Dear Editor:

Alabama designates Mon., Jan. 19, as a state holiday in honor of America’s greatest general, Robert E. Lee.

Although outnumbered two to one and using inferior weapons, Confederate Gen. Lee’s brilliant plans always yielded amazing victories when properly executed by his officers.

When Lee took command, Federal Gen. McClellan was just seven miles from the Confederate Capital. With flintlock muskets and spears Lee snatched victory from the jaws of defeat by sending Stonewall Jackson to outflank McClellan’s right while Lee attacked the center, driving the Yankees 18 miles in a panic and capturing tons of modern weapons.

Next, Lee marched north, ordering Jackson to circle to the rear of invading Gen. Pope while Lee struck his left, forcing the defeated Pope out of Virginia and back to Washington.

Then Lincoln sent Burnside to terrorize the Southern people, but Lee’s straight-shooting Confederates repulsed 14 assaults by Burnside at Fredericksburg, causing heavy Federal casualties.

Lincoln then replaced Burnside with Hooker, who attacked Lee’s 57,000 Confederates with 134,000 Federalists. Lee divided his small army three ways, sending Jackson around Hooker’s right flank while Lee faced Hooker’s center with only 13,000 Confederates. Jackson surprised and routed the Federal troops, sending them into another full-blown panic.

Lastly, Lincoln chose Grant, who owned four slaves throughout Lincoln’s tax war, but like all Northern slave-owners was exempt from Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.

Grant, called “Butcher Grant” by Northern papers, lost 60,000 men in one month, 7,000 of them in one hour at Cold Harbor, trying to crush Lee’s barefooted, starving Confederates.

Never before in American history has an army accomplished so much, with so little, for so long, as did the Confederate States Army under Gen.Robert E. Lee.

Roger K. Broxton

Andalusia