Can you help me make annotations for this letter "letter to his son" to his son "by Robert E Lee
Letter to His Son: January 23, 1861
Robert E. Lee
I received Everett’s Life of Washington which you sent me, and enjoyed its perusal. How his spirit would be grieved could he see the wreck of his mighty labors! I will not, however, permit myself to believe, until all ground of hope is gone, that the fruit of his noble deeds will be destroyed, and that his precious advice and virtuous example will so soon be forgotten by his countrymen. As far as I can judge by the papers, we are between a state of anarchy and civil war. May God avert both of these evils from us! I fear that mankind will not for years be sufficiently Christianized to bear the absence of restraint and force. I see that four states have declared themselves out of the Union; four more will apparently follow their example. Then, if the border states are brought into the gulf of revolution, one half of the country will be arrayed against the other. I must try and be patient and await the end, for I can do nothing to hasten or it.
The South, in my opinion, has been aggrieved by the acts of the North, as you say. I feel the aggression and am willing to take every proper step for redress . It is the principle I contend for, not individual or private benefit. As an American citizen, I take great pride in my country, her prosperity and institutions, and would defend any state if her rights were invaded. But I can anticipate no greater calamity for the country than a dissolution of the Union. It would be an accumulation of all the evils we complain of, and I am willing to sacrifice everything but honor for its preservation. I hope, therefore, that all constitutional means will be exhausted before there is a resort to force. Secession is nothing but revolution. The framers of our Constitution never exhausted so much labor, wisdom, and forbearance in its formation, and surrounded it with so many guards and securities, if it was intended to be broken by every member of the Confederacy at will. It was intended for “perpetual union,” so expressed in the preamble, and for the establishment of a government, not a compact, which can only be dissolved by revolution or the consent of all the people in convention assembled. It is idle to talk of secession. Anarchy would have been established, and not a government, by Washington, Hamilton, Jefferson, Madison, and the other patriots of the Revolution. . . . Still, a Union that can only be maintained by swords and bayonets, and in which strife and civil war are to take the place of brotherly love and kindness, has no charm for me. I shall mourn for my country and for the welfare and progress of mankind. If the Union is dissolved, and the government disrupted, I shall return to my native state and share the miseries of my people; and, save in defense, will draw my sword on none.
What is the purpose of the annotations?
To find the meaning behind the whole letter so and to understand why he wrote it
Letter to His Son: January 23, 1861 by Robert E. Lee
Annotation:
1. "I received Everett’s Life of Washington which you sent me, and enjoyed its perusal. How his spirit would be grieved could he see the wreck of his mighty labors!"
- Lee received a book titled "Everett’s Life of Washington," which was sent to him by his son.
- Lee expresses his enjoyment of reading the book and reflects on how George Washington, if he were alive, would be saddened to see the current situation in the country.
2. "I will not, however, permit myself to believe, until all ground of hope is gone, that the fruit of his noble deeds will be destroyed, and that his precious advice and virtuous example will so soon be forgotten by his countrymen."
- Lee acknowledges the possibility that the efforts of George Washington might be in vain, but he remains hopeful that the principles and values Washington stood for will not be forgotten by the people.
3. "As far as I can judge by the papers, we are between a state of anarchy and civil war. May God avert both of these evils from us! I fear that mankind will not for years be sufficiently Christianized to bear the absence of restraint and force."
- Lee observes the state of the nation through the media, expressing his concern that the country is teetering between anarchy and civil war.
- He hopes for divine intervention to prevent these crises and suggests that humanity may not be ready to function without rules and the use of force.
4. "I see that four states have declared themselves out of the Union; four more will apparently follow their example. Then, if the border states are brought into the gulf of revolution, one half of the country will be arrayed against the other. I must try and be patient and await the end, for I can do nothing to hasten or it."
- Lee notes that four states have seceded from the Union and expects that four more will join them.
- He anticipates a division of the country into two factions if the border states join the secession movement.
- Despite his personal beliefs, Lee acknowledges his limited influence on the situation and resigns himself to wait for the outcome.
