A recently discovered 1871 letter written by Robert E. Lee’s daughter Mary Custis Lee, gives a new look at the General’s decision to forsake his oath and side with the rebellion.
And her words fundamentally alter the story of Lee’s fateful choice. Lee biographers have long claimed that his decision to leave the Army was an inevitable one, driven by the pull of relatives, state and tradition. However, as his daughter shows us, in the end the decision was highly personal, made in spite of family differences and the military conventions he revered.
Read The General in His Study for more.