Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson

January 24, 2009

By
Chuck Baldwin

January is often referred to as "Generals Month" since no less than four famous Confederate Generals claimed January as their birth month: James Longstreet (Jan. 8, 1821), Robert E. Lee (Jan. 19, 1807), Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall"Jackson(Jan. 21, 1824), and George Pickett (Jan. 28, 1825). Two of these men, Lee and Jackson, are particularly noteworthy.

Without question, Robert E. Lee and "Stonewall" Jackson were two of the greatest military leaders of all time. Even more, many military historians regard the Lee and Jackson tandem as perhaps the greatest battlefield duo in the history of warfare. If Jacksonhad survived the battle of Chancellorsville, it is very possible that the South would have prevailed atGettysburg and perhaps would even have won the War Between the States.

In fact, it was Lord Roberts, commander-in-chief of the British armies in the early twentieth century, who said, "In my opinion, Stonewall Jackson was one of the greatest natural military geniuses the world ever saw. I will go even further than that–as a campaigner in the field, he never had a superior. In some respects, I doubt whether he ever had an equal."

While the strategies and circumstances of the War of Northern Aggression can (and will) be debated by professionals and laymen alike, one fact is undeniable: Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. Jackson were two of the finest Christian gentlemen this country has ever produced. Both their character and their conduct were beyond reproach.

As those who are familiar with
history know, General Grant and his wife held personal
slaves before and during the War Between the States,
and, contrary to popular opinion, even Lincoln’s Emancipation
Proclamation did not free the slaves of the North. They
were not freed until the Thirteenth Amendment was passed
after the conclusion of the war. Grant’s excuse for not
freeing his slaves was that "good help is so hard to come by these days."

Furthermore, it is well established
thatJacksonregularly conducted a Sunday School
class for black children. This was a ministry he took
very seriously. As a result, he was dearly loved and
appreciated by the children and their parents.

To think that Lee and Jackson (and
the vast majority of Confederate soldiers) would fight
and die to preserve an institution they considered evil
and abhorrent–and that they were already working to
dismantle–is the height of absurdity. It is equally
repugnant to impugn and denigrate the memory of these
remarkable Christian gentlemen.

In fact, after refusing Abraham
Lincoln’s offer to command the Union Army in 1861,
Robert E. Lee wrote to his sister on April 20 of that
year to explain his decision. In the letter he wrote, "With all my devotion to the Union and the feeling of loyalty and duty of an American citizen, I have not been able to make up my mind to
raise my hand against my relatives, my children, my home. I have therefore resigned my commission in the
army and save in defense of my native state, with the sincere hope that my poor services may never be needed . . ."

Remember, too, that not only did Robert E. Lee graduate fromWest Point"at the head of his class" (according to Benjamin Hallowell), he is yet today one of only six cadets to graduate from that prestigious academy without a single demerit.

According to President Ford, "This legislation
corrects a 110-year oversight of American history." He further said, "General Lee’s character has been an example to
succeeding generations . . ."

The significance of the lives of Generals Lee and Jackson cannot be overvalued. While the character and influence of most of us will barely be remembered two hundred days after our departure, the sterling character of these men has endured for two hundred years.

What a shame that so many ofAmerica’s youth are being robbed of knowing and studying the virtue and integrity of the great General Robert E. Lee and General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson.

Dr. Chuck Baldwin is the
pastor of Crossroad Baptist Church in Pensacola,
Florida. He hosts a weekly radio show. His
website is here.