"Robert E. Lee Was More Than Just A War Hero?"
YES!!! HE WAS A MAN OF GOD TOO!!!
After the Civil War, General Robert E. Lee served as the President of Washington College. Flooded with offers of financial assistance, initially Lee found it difficult to find a job that would allow him to fulfill his prayer of being able to, “accomplish something for the benefit of mankind and the honor of God.” An insurance company offered him a salary of $10,000 per year to perform no duties; they simply wanted the use of his name. However, Lee would not exploit his fame for financial gain, and he told the company, “I cannot consent to receive pay for services I do not render. My good name is about all that I have saved from the wreck of the war, and that is not for sale.”
Lee’s prayers were answered when Washington College offered him its presidency. His influence helped the college, now known as Washington and Lee University, more than double in size during his five year tenure, yet he always refused to take a salary of more than $1,500. Lee did not care about money, comforts, or fame; he simply wanted to achieve God’s will. “If I could only know that all the men in this college were good Christians, I should have nothing more to desire,” Lee said. His constant refusals of pay increases frustrated the college’s board of trustees, who wanted to properly compensate him for his excellent service. When they decided to build him a residence, Lee refused, saying the school had far more pressing needs. Eventually, the trustees resorted to building the house without his knowledge, but once he found out, he supervised its building to greatly reduce the costs.
Few people have exemplified the loving spirit of Jesus Christ better than Robert E. Lee, who showed grace both in victory and defeat, as well as a genuine concern for all people that he touched. While retreating after the loss at Gettysburg, Lee came across a wounded Union soldier who screamed at and taunted the passing commander. Lee proceeded to dismount his horse and approach the wounded enemy soldier, who would later confess that he thought Lee intended to kill him. However, wearing an overwhelmingly sad expression on his face, Lee knelt by the young soldier, took his hand, and said, “Son, I hope you will soon be well.”
Though history remembers him as perhaps the greatest military strategist of all time, the humble General Lee would no doubt prefer to be remembered as a man who aimed to accomplish the will of God above all else. Whether serving at Washington College or on the battle fields of the Civil War, Robert E. Lee always provided a shining model of faith and humility, which exceeded even his own military genius.
…SO NOW YOU KNOW!