5. "The South, in my opinion, has been aggrieved by the acts of the North, as you say. I feel the aggression and am willing to take every proper step for redress. It is the principle I contend for, not individual or private benefit."
- Lee sympathizes with the Southern states and agrees that they have suffered from actions taken by the North.
- He expresses his readiness to seek appropriate means to address these grievances.
- He clarifies that his motivation lies in upholding principles, rather than pursuing personal gain.
6. "Secession is nothing but revolution."
- Lee shares his opinion that secession, the act of a state leaving the Union, is essentially the same as a revolution.
- He implies that secession undermines the stability and purpose of the United States, as it contradicts the intentions of the Constitution's framers.
7. "Still, a Union that can only be maintained by swords and bayonets, and in which strife and civil war are to take the place of brotherly love and kindness, has no charm for me."
- Lee expresses his reservations about a unity enforced by violence and conflict instead of love and cooperation.
- He implies that a Union reliant on force would lose its appeal to him.
8. "If the Union is dissolved, and the government disrupted, I shall return to my native state and share the miseries of my people; and, save in defense, will draw my sword on none."
- Lee shares his personal plan of action in the event of a dissolution of the Union.
- He states that he will return to his home state (Virginia) and endure the difficulties alongside his fellow Southerners.
- However, he clarifies that he will only engage in armed conflict in self-defense, indicating his reluctance to take up arms against his fellow countrymen.
Letter to His Son: January 23, 1861, by Robert E. Lee
Annotations:
1. Everett's Life of Washington: Lee received a book called "Everett's Life of Washington" from his son, which he enjoyed reading. This book is a biography of George Washington, the first President of the United States.
2. Wreck of his mighty labors: Lee expresses his belief that George Washington would be saddened to see how the country he helped create is now in a state of turmoil and crisis.
3. Fruit of his noble deeds: Lee still holds onto hope that the positive impact and guidance of George Washington's actions and principles will not be forgotten by the American people.
4. Anarchy and civil war: Lee notes that based on what he reads in the newspapers, the country is facing a situation where it is poised between complete chaos and a civil war.
5. Absence of restraint and force: Lee fears that society is not yet morally mature enough to function without the need for strict control and enforcement.
6. States declaring themselves out of the Union: Lee observes that four states have already seceded from the Union (a reference to the secession of Southern states before the American Civil War), and he believes that four more will soon follow suit.
7. Gulf of revolution: Lee worries that if the border states join the secession movement, it will create a deep divide where half of the country will be pitted against the other.
8. Being patient and awaiting the end: Lee acknowledges that he has no power to influence the situation, so he must remain patient and wait for events to unfold naturally.
9. Aggrievement of the South: Lee agrees with his son that the Southern states have been treated unfairly by acts of the Northern states.
10. Principle over individual benefit: Lee asserts that he is fighting for a principle, not personal gain or advantage.
11. Pride in his country: Lee expresses his deep sense of pride in America, its prosperity, and its institutions.
12. Defending any state: Lee declares that he would defend any state if its rights were violated by external forces.
13. Calamity of Union dissolution: Lee believes that the dissolution of the Union would result in great harm and suffering, and he is willing to sacrifice everything, except his honor, to preserve it.
14. Exhausting constitutional means: Lee hopes that all legal and peaceful options will be explored and exhausted before resorting to violence or force.
15. Secession as revolution: Lee sees secession as an act of revolution, and he questions the validity of breaking a union that was intended to be perpetual.
16. Anarchy instead of government: Lee argues that if secession were to occur, it would lead to anarchy rather than the establishment of a new functional government, contrary to the intentions of the Founding Fathers.
17. Union maintained by swords and bayonets: Lee expresses his disdain for a union that can only be held together by force and violence, rather than by love and unity.
18. Mourn for his country: Lee deeply laments the potential dissolution of the Union and the negative impact it would have on the progress and well-being of society.
19. Returning to his native state: Lee states that if the Union were to dissolve and the government disrupted, he would go back to his home state (Virginia) and share in the hardships and suffering of his fellow citizens.
20. Drawing his sword on none: Lee clarifies that he would only take up arms in defense, not as an aggressor against others.