"We failed, but in the good Providence of God apparent failure often proves blessing."

Admittedly, I'm pretty upset about Nazis in Virginia.  I'm pretty upset they are anywhere in this country.  There's something nefarious and scary in general to anyone that knows the history of the Nazis in Germany.  I'm upset that they chose General Lee's monument for their toxic rhetoric.  I mean I think it's ridiculous to take down the monuments in most cases.  But I have the utmost respect for General Lee.  I have read many of his writings and the Civil War is one of those things that weighed heavy on his heart both before, during and after.  General Lee was a great tactician, a graduate of our West Point Academy, and a true Patriot.  His times put him in an intangible position, and it appears now we ourselves are being lead to a similar intangible position.   

Fact is that General Lee was opposed to Confederate monuments after war.  He viewed it as sore losers.  He also in spite of leading the Confederate army did so with great trepidation.  Most may not realize, as so much is lost in history anymore, that General Lee was President Lincoln's first choice to lead the Union army.  General Lee was very conflicted whether to be loyal to his Nation or his state of Virginia.  While we all now think of ourselves as American first and to our state second, the USA was only 80 years old--just over a single life span in human years.  Many were divided between loyal to their state or loyal to our Nation.  The reason it was a Union army is because the Nation that we all love was only a Union to some.  Their State was their Nation.  This nuance was not lost on General Lee.  In fact, it wasn't lost on his brethren in the State of Virginia either.  His home State would subdivide because of the Civil War into two states:  Virginia and West Virginia.  The depth of divide was that deep.  Still, General Lee ultimately showed his loyalty to Virginia, whether State or state.  The General was a sign of his times.  He also upon surrendering ordered all Confederate flags, battle or otherwise, permanently furled.  As the signer of the surrender and the General of the Confederate army, his orders should have stood.  He was known to be vocal in his opposition to Confederate monuments.  No one challenged him, because he was the Great General Lee.  So, I suppose when I say the monument in Virginia of the General should remain, I am just as much disobeying his orders as anyone.  

But it's not because the General was some leader of a rebel cause to defend slavery.  He, himself, stated he was "rejoiced that slavery was abolished".  Slavery in his mind  was an abomination and against his Christian beliefs.  Ironic?  Of course, but none of us are without our irony.  He like many of his time simply thought this would go away in a peaceful way.  He believed the majority would admit "slavery as an institution is a moral and political evil".  So, how did he choose the Confederacy?  He said "if the Union is dissolved" he would return to Virginia and "share the miseries of his people".  In fact, he had implored for the Union to be maintained and was considered one of the least likely officers to secede.  It was known that the Virginia legislature was having a hard time agreeing on whether they would secede.  The attack on Fort Sumter lead by General Beauregard with the secession of South Carolina forced every other Southern State to make a decision, including Virginia and our beloved General Lee. 

Does General Lee's statue belong anywhere if you know all this?  Well, maybe, maybe not.  By General Lee's measure?  No.  The greatness of a man is not defined by just his good deeds, but by the sum of who he is.  We all become better with age.  So, I would argue that his statue, if we were to agree on only one symbol of the Confederacy, belongs in every state.  We need to remember how conflicted and how much the General truly believed in the United States right up to secession.  We need to remember this was not a racist man--in fact in his times he was considered quite the opposite.  We want to measure people of the 1800s at our morality now.  It's not fair.  But take the sum of the General, and he was a great American.  What too many in this country either have forgotten or never learned was officers all over this country were put in a terrible position of choosing between two loyalties--often to their country or to their families.  The Civil War did one thing we needed--it defined us as a Nation as ALL Americans.  General Lee said he couldn't abide by a Nation that could only be maintained by swords.  Now, consider that we just let Nazis turn his memorial into just that.  

Nazis have never maintained control over anything without intimidation, control, weapons in plain sight, full riot gear.  Bullies to umpteenth level.  What would the General think?   What would he have thought of our efforts in World War II?  Would he have thought those men that fought the Nazis with such bravery and resolve would deserve to have their memories desecrated with Nazis rabble rousing in their faces?  In their descendants' faces?  How would he feel about Nazis from another state in his great state using his image in their racist rhetoric?  General Lee was a deeply God fearing man.  General Lee did not believe in raising a weapon against his brother.  We all should understand not wanting to forget those that died, on both sides.  It's who we are.  It made us truly the UNITED States of America.  Whether General  Lee would want his statue there, well, that's a small issue.  I doubt he would.  But the idea that the Nazis want to invoke his memory for their agenda?  The General's own words on the Civil War:  "We failed, but in the good Providence of God apparent failure often proves blessing."  Saving the Union in this Nation was a blessing, even according to the man who led the fight against it.  Do not allow the Nazis to use this man's memory or a statue of him as a catalyst to drive us into fighting each other again.