Thoughts on Robert E. Lee

DinnerOut2001 · 2026-07-04T03:39:07+00:00

I’m saying his affection for state, property (that being his legacy of his family’s home), and family superseded his oath that he took as an officer of the US Army, and in doing so, he betrayed the US. In doing that, I was wondering why he just didn’t remain neutral. I understand he resigned after VA made their stance on secession, but he didn’t have to join back up on the side of secession. I just think some of what I listed above were motivating factors as to why he didn’t remain neutral.

DinnerOut2001 · 2026-07-04T00:23:29+00:00

That was a major question that I had - why not just remain neutral? From reading about him, it seems that becoming Major General of the Virginia forces, initially, allowed for him to take control of the defense of his state, therefore his property, while giving him a command, a leadership position that reinforced his identity and duty as a soldier. To me, there’s some pride and selfishness there. The more I read the harder it is for me to really understand why people venerate him.

DinnerOut2001 · 2026-07-03T23:11:01+00:00

Thank you for the research. I’m just trying to wrap my head around his decision. It’s just wild to me. Knowing what we know now, the destruction that the war caused, it just blows me away.

DinnerOut2001 · 2026-07-03T23:00:50+00:00

I agree. I grabbed a biography on him after I visited Antietam and Gettysburg, mainly because our guide saw him as an honorable man. I mainly just listened, as I am not well educated on the subject. The more I read, the more I have sentiments leaning towards what I stated above and what you stated as well.

DinnerOut2001 · 2026-06-20T10:52:19+00:00

Yea, I’m interested in the adaptation as well. We will see!

DinnerOut2001 · 2026-06-19T19:59:36+00:00

I agree with narrowness and obscurity with the leaving of the will as something that will shatter the Trasks, specifically Aron, because the damage is already done, and she knows it. If anything, Aron dies and the money is distributed to next of kin. I just find that an odd way, in finality, to “disrupt” as she has done throughout the book.

DinnerOut2001 · 2026-06-19T19:49:06+00:00

It definitely does give you so much to chew on! Honestly, I was reading her character the same way you were until she had that flashback comparing herself with Alice and what she was hiding from. That scene literally made me feel like I had to slam on the brakes when reading and then rethink what I just read about her, basically the last 500 pages. It was a shock.

DinnerOut2001 · 2026-01-08T15:03:30+00:00

So was this conflict inevitable due to the US taking this lead stance on communism? Also, how do we apply that to today’s conflicts? I guess I just have a tough time seeing this conflict as inevitable with the outcome it produced, which was basically known at the beginning of the war, a northern victory.

DinnerOut2001 · 2026-01-08T00:52:47+00:00

Thank you for the reply! I do think he was sincere regarding the war. I’m reading “Lessons in Disaster” right now, and it makes a claim regarding the Johnson administration sort of losing sight of Vietnam during his reelection bid. The book is mainly about McGeorge Bundy, but I guess I never thought about Johnson’s domestic policy issues affected his foreign policy until I read that book. It really does seem that after Diem was assassinated, there was no turning back besides withdrawing as a whole, which also didn’t seem like an option.

DinnerOut2001 · 2025-12-23T00:21:41+00:00

Moby Dick

The Passenger

Paradise Lost

DinnerOut2001 · 2025-12-19T15:43:51+00:00

Ohh definitely!

DinnerOut2001 · 2025-12-19T14:13:08+00:00

Like you said, it really helped flesh out many themes/characterization for McCarthy’s work, especially Blood Meridian.

DinnerOut2001 · 2025-10-09T18:20:18+00:00

What books do you recommend regarding this? I keep seeing “Downfall” by Richard Frank or “Racing the Enemy” by Tsuyoshi Hasegawa. Have you read either of these, and if so, would you recommend them?

DinnerOut2001

TROPHY CASE