055 - Bound To Duty: The Post-War Life Of Robert E. Lee

Threads From The National Tapestry: Stories From The American Civil War

About this episode:

The former Confederate general entered the ruined city of Richmond from the south and in the midst of a heavy April shower. His route took him through the portion of city that was most thoroughly burned in the evacuation fires of April 2nd. People stopped and stared or pointed as he made his way up Main Street. To them, he tipped his hat. Eventually, he turned and stopped in front of a three-story red brick house at 707 East Franklin. There, he dismounted Traveller, gave the reins to another, opened the iron gate, walked to the eight steps to the portico, climbed them, turned, took off his muddy hat, bowed to those that had gathered, opened the door and disappeared. And that, I feel certain, was the way he would have liked it - to move past the war and, for the rest of his days, be a constructive and positive citizen. However, it seems history won’t let him. This is the story of a man - a marble man who, as of late, has become a lightning rod. This is the story of the last days of Robert E. Lee.

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Some Characters Mentioned In This Episode:

Jefferson Davis

Jacob M. Howard

Richard S. Ewell

William Lloyd Garrison

George Peabody

Woodrow Wilson

For Further Reading:

Robert E. Lee: A Biography by Emory M. Thomas

Get The Guide:

Want to learn more about the Civil War? A great place to start is Fred's guide, The Civil War: A History of the War between the States from Workman Publishing. The guide is in its 9th printing.

Producer: Dan Irving

Thank you to our sponsor Bob Graesser, Raleigh Civil War Round Table's editor of The Knapsack newsletter and the Round Table's webmaster at http://www.raleighcwrt.org