not one word comes out of his mouth and he eventually is Still Holding these hands he burst into tears this veteran of four years. He burst into tears in after a few moments he just walked out the door. Nobody said anything. I witnessed said ali bow graciously to the crown and walked back up the stairs. That is the type of emotion youre dealing with coming out of a half half a mattocks. Talking about people that have just lost their hope for a nation and who define . That man right there. Thats why the civil war ends folks. Robert ellis surrenders. Because he is the definition of the confederacy. He is the symbol of the confederacy. So Matthew Brady comes and he took this pictures the only reason that lee sits or stands for this picture right here, ladies and gentlemen, is because at first he rebuffed brady. He went to his wife. His wife and we told the generous general to go get. Dressed lee came down with his son, his staff officer. He came down the stairs and said well, mr. Brady, we are ready for you. He stood for this. If you look closely you could actually see the stand behind lee to hold his head in place. You cannot see the rest of it going up his back. It captured these right here. This is my favorite one. This is not the fm attics uniform, though. I used to think that. It must be one of his he looks in very good shape. laughter this is actually i actually forgot that picture was in the skew. I would have said it up better this is actually a previously unreleased photograph of my ancestor. laughter okay . My friend pat rich did that to me as a joke. Ive had it on my door ever since. Okay. What is the situation . On may 29, 1865, president andrew johnson, offers a general amnesty to our former confederates who signed an oath of allegiance. He excludes all who have held civil office under the confederate government and people with an estate valued over 20,000 dollars. On june 7th, 1865, lee is indicted for treason. June 13th lee and closes a letter to general his application for pardon. Lees position is quote, im ready do not wish to avoid trial. If im correct the protection granted my parole and not to be prosecuted and my desire to comply with the provision of the president s proclamation. Thats a lot of ps and therefore enclosed required application. Lee did not sign the oath because he worded his requirement had not reached virginia. What did grant do . Immediately requested that all indictments be squashed and the pardon be granted. What was the result . Prosecutors flatly halted proceedings against robert e. Lee. And not formally dismissed the charges. No pardon would be forthcoming from president johnson either. This is what we know now. But lead did not know that. So to add to lees woes day what is that word . Damocles over his head. He does not know if he will be invited anytime soon. It could be any moment. Lee for this pardon is probably in the southerners eyes the most controversial act of his life. He was in that pardon, admitting secession, the creation of the confederacy and fighting against the northern invasion were all wrong. Right there. By submitting that, to say the least, he is not making any friends. However, for tens of thousands as we applied for a pardon, what did we say the theme was . Personal example maybe they should also apply for a pardon. Those who did sign would restore the rights unlikely in a manner that the government would never give the general. Right there. Captain George Holding an oath in his hand asked, my parole covers. It i do not think it should be required of me. What would you advise . I would advise you take it, lee responded. General, i feel that this is an indignity every Street Corner i will seek another country where i can at least preserve myself respect. Do not leave virginia, lee said in a sad voice. The country needs her young men now. Young wives did take the oath. When he informed his father, the father explained, you have disgraced the family. The sun responded, general lee advised me to do it. Oh. That alters the case. Whatever generally says is all right. I dont care what it is. All right . I want you to think about something. As i start to read this part of it, most of you already are familiar with the civil war and what building this represents. This is actually Washington College in lexington, virginia, right here. I want you to think about something right now, though, as i get into it. If you are robert e. Lee. What would you do after the war . I dont know if there is a right or wrong answer. Im just plundering. If you are robert e. , what would you do . The state of the college itself is that it had been heavily damaged during the war. The library had been scattered. Federal soldiers were using some of the buildings for barracks. The college had been kept open as a prep school. At the time in 65, it only had four professors as faculty. The trustees were leading on the night of against four it, six, 1865 in order to elect a new president. Right before the voting, the members students that they had heard that miss lee, daughter of the general stated that the south had stood ready to give lee anything that what he really wanted, which was a way to