Robert E. Lee: The Christian

by William J. Johnson

No picture of Robert E. Lee could be complete that did not portray the religious side of his character. It was the basis upon which all else rested. It was the source of his strength, the law of his life, the guide for his every act, and the support upon which he leaned in every trial. His confidential letters to members of his family reflect his Christian faith. It has been noted "how little of war and how much of Christian feeling and domestic affection" his home letters contain. In his public papers, written during the war, he never failed, whenever opportunity offered, to call the attention of the people to the great Disposer of all human events and to inspire them with gratitude or submission, as the circumstances might suggest. In this book, the chronological order has been followed, that we may see how constantly and continuously he was guided and sustained, throughout his whole life, by Divine Grace and Wisdom. The Rev. R. A. Holland, in a memorial address at the Kentucky Military Institute shortly after General Lee’s death, "Behold in him a character which, if not perfect, conceals its faults with the effulgence of its virtues, even as the sun conceals the spots on its dazzling disk." Since the days when "Enoch walked with God," no great historic personage blazes with a greater luster of purity, nobility, and lofty Christian manhood throughout his whole life, than Robert E. Lee.

301 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1993