A Speech That Might Have Been Given by Robert E. Lee

“It is well that war is so terrible, lest we grow to fond of it.”
    These were the words I had said after the battle of Mannasas.
Some people have told me that I am the greatest military commander they have ever seen. I do not know if this is true, but I know i’m okay, having won at least a couple of battles.
    I was quite a good student, at least thats what my proffesors at West point used to tell me. I managed to score all A’s, and my exact scores were something like this:
My rank in the class was two out of forty six, in math I scored 286/300, natural philosophy was 295 out of 300, drawing was 97 out of 100, engineering was 292/300, chemistry was 99/100, rhetoric and moral philosophy I scored 199/ 200, french was 98.5 out of 100, tactics I scored 100 out of 100, conduct was 300/300, and general merit I scored the lowest in, I scored 1996.5/2000.
    At West Point, They never let us do ANYTHING fun, all playing cards, food and drink were banned from our rooms, so there wasn’t much to do but sit around and talk.

    One of the saddest points in my life was when my mother died. Right after my graduation ceremony she passed away in to the eternal. After my mother died, I was left with a moral dilemma. Stay in the Union and fight, or go to the confederacy. I decided to leave it up to my home state, Virginia. If they seceded, I would join the confederacy, and leave the Union. I’m not sure if it was for better or for worse, but Virginia seceded, and I left the Union in the same glorious way that George Washington left the British Empire. And my decision was made; I would not fight friends nor family.
    One of my ideas is that slavery is wrong. I still agree with segregation, but no man should have to work day after day without rest, and recieve nothing but a tiny ration of food, and don’t believe those plantation owners that say it is best for them and the slaves; to never have to work but still earn thousands of dollars. Tsk Tsk… it’s just wrong. If I had been allowed to, slaves would be many of my soldiers, in exchange for freedom.

     My appearence, as you can tell, is a grey hair and beard, and though I am not in uniform now, I look quite good in it. People often tell me I am a very considerate, Honest, all around, a very great man.
     I have commanded armys at MANY battles such as the battle of Mannasas, the battle of seven pines, Chancellorsville, when Jackson lost his left arm, although I lost my right arm (not literally). I was finally defeated at the Battle of Appomatox. Actually, I surrendered to Grant at the Appomatox courthouse. If I hadn’t, I think that all my Men would have died.
    One good thing I accomplished, was having seven childeren with my lovely wife, Mary Ann Custis, the adopted grand daughter of George Washington. One strange thing: Some of my soldiers used to call me Marce Roberts.

    Some People may call me the greatest military commander, which would happen to make me sound like an arrogant self serving man, but really, I am a great considerate man, who cares very much about family and the finer things of life. I am a kind man and I am glad that I did not die in battle, but instead am sitting here now in my office at Washington University writing this letter home to you.