make an honest living. The idea shown in the room a few minutes later, lee had been unanimously elected president. Quote, then there was a pause. Silence prevailed for some moments. The board seemed oppressed with the gravity of the situation and seemed to feel that they had acted rationally. And of quote. It seemed very presumptive to elect the quote, head of the broken down college. Nevertheless, a letter was drafted and judge rock and roll with senate urged the general to accept. The judge lifted his clothes. He realized he did not have any befitting to call upon generally. Do you know what he did . He borrowed a suit. So with borrowed money and a burrowed suit, they obtained transportation, and that is the way broken broke called upon generally who is living at the time, west of richmond in a house called darwin at the time, to call upon him to be the president of this college. Of course lee, after much urging from friends, its going to accept the presidency on august 31st. This is how we accepts it. Lee pointed out in his letter, taking the job that he had not been pardoned yet. It was also explicit in what his political views might be. I think it is the duty of every citizen in the present condition of the country to do all that is in its power to aid and the restoration of peace and in no way to oppose the state of general government directed to that object. It is particularly incumbent upon those charged with the instruction of the young to set them an example of submission to authority. And of quote. 20 weeks after a bomb attics, lee was urging quote, the healing of all dissensions. A tub or second, lee is inaugurated as president. Thats fast. Within a month of offering the job. The college opened with 40 students. Another hundred students drifted and by leafed fall. Once we meads the student though, he is able to remember their name. It is a wonderful gift. If you are a good student. laughter by the second year, there are over 400 students and residents. Some from outside the south. One of the things that i like to go off any tangent one of the neatest things i liked about robert elite was we dont write like he did or they did back then obviously today, but one of the things i really liked about lee is how he would put letters together to parents. If he had a student, a recalcitrant student acting up, lee were usually right three to four paragraphs. How he constructs it is this way. First paragraph, johnny is a fantastic kid. He is smart. He is intelligent. He can do anything. Second paragraph. Unfortunately, he is not living up to his abilities. laughter third paragraph. I am sure you understand. Sincerely, respectfully, robert e. Lee. You get the point. The confederate general used the favorite thing out of everything he did in the war was actually to show keep a lees letter to him, demoting him, removing him from commander. That is what you would see if you were in his office largest after the war. That is what he has got to deal with. Today, i would think it would be worth being flunked out of school just to get a letter from lee. That was just a joke. All right. So he starts. October 3rd. October 3rd, he signs the oath of allegiance to the United States. The oath was sent to washington where it landed on the desk of william. Apparently thinking that the document had already been recorded, sewer to give it to a friend for a souvenir. It was found in a bundle of papers. Lees amnesty oath, 105 years later. If i remember what happened during the 40 ministration . He got his pardon. General ford. He pardoned everybody else. Might as well laughter come on, that is kind of funny. Its a political joke. No ceviches fans here . Next day, le opened the letter from general pierre gustavo. In it, more guard asked quote, what position should i take in relation to defeat, and what did robert e. Lee thing border guard should do . Lee responded, im glad to see no indication in our letter of an intention to leave the country. I think the south requires the aids of hearse and now more than any period in her history. As you ask my i will state that i have no problem abandoning her and less compelled to do so. Lee reviewed his own humbled efforts to regain United States citizenship, and then concluded with this passage. Quoted by generations. I need not tell you that true patriotism sometimes requires men to act exactly contrary at one period to that which it does in another. The motive of which compels them the desire to do right as precisely the same. The circumstances that governor actions change in their conduct must conform to the new order of things. History is full of illustrations of this. Washington himself is an example of this. At one time, he falls in the service of the king of great britain, and another he fought with the french at your town under the orders of congress against him. He has not been branded by the war with reproach for this, but his course has been applauded. Here is your paradox. That is our robert illegal suffices actions of being in the United States, leaving the United States and coming back into the United States. We go into 1866, and by this time, ladies and gentlemen, there are race riots in