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Robert E. Lee’s benediction for two Confederates from Iowa

Four years after Appomattox, Robert E. Lee wrote to former U.S. Senator George Wallace Jones.  They had a friend in common, General Charles Gratiot.  Besides that, two of Jones’s sons had been Confederate officers.

Robert E. Lee (colorized, Library of Congress)
Robert E. Lee (colorized, Library of Congress)

Lee was a gracious writer.  In the excerpt below, Lee restates his political record, extends an invitation, and offers a prayer for Iowans who wore gray.

Lee’s political record

 March 22, 1869

…  I was not in favor of secession and was opposed to war.  In fact,  I was for the Constitution and the Union established by our forefathers.  No one now is more in favour of that Union and that Constitution, and as far as I know, it is that for which the South has all along contended; and if restored, as I trust they will be, I am sure there will be no truer supporters of that Union and that Constitution than the Southern people.

But I must not wander into politics, a subject I carefully avoid, and return to your letter …

An invitation

When you next come to Virginia, I hope that you will … come to Lexington.  We shall be very glad to see you, and I hope that you will be repaid for your journey by the pleasure which you will see your visit affords us …

Greetings and a benediction

Please present my kindest regards to every member of your family, especially to your brave sons who aided in our struggle for States rights and Constitutional Government.  We failed, but in the good Providence of God, apparent failure often proves a blessing.  I trust it may eventuate so in this instance …

With my earnest prayers for the peace and happiness of yourself and all your family, I am with true regard, your friend and servant.

R.E. Lee

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David Connon

David Connon has spent nearly two decades researching dissenters in Iowa: Grinnell residents who helped on the Underground Railroad, and their polar opposites, Iowa Confederates. He shares some of these stories with audiences across the state through the Humanities Iowa Speakers Bureau. He worked as an interpreter at Living History Farms for eleven seasons. Connon is a member of Sons of Union Veterans, an associate member of Sons of Confederate Veterans, and a member of the Des Moines Civil War Round Table. His articles have appeared in Iowa Heritage Illustrated, Iowa History Journal, Illinois Magazine, and local newspapers in both states.

This Post Has 12 Comments

  1. Kathleen Parsons

    26 Apr 2016

    Reading my genealogy of US presidents, the great-grandson of Robert “King Corotoman” Carter by Elizabeth B. Landon was William Henry Harrison (9th), whose own grandson was Benjamin Harrison (23rd). But, the 2nd-great-grandson of “King Corotoman” Carter and Judith Armistead was Robert E. Lee. If we were speaking about royalty instead of presidents, it makes sense that R.E. Lee felt obliged to stand for his side of the argument with an equal ability to carry out his role. Thanks once again for giving a moving account of a true military man – who probably did not know what incredible misdeeds that his army was defending on the battlefield.

    1. David Connon

      26 Apr 2016

      Hi, Kathy.
      Thanks for sharing Robert E. Lee’s genealogical information! I appreciate your generous comments about the blog post. With regards to Lee’s knowledge, you may be right. It’s possible, though, that he was very well informed about things in society.

  2. rosiecattteve Hanken

    26 Apr 2016

    Susan Hempstead, aunt of Stephen Hempstead of Iowa, was married to Charles Gratiot. Stephen was born in Connecticut, but was raised in St. Louis after his Uncle Edward died from a fall from a horse. Edward was the Attorney General of Louisiana Territory, and two of Edward’s sisters were also in St, Louis, Susan, of course and another who married Manuel Lisa, One of the largest fur traders in St. Louis. The Gratiot’s were also connected to the Chouteau family of fur traders as well. If you go look in the cemetery in Galena you will get a history lesson in the monument to the Hempstead family and it’s connections! It also becomes clear why Stephen Hempstead sent his son to VMI and did not discourage him from staying with the Confederacy.

    1. David Connon

      26 Apr 2016

      Hi, Steve.
      Thanks for expanding on Stephen Hempstead’s connections to the Gratiots and the Chouteaus (as well as St. Louis and Missouri history). Regarding Stephen Hempstead sending his son, Junius, to VMI, Stephen claimed to have done it because he had been unable to enroll Junius at West Point. Stephen’s real goal, he wrote, was to give Junius “a good civil and military education.” VMI may have seemed to fit the bill. Thanks for reading my blog!

  3. Aaron Nielsen

    26 Apr 2016

    I have really enjoyed learning about the “checkered” history of the “War of Northern Agression.” Boy, it is definitely not as “black and white” as it sounds in the history books. Robert E. Lee, the more I learn about him, proves to be a noble and honest man, one of the greats!

    Thank you for sharing this with us. We try to uncover the forgotten or blotted out history in our own blog by finding the stories down every road. It is fascinating what you can learn about a simple old farmhouse or a grave stone. The web of politics, frontier, states’ rights, and economy just blend together the deeper you dig!

    1. David Connon

      26 Apr 2016

      Hi, Aaron.
      Thanks for reading my blog! I agree, Civil War history is not as “black and white” as it may seem in history books.

      I liked the way you described your blog. The interplay of politics, frontier states’ rights, and economy, uncovered at the end of a shovel, sounds poetic.

  4. Jennifer Knight

    27 Apr 2016

    Robert E. Lee has always been my favorite general (N or S) of the Civil War. An honorable man, a genuine believer in our nation, and though he sided with his family in the South…his heart was always with our nation. Plus, as a West Point graduate, he was a stellar strategist and leader of men. Thanks for sharing the true nature of the man.

    1. David Connon

      27 Apr 2016

      Hi, Jennifer.
      You made many good points in your articulate description of Robert E. Lee. I admire him, too. Thanks for reading my blog!

  5. Rick

    30 Apr 2016

    “I was not in favor of secession and was opposed to war. In fact, I was for the Constitution and the Union established by our forefathers.” Based on his actions from 1861 to 1865, can any statement be more ridiculous?

    1. David Connon

      30 Apr 2016

      Hi, Rick.
      Thanks for reading my blog! I can see where you might think that Lee’s statement was ridiculous. I find it helpful to consider the way that Lee struggled, in 1861, over Winfield’s Scott’s invitation to be a leading officer in the U.S. Army, and the way Lee agonized over whether to defend Virginia (in case of secession). Lee’s own deliberations suggest that he sincerely meant his statement about being “for the Constitution and the Union established by our forefathers.” Lee’s seeming contradiction actually suggests that he had divided loyalties.

      1. Brian

        9 Dec 2016

        With Lee’s remarks you must understand that he is once again stating the position that the south believed that it was they that were defending the constitution and union of our forefathers.

        To assume he was referring to the northern perspective that the union created the states is where the hypocrisy lays.

        1. David Connon

          9 Dec 2016

          Hi, Brian.
          I appreciated Robert E. Lee’s gracious, magnanimous spirit as expressed in his letter. You’re right, Lee doesn’t suggest that the union had created the states. Thanks for reading my blog!

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