By BGEN Ty Seidule, U.S. Army (Ret.)
Professor Emeritus of History;
U.S. Military Academy at West Point
It’s not
often a book is both current and historical, but General Seidule’s book on the
history of the Civil War, growing up Southern, and his change of heart on a
legendary military figure manages to encompass both.
Seidule
recently retired as head of the History Department at West Point, but his
journey as a young Virginian who idolized Robert E. Lee, graduated from Washington
and Lee University, and then became an Army historian, has lead him to a
lifetime of study of military leaders and the truths behind them, especially
those who were on both sides of the Civil War.
As the title suggests, he comes to an epiphany
on Lee as a flawed leader who betrayed his nation and is responsible for the
deaths of more Americans than any other individual in history.
With his
background and knowledge of the Union and Confederacy, Seidule was appointed to
the commission which renamed many of our Southern military bases, originally
named for Confederate leaders who “betrayed” our nation but who were originally
honored as an appeasement to the division of the times, and part of the healing
as he explains.
The book
goes far beyond common knowledge of the Civil War and goes into great detail on
why the Civil War was only, and completely about Slavery. He talks about the myth of a Romantic South in
popular culture in works like Gone with the Wind, and Song of the
South, and how genteel Southern life has been presented, portrayed and
preserved. He reveals the truths behind Southern Leaders
as traitors, many who were trained, including Lee, at West Point and then took
up arms against their own countrymen and committed brutal and atrocious acts
towards fellow humans.
For many, it’s a very
controversial, hard-hitting, and despised book, but it’s based in historical
facts, accumulated over a long career of research and study. Some of the truths he exposes about the
Civil War are hard and uncomfortable to read.
He goes into detail on aspects of human behavior many find unconscionable, and hence has
attracted many “haters” to his message.
As a historian myself and one who thought
I knew a lot about the Civil War, it was a huge learning experience from a
perspective I have never seen. I first
became aware of Seidule when he did one of the 5-minute educational videos for
the Conservative website, Prager University, Was the Civil War About Slavery? At the time, it was a very controversial, but important act. He literally, put his career on the line.
He discusses the reaction to that video
and how it sparked his desire to tell his story about Lee and the truths of the
great conflict. I found it doing history
research when Seidule was a colonel at West Point and head of the history
department. He retired a few years later
as a brigadier general and helped transform West Point’s understanding of their
alumni and former leaders, which has lead to many educational and physical
changes at the hallowed institution. I was
impressed and viewed it as the most concise explanation I’d ever seen on the
Civil War and I began to learn more about Seidule and followed his cause
closely.
I admire Seidule for his courage to take
on this emotional and divisive issue.
Many today in this era of “wokeness” decry such enlightenment as
“rewriting” history, when it fact, he is clarifying it.
For example, he points out that Fort
Benning, which is one of our largest and highest level infantry training sites,
was named for Confederate General Henry Benning, who never wore the American
uniform and slaughtered vast numbers of American soldiers. It is now named Fort Moore, honoring West
Point graduate General Hal Moore, one of the most highly decorated infantrymen
and his wife who are buried on the base.
Likewise, Fort Bragg was originally named
for Braxton Bragg who switched sides in the war and took up arms against
American’s, it is now Fort Liberty.
Regardless of you position on political
correctness, the book is a great read and highly enlightening. His story of personal transformation as a
youngster who grew up viewing Lee as a near deity and someone to emulate, changed with
the truth. As a Virginian he admits his original
ambition in life was to become a “Virginia Gentleman” like Lee.
In the end, Seidule states, he is proud to
have worn the blue uniform of his nation; the UNITED States of America, and
points out that America is the only nation in the world who fought a war to
abolish Slavery, freeing more than 4 million men, women, and children from
chattel slavery. For that, we should be
proud as a nation.
Whether you study history or current
affairs, this book is a must read for our times and well worth your attention. You may not like much of it, and may disagree with the points, but it is
definitely an education in a misunderstood era in our history which is still haunting us in the 21st Century.
T. R. Shaw Jr. is a Battle Creek, Michigan author, historian and community leader. He is a retired U.S. Navy officer and funeral director. He serves on several boards and military organizations and is presently a community college trustee. www.trshawjr.com