new orleans. The nation was heating up with Congressional Elections that would turn into a northern referendum on how to treat the vanquished south. President johnson was at war, quote and quote with congress. He wished for lenient treatment which allowed the Southern States back and without gratifying them 14th amendment and congress wish for the south to be made to ratify. During all this turmoil, we he lee canceled everyone to stay calm. Mrs. Jefferson davis he wrote, i thought of the time this is station hostilities silent patient was the chief of the south was a true corset. I think so still. To do so early. You can say, he looked pretty all. The duke of early he wrote, ideology worse than i have ever done in my hatred is increasing every day. A battle of drew early. He replied we shall have to be patient and suffer for a while at least. All controversy will only supple prolong bitter feelings. Google early. The south was listening. Nothing youll see harris. Thats why you dont know him for the most part. Probably the most famous thing war wise one spots elena courthouse, he did the counterattacks in there. Least half the other spygate is there anger harris rewriting a great unwise jubal early example needs a government involved were all pursuing the following. All your feldman are here peacefully trying to build up the shattered fortunes and the pieces get countries peace and prosperity. 1867. January 7th. Congress looks into action impeachment against president johnson. March 2nd. Federal government passes the reconstruction acts. These acts strip the state governments of power in places south and five military districts. Congress declares it can change any aspect of local government with the previous notice. States must ratify the 14th amendment and one out of every four confederates are excluded from voting. All African Americans are included. The real carpetbagger era was beginning. Northerners are elected by blocks and the government of virginia is from new york. Ill give you an example. What does this do to these confederates . And in a time, we will call it very racist. I do not like the situation. A boy with a broken leg hooley was visiting recall this time. Once i remember he sat still for sometime by the window in his face look so sad. He spoke with the southern people their loss and their sufferings and their struggles. I cannot sleepy said for thinking of it. Often i feel so weighted down with sorrow and i have to get up in the night and walk until i thoroughly weary myself before i can sleep. That was the only melancholy sentence i ever heard him utter and the only time ever saw that heartbroken look on his face. Another instance lady said that lee in a moment of being unguarded, she said to lee, what he looks so . Sadly turn to her and said, im thinking about all the soldiers that died in vain when i knew it was too late. He said, she goes well why didnt you Say Something . No no, they had to find out for themselves. That ladies and gentlemen is that separation between civilian and military authority which makes our government so unique even today. Look at any other government. And how often militarily overthrows that govern. Okay. Lee at this time is summoned to testify, theres a good picture of it. Lee is summoned to testify in Jefferson Davis is treason trial. Basically, lee was offered amnesty for his testimony because Jefferson Davis or face we indictment for treason. After the prosecutor tried to establish that lee had only follow orders that davis was responsible for, lead against his heels. I am responsible for what i did and i cannot now recall and Important Movement had i not answered acted on my own responsibility. Now how many of you, or how many times have you seen in your life when somebody is put the squeeze on them they fold in the court . And many of you would have that hangover had potential indictment would be able to get on the witness stand and self indict yourself . Its a lot. Christmas day, 1868. President johnson sends out a general amnesty to all confederate who had not been restored the rights by previous actions. It was over. Lee and davis would never be try but lee was still not a citizen because his application have been misplaced. Right there. A couple of things on the. One, robert lee never votes again. To, can you imagine any other revolution you ever hear about where the ringleaders dont get hung . Or worse. The watch brave heart. laughs always a better way to kill someone right . If you think about right there, Jefferson Davis was not hung for war crimes. And once again, whos the symbol of of the rebellion, robert e. Lee. He gets to go in peace. Its remarkable in a way, its definitely unique. We could very well created a martyr. When washington and lee, i know when i want to put, this if i want to tell the story. I want to hillary story . All, right ago often attention for. He identifies unitel this one are not. When lee was the administrator at Washington College, there was a professor, forget what his name was. Edward as joins, had were joins who is professor of modern language. One day professor joins, its a cold winter day, and a professor proceeds to take at a