Tyrone N. Butts
APE Reporter
Robert E. Lee Area ceremonies honor Lee as hero
At celebrations held Thursday throughout the Capital City, admirers used the same words to describe the character of the highly regarded military hero and dedicated family man General Robert E. Lee: valiant, heroic and honorable.
"If we had more leaders like Robert E. Lee, the country wouldn't be in the shape it is today," Henry Howard, a mess sergeant for the 31st Alabama Infantry Regiment, said at the annual wreath-laying to commemorate Lee's birthday at the Confederate Monument at the state Capitol.
The Montgomery re-enactor was one of about 100 cele
brants who gathered in front of the monument to pay homage to the revered military leader.
Howard, who was dressed
i
n a crisp gray Confederate uniform, was not on the program. He stood stoically in front of the cast-iron gate and lifted his white-gloved hand in salute when the wreath was placed at the base of the Confederate Monument.
"It is an honor Gen. Lee deserves," Howard said. "He was above reproach."
Lee's birthday has been a state-recognized holiday in Alabama since the adoption of the state's constitution in 1901. The Lee and Martin Luther King Jr. holidays are observed on the third Monday of January, but most celebrations for Lee are held on his birthday, Jan. 19.
While King's legacy was acknowledged Monday with parades, rallies and special services at churches across the tri-county area, observances for Lee were comparatively low-key. Thos
e wh
o came to the Confederate Monument and the White House of the Confederacy to honor Lee said he also has an important place in history that should not be forgotten.
"Today
we honor a truly great American hero and one of the finest American gentlemen ever known," Ken Wallis, chief legal adviser to Gov. Bob Riley said during the commemorative service. Wallis said Lee is someone he encourages his sons and grandsons to emulate.
"The South lost the war, but the spirit, pride and honor of the Southern people was not lost. No other individual had more to do with this than Robert E. Lee."
After the ceremony, many celebrants headed to the White House of the Confederacy. As they have for many decades, White House officials made cake available to visitors on Lee's birthday.
A memorial wreath filled with sprays of red carnations,
yellow d
affodils and blue hydrangeas hung on a stand in front of the mantle below Lee's stately portrait in the Relic Room.
A picture of the general lying in repose at Washington College, now Washington and Lee University, was stolen from the room last winter and has not been f
ound, sai
d Cameron Napier, the museum's regent. In spite of the loss, the room is filled with the presence of the man Napier considers "one of the last cavaliers."
"Why is it that 199 years after his birth and 136 after his death does the shadow of this man continue to lengthen? It was his humanity," Napier said, adding she believes Montgomery has embraced its Confederate and civil rights histories with a modicum of grace.
She said the nation should remember its heroes.
"Everybody today confuses heroism and celebrity," Napier said. "Celebrities make news, but heroes make history."
*************<
br>Happy Bir
thday General Lee! You da man! :
:
T.N.B.
At celebrations held Thursday throughout the Capital City, admirers used the same words to describe the character of the highly regarded military hero and dedicated family man General Robert E. Lee: valiant, heroic and honorable.
"If we had more leaders like Robert E. Lee, the country wouldn't be in the shape it is today," Henry Howard, a mess sergeant for the 31st Alabama Infantry Regiment, said at the annual wreath-laying to commemorate Lee's birthday at the Confederate Monument at the state Capitol.
The Montgomery re-enactor was one of about 100 cele
brants who gathered in front of the monument to pay homage to the revered military leader.
Howard, who was dressed
i
n a crisp gray Confederate uniform, was not on the program. He stood stoically in front of the cast-iron gate and lifted his white-gloved hand in salute when the wreath was placed at the base of the Confederate Monument.
"It is an honor Gen. Lee deserves," Howard said. "He was above reproach."
Lee's birthday has been a state-recognized holiday in Alabama since the adoption of the state's constitution in 1901. The Lee and Martin Luther King Jr. holidays are observed on the third Monday of January, but most celebrations for Lee are held on his birthday, Jan. 19.
While King's legacy was acknowledged Monday with parades, rallies and special services at churches across the tri-county area, observances for Lee were comparatively low-key. Thos
e wh
o came to the Confederate Monument and the White House of the Confederacy to honor Lee said he also has an important place in history that should not be forgotten.
"Today
we honor a truly great American hero and one of the finest American gentlemen ever known," Ken Wallis, chief legal adviser to Gov. Bob Riley said during the commemorative service. Wallis said Lee is someone he encourages his sons and grandsons to emulate.
"The South lost the war, but the spirit, pride and honor of the Southern people was not lost. No other individual had more to do with this than Robert E. Lee."
After the ceremony, many celebrants headed to the White House of the Confederacy. As they have for many decades, White House officials made cake available to visitors on Lee's birthday.
A memorial wreath filled with sprays of red carnations,
yellow d
affodils and blue hydrangeas hung on a stand in front of the mantle below Lee's stately portrait in the Relic Room.
A picture of the general lying in repose at Washington College, now Washington and Lee University, was stolen from the room last winter and has not been f
ound, sai
d Cameron Napier, the museum's regent. In spite of the loss, the room is filled with the presence of the man Napier considers "one of the last cavaliers."
"Why is it that 199 years after his birth and 136 after his death does the shadow of this man continue to lengthen? It was his humanity," Napier said, adding she believes Montgomery has embraced its Confederate and civil rights histories with a modicum of grace.
She said the nation should remember its heroes.
"Everybody today confuses heