Robert E. Lee and me : : a Southerner's Reckoning With the Myth of the Lost Cause

Locations
Call Number: 973.7 Se, Adult Book / Nonfiction / History / United States / 19th Century / Seidule, Ty
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Malletts Creek Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	973.7 Se	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Malletts Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Nonfiction / History / United States / 19th Century / Seidule, Ty	4-week checkout	On Shelf

My childhood : raised on a White Southern myth -- My hometown : a hidden history of slavery, Jim Crow, and integration -- My adopted hometowns : a hidden history as "Lynchtown" -- My college : the shrine of the lost cause -- My military career : glorifying Confederates in the U.S. Army -- My academic career : glorifying Robert E. Lee at West Point -- My verdict : Robert E. Lee committed treason to preserve slavery -- Epilogue: A Southern soldier confronts the lost cause in the shrine of the South.
"In a forceful but humane narrative, former soldier and head of the West Point history department Ty Seidule's Robert E. Lee and Me challenges the myths and lies of the Confederate legacy-and explores why some of this country's oldest wounds have never healed. Ty Seidule grew up revering Robert E. Lee. From his southern childhood to his service in the U.S. Army, every part of his life reinforced the Lost Cause myth: that Lee was the greatest man who ever lived, and that the Confederates were underdogs who lost the Civil War with honor. Now, as a retired brigadier general and Professor Emeritus of History at West Point, his view has radically changed. From a soldier, a scholar, and a Southerner, American history demands a reckoning. In a unique blend of history and reflection, Seidule deconstructs the truth about the Confederacy-that its undisputed primary goal was the subjugation and enslavement of African Americans-and directly challenges the idea of honoring those who labored to preserve that system and committed treason in their failed attempt to achieve it. Through the arc of Seidule's own life, as well as the culture that formed him, he seeks a path to understanding why the facts of the Civil War have remained buried beneath layers of myth and even outright lies-and how they embody a cultural gulf that separates millions of Americans to this day. Part history lecture, part meditation on the Civil War and its fallout, and part memoir, Robert E. Lee and Me challenges the deeply-held legends and myths of the Confederacy-and provides a surprising interpretation of essential truths that our country still has a difficult time articulating and accepting"-- Provided by publisher.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

Library Journal Review
Publishers Weekly Review
Summary / Annotation
Table of Contents
Author Notes

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

What a wake-up call submitted by apf1950 on October 5, 2021, 11:02pm In addition to the publisher's summary, it is worth noting that Seidule goes into detail to examine the many tributes to Lee and other Confederates, including monuments, buildings, awards, military installations, and others. His bottom line is that Lee, unlike other Virginians and West Point grads, was among those who violated their oath, engaged in treason, and do not deserve to be recognized, especially as part of the myth of the "Lost Cause." The4 author is at times strident, but it is an interesting account of his coming to terms with is upbringing and the U.S. Army's deference to Lee and other Confederates.

The end of the lost cause submitted by m steve on June 14, 2022, 4:47pm This is a sensational book! Taken from the perspective of a southern, this is a realistic view of the falsehoods of the lost cause and how Lee was nothing more than a traitor to his country and proponent of slavery.

Half-baked submitted by esteinbrook on July 8, 2022, 11:29am Ty Seidule unpacks the lost cause by chronicling the deeply racist history of the places that he's lived, from Alexandria, VA to Monroe, GA to Washington & Lee University. You'll be disappointed if you're looking for Seidule to unpack exactly how he came to love Robert E. Lee as a child. He mentions a father who put up paintings of confederates in the family home, but writes little about his own personal upbringing besides details that you could find on a CV. Perhaps Seidule has yet more reckoning in his future.