stick of wouldnt put in his potbelly style. While hes doing that, the fire heats up, the wood starts to burn, all of a sudden as a humongous explosion that goes off and potbelly style just burst into 1000 fragments. Its lucky that the professor was not killed. He actually emerged without a scratch. When i one hour robert e. Lee as professor Washington College had to deal with attempted murder. Somebody i tried to kill the professor. So, Chapel Services which lee always attended which i dont think was required of the students. No . Who is not required of the students, but lee always set a personal example by attending himself. And that morning Chapel Services, he goes up there and says to them, in a vast understatement, that he would be happy for anybody who had any information on this to please come by and call upon him later in his office. Well, lo and behold, about 11 00 that morning, two freshman show up. They sit outside the door. Lee was interviewing someone at the time. They sit outside the door, and lee concludes business he says general gentlemen come on in. Can imagine walking into the office of robert e. Lee . And he sits, down only has them sit down, and the boys proceed to explain to him that something had gone terribly awry. That four of them who lived in the dorm room, that one of them, that somebody had kept stealing their firewood. In order to discover who was stealing the fire went from their dorm room, one of the soldiers had concocted a plan where he set about to take a piece of that cord would, you drilled it out, he had stuffed it full of black power, and then he put clay over it. He put it back on the pile outside. Sure enough, somebody took it. He said he didnt understand why. Come to find out, the janitor who was being too lazy, did not want to walk the extra 200 yards to the wood bile so the students had to get their own wood but the professors had their would retrieved by the groundskeepers. That groundskeeper was taking short cuts and when the professor through that piece of wood into his stove, thats why it blew up right there. Now theyre telling robert e. Lee lee this with a straight face and the probably thinking a gonna get kicked out of school. Lee looks at them for a minute and then a few seconds later hes going to laugh. The one thing i think that we forget, and a lot of people never saw this the lee love to. Lafayette and see it often but he was always in the public eye. He had an exterior, he was a marble man. But beyond closed doors, he would laugh. He loved it. Lee would end up telling the kids, one of them whose name was graham, well mr. Graham, your plan to find out who is taking a plan was a good one but your powder charge was too heavy. I would recommend that the next time you use last powder. For laughs . You want to get inside robert e. Lees psyche right there . That story right there is something that lee would relay while he was president of Washington College to people and he would always get a kick out of the. The time that there was a murder plot on this campus. All right. Now and 68, lee is going to go on his first vacation. He will choose the rock budge bath resorts. At the resort, there was a nightly dance called the treadmill. There were both northerners and southerners. Anybody know we call a southerner who helped the north . Probably a tournaments loss now. Scully wag. Very good layering. There was a western virginia girl who one man said quote was very beautiful very attractive and more handsomely dress and then any woman at the springs. However, the girls father quote had been a union man during the war and remain at home and made a fortune all the man in the south joined the army lost all they had. Quote, the woman would have none of her and then and there are not risk their wrath. The girl became quote very lonely. One evening, when the dance was occurring, girl was on the other in the other room reading. She became aware of a brawling lease shine shoes stop before, and looking at her eyes met those of generally. He smiled, bowed and ask for her company at the nascar dance. When the dance was over and generally let her back to her seat, there was a general rush for introductions. And from that time on, the girl not only had all the partnership, but actually became the bell of the season. , now lets go back its another act. Does change the whole south . No. Nobody had said that ball ever saw the. To the newspapers reported . Now. That it go out on a telegram . No. To come out in a book . No. They say our people were to dance at. Night all eyes were on generally. His personal example by going over there, he probably knew the backdrop of that story. Had daughters im sure they wouldve informed them, they were the at the resort right. There his personal example led to that girl being allowed back in social circles. Another side you seem sitting right. There generallys rocket out a little bit 80 . Now while the was on vacation, when he was in a group of ladies, one of the bells turn to him and said she was tired of being friendly to northerners. She turned to lee and said, well generally, they say general grant is coming here next week. What will you do then . Christina