Reckoning with Robert E. Lee: A Southern Perspective on the Myth of the Lost Cause

D Rossi: As a British military history student, this book became a gateway for me into becoming fascinated by the Civil War (aka the War of the Slaveholder's Rebellion).

Brig Seidule masters his argument and highlights the shocking circumstances that gave way to the memorialisation of Lee and other CSA traitors, the mere fact that Lee was responsible for the deaths of more US soldiers than anyone in history is proof of his argument in itself.

Can't recommend highly enough

United Kingdom on Nov 14, 2023

P. A. Buchan: After reading "Gone with the Wind" (top 100 books to read before you die), I decided to find out about the American Civil War, (After reading this book, this is the last time I will use that phrase), as I am from Scotland, I knew next to nothing about it. Was the cause slavery or something else? etc. etc.
I found the book fascinating on a number of levels.
1) Historical, 2) A personal journey of the author to face up to and question and ultimately denounce his back ground beliefs. Very brave of him.
But because of his military back ground he was able to explain, very clearly, how the myth needs to be broken down and why.
I was also shocked when he started explaining about the significance of the naming of US Army bases and why they are so divisive, ie naming a base after a Southern Commander who was responsible for the murder of former slave woman and children !?!?!? Link that now to certain American Politicians who say you can't change our history, leave it alone. Why would you not what to change it?
As I said a fantastic read and I would totally recommend.

United Kingdom on Feb 02, 2023

RDD: In “Robert E. Lee and Me: A Southerner’s Reckoning with the Myth of the Lost Cause,” Ty Seidule – professor of history, Southerner, and Army veteran – examines how the “lost cause” myth of the Civil War permeated every element of his life from childhood through college, military service, and beyond. He frankly discusses how he ignored the signs for so much of his life, taking the Southern narrative for granted, until much later. According to Seidule, the moment of clarity occurred when he was stationed at West Point. He writes, “I went to the archives, and there I spent the next several years trying to understand when and why West Point honored Lee. And that process changed me. The history changed me. The archives changed me. The facts changed me” (pg. 182). From there, he began looking into the very names we use for the war and how it has been memorialized in the years since, particularly in the twentieth century.

Seidule examines the role of terminology and narrative. He writes, “The names we give the war itself and those who fought it matter. Our shared understanding of the war comes from the language we use… The names we use matter. By saying Union...

United States on Aug 29, 2022

Malcolm Mcgrath: I am a Canadian with an interest in history, and had always understood slavery as the cause of the civil war. However, until recently I had not been aware of the origins and the enduring influence of 'Lost cause' mythology. The 'lost cause' is a kind of urban legend about the civil war that suggests it was fought by southern gentlemen for things like states rights, as in the movie Gone With the Wind. This book does a great job debunking these myths, explaining their origins and also showing their continuing influence. The author tells his own story as a southern military man brought up on these myths and gradually coming to terms with their falsehood, which makes the book even more interesting.

However, it is a long book with a great deal of detail. This makes it fascinating for an intellectually sympathetic reader like myself, but I am worried that people who most need to read it, would never invest the time. Perhaps the author and publishers could see fit to publishing a condensed version, of the same name, with big print and lots of pictures, laying out the key facts as easy takeaways.

The authors of lost cause mythology were very good at spreading their ideas in...

Canada on Aug 06, 2021

John Wilson: If you’re looking for a great book to understand some of the narratives today, I just finished this book coincidentally on Juneteeth Weekend and I am sharing some thoughts. It’s written by Ty Seidule who is a self-admitted former admirer of Robert E. Lee who completely changed his mind. He is also a West Point Professor Emeritus of History and a retired Army colonel.

In order to prevent a racist future, we must both learn and acknowledge a racist past (particularly in the South). I experienced but did not take seriously this racist past when I was a child. I was born of mixed parents and my white grandmother was horrified when she heard that her daughter married a black man, telling her that she would have tar babies. My grandmother disavowed us and never spoke with us till her death at the beginning of the 21st century. If only she could see and appreciate what us three tar babies have achieved now. I should have paid more attention to this but as a child, it bore little significance to me. How many more like her are living that feel the same way? Would they contribute to the glass ceiling or would they provide equal opportunity to blacks if placed in a position of...

United States on Jun 21, 2021

Amazon Customer: He tells from a Southerners perspective how his view of Lee and the Confederate cause changed over time. The South lost the Civil War and won the peace through a skillful retelling of the story of the " Lost Cause"

Canada on May 12, 2021

Mike O'Byrne: Great book, excellent service

Canada on Mar 31, 2021