Lee appeared slowly at the academy with the support of southern interest groups. Talk of slavery became rare-much like black membership in the Corps of Cadets during the first half of the twentieth century-and relics of Robert E. Taking Alexander’s stirring words to heart, the Corps of Cadets began to forgive Confederate graduates for seceding and glorified their military accomplishments. Finally, Alexander spoke directly of the pride “heroes of future wars” would feel toward the accomplishments of Confederate graduates, predicting those heroes would “emulate our Lees and Jacksons.” Notably, Alexander mentioned nothing of the institution of slavery, which the Confederacy fought to defend and Union graduates died to erase.įrom that period forward, the narrative at West Point regarding its Confederate graduates markedly changed. In the spirit of reconciliation however, Alexander admitted that “it was best for the South that the cause was lost,” since he viewed the strength of United States in 1902 as rivaling that of other major world powers. Alexander’s address was steeped in “Lost Cause” rhetoric that glorified the right of states to secede. Alexander, a highly influential Confederate officer who used the spotlight to catalyze the reconciliation process between white Union and Confederate graduates. The festivities included a speech by Brig. Only two years later in 1902, dozens of both Confederate and Union West Point graduates attended the one hundredth anniversary celebrations of the academy’s founding. The decision to include Lee’s name seems to have little to do with his leadership of the Confederate Army, but was treated as a matter of historical record. Lee’s name was placed in this building on a bronze plaque that named the past superintendents of the academy and the years they served in the role. George Cullum, left the funds for its construction in his will, and the decision as to who was worthy of memorialization in the building would be subject to a vote of West Point’s academic board. The building’s deceased benefactor and Union veteran, Maj. The monument itself still contains an inscription on its shaft calling the Civil War the “War of Rebellion” to bring attention to the treasonous actions of the Confederacy.Ĭullum Hall, where Lee’s name first started to appear after the Civil War, was completed to serve as a memorial hall for West Point graduates who distinguished themselves in the military profession. According to its official history published in 1898, the monument commemorates the souls who “freed a race and welded a nation.” Supreme Court Justice David Brewer, who spoke at the dedication ceremony, likewise described these two causes as the primary reasons that the Union’s struggle should be remembered by cadets. The Battle Monument was erected to memorialize all Union Army regulars who were killed during the Civil War. During this period, two construction projects at West Point memorialized the Civil War-the Battle Monument, a towering column at Trophy Point that was completed in 1897, and Cullum Hall, a building completed in 1900. The reverence shown, though, is no longer unchallenged by the diverse, twenty-first-century officer corps, and as a result, West Point now faces a decision: What should it do with displays of Lee’s person and his name? And more broadly, what place should this controversial figure-and former academy superintendent-occupy at the academy?Īt the turn of the twentieth century, the institutional narrative at West Point about the Union cause was still focused on two major points: the preservation of the Union in the face of secession and the freedom of slaves. Lee’s return to a place of honor at West Point occurred as a result of a reconciliation process that downplayed the Confederacy’s treason as the primary transgression for which southern officers required forgiveness, papered over the issue of slavery, and ignored the underrepresented black officers of the US Army. This portrait has since become the topic of controversy from many who question the reverence for Lee at West Point in the form of a barracks, a gate, and multiple paintings.Īrticles exploring this veneration and petitions calling for the removal of displays of Lee at West Point often fall short in addressing exactly how the Confederate leader became ingrained in academy culture. Lee’s portrait in the West Point library. Those were the words spoken by famous World War II general Maxwell Taylor in 1952, at the dedication of Gen. ![]() In spite of the sight of the Stars and Bars flying from the radio masts of occasional automobiles coming out of Dixie, few fair-minded men can feel today that the issues which divided the North and South in 1861 have any real meaning to our present generation.
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