bomb, the lady who recorded this, said quote some of us wouldve generally slain her on the spot. Lee answered in an, earnest faraway look in his eyes. The quote general grant comes to my home, i will show him all the courtesy that is due from one gentleman to the other, and try to do everything to make a stay agreeable. And of quote grant did not come but leaves example continued to penetrate harden confederate hearts. Cans can still christina bond concluded, we saw more of his absolute loyalty when the leniency swore when he laid out his arms and his whole soul was put towards zeb on reconstruction. Now grant of course decided to run for president in 1867. He becomes a republican which infer furious the south. One day one of the many members launches into a diatribe against grant. Louise fans face grew flush. Surly said, if you ever speak disrespectfully again against this general grant in front of my presence, the you or i will sever this connection with of the university. What does lee remember about grant . That he was generous. Yeah thats right. He remembers after mattocks. He was generous. And i like that loyalty. Cuddly never forgot. I was a brief floating lovely. Its flattering but we all know grant was elected president. Greenland would meet one more time and lee was on a trip to go to baltimore it is fine about flat financing a railroad. The speaking about this railroad is actually the longest speeches ever made in the post war period. Its an eventful. Ive read it. Its an eventful. It goes on for quite some lane anyway lee called on grants at the white house that day, may 1st it was almost four years since the opening shots only three years since that in the wilderness. For the next 11 months lee empowered when the two men met, one observer said we dont have the whole conversation but both men seem to be saddened by the memories that each other brought. Can you imagine sitting across from your greatest opponent right there and on the anniversary, neither one of them talked about the war cohen. General grant, apparently, if this version is true, did make one allusion to the war when he asked lee what he was doing in town, lee informed that he was trying to get a railroad in lexington, grant said oh, general, you went i have had cool destroying railroads and we had a building them. Do you know what he did . Did not even acknowledge it. That is the public robert easily. Stoic to the last. That interview probably last five or ten minutes. The two men would never see each other again. That is a rare one, right there. Now the reason i brought this picture up its not the best for clarity right here, but nevertheless, it is a rare picture. I want you to see how quietly has got. His beard, his hair, its set era, right there. We think as far as itself, we will suffer a stroke in the winter of 62 or 63. His health is never really fully recovered. Ever since then. Lee suffered, depending on how you read, probably from angina pictures, or deterioration of the circulatory system then made him vulnerable to another heart attack. Lee was aware of his precarious position, my health has been so feeble this winter than i am only waiting to see the effect of the opening spring before relinquishing my president position. Im admonished by my feelings that my years of labor are nearly over. The faculty urged me to take time off to quote, visit as many friends in savannah. Lee added prophetic louis he could not go to savannah without meeting more people than he wanted to. Cohen now it is now naive for us to think that robert e. Lee could go south and get any kind of rest. But what are they trying to do . At the best intentions in mind right here. What did they do back then if they had nothing else they could do free medically . They would send you to warmer climates. Hoping that would recuperate your health. So that is why theyre going to send lee south. Now, lee, another reason for him to go was that he wanted to visit the grave of an carter who he had not been to her grave site. She had died during the war. What this would turn out or grave was in North Carolina. On his journey to the south, but this would turn out to be would be his fellow farewell to her. It was something he would never allow himself to ever be knowingly let into. Its going to really hastened his death as you will see in just one second. It wont be very good for him, but in a way, i dont know if anything was going to save him at this point. It is a befitting way as far as history for him to go out. This was the first time he will travel south virginia and other Confederate States where millions he was on his way launching himself right at it. Lee was thinking himself as a tourist, wondering about the availability of hotel rooms. A south, once it knew, would receive him as an employer, almost as a god. To quote charles flood. Now lee goes to richmond. Look at that picture right there. It doesnt even look like the same man. I want to point out to the confederate uniform that he still has on. Look at his buttons. They are either wooden or covered with black cloth. It was against the law to wear a confederate uniform, so he had to cover the buttons and take out the military insignias right there. So, legals to catch the train south. He sees colonel mosby on the street. The general was pale and haggard and quote, did not look like the apollo i had known in the army. Lee invited him to his room. I felt depressed by the great memories that has president s revived. While both of us were thinking about the war, neither of us referred to it. Mosby, after leaving lee, rinse into none other, do you know where this is . We would not recognize him, would you . It is exclusive. Now, mosby is going to invite george pick it back to that hotel room, which is probably the worst thing that ever happened. We are all familiar with gettysburg, right . What is he famous for . The other half of the story which most of you who have either forgotten or never heard of in the first place is the end of george picket in the civil war. A week after fm attics, it will first, lee orders picket to go out to his to a place called fight force. And picket is told to hold his crossroads which guard the last railroad into petersburg, and therefore richmond. Pick it goes out there and then tom roster, confederate cavalrymen is going to invite george picket to have shed. Its a small bony fish. You dont get too much meat out of. Thats what they had and they were pretty hungry. A protests opened in the shad said the hours passed along having a grand alltime. Unfortunate for george picket, was that there was an acoustical shadow. Only one mile or two from the party he was that, his command was being routed. By sheridan and warren. It failed. And george picket was out of a command. Hence, richmond failed. Petersburg failed, then richmond, etc. Reportedly, when lee is on the right back what will become a fanatics, he sees george picket right by him. He turns to his Staff Officers and says why is that man still with this army . Which leads to the speculation of, did lee remove him . Did the order night go through . Did picket just ignore it . But the two men had been picket over gettysburg, and lee over fight forks. They are set to richmond, virginia. Youve got to understand, when lee isnt a foul mood, lee would meet you when you would get into a room, he would meet with icy cold formality. Icy cold. If he was under a lot of stress, for example, like after a fanatics, he did not want to talk to anybody. You would be sitting there, pacing back and forth after the surrender and his Staff Officers were just stay away from him because they did not want to get near him. When they had to introduce someone, theyve would bring him up, which was the formal part of it, and lee wichita himself up to a full height. And he would meet you with that icy reserve that would let you know that he was being courteous but did not have time for you. That is exactly what he did when george picket walked into that room. It was i see from the beginning. George picket probably went in there to try to bury the hatchet. But lee does not like people who do not perform their duty. So, the interview quickly concluded, and mostly quickly knew he should not have gotten those two together. On the way out, picket will turn to mosby and say that old man had my division massacred at gettysburg. And must be will turn to picket and say, yes, george, but he made you famous. Picket will die shortly. Right there. I should give you a good idea as to how far his health is deteriorating. From richmond, lee headed south to North Carolina after visiting the grave. The telegraph operator from thornton sends a simple message ahead. General levy is aboard. And even at midnight, a crowd gathers and lee is startled awake by the chance of lee, lee, lee. Lees daughter when the lee chants started, both of them woke up. She was on the top and he was on the bottom tier of the box. Neither one of them said a word. As those chants were going on. People stood by the railway, dignified looking men. A lot of these veterans were suddenly stopped. Thrust their caps into the air and gave a big rebel yell. Where the crowds cheered which is the last thing lee wanted to hear. A bigger crowd awaited. Lee refused to emerge from the train. He was hoard by all the attention. Columbia, south carolina, holiday had been declare. Stores were closed. There was a parade to the station and the pouring rain. Columbia was only a 15 minute when lee looked out he knew he must emerge. The last thing you need is to get into a rainstorm. Standing in the rain was a long line of his former officers, among them, porter alexander. Alexander, the man who commanded the long streets artillery before pickets charge during the bombardment. Lee puts on his head and coats. Little girls hand him bouquets of flowers. The crowd wanted tos a speech, but lee would not concede and simply docked his hat. The band thundered on again and the veterans cheered themselves hoarse. After 24 hours, the train arrives in savannah. A reception was held at the rehotel where crowds veterans on crutches, sweet little children dressed their eyes. Many of them being introduced to the general, with tiny cards in their fat little hands, with their names. Oftentimes, that name would be can you imagine meeting somebody who is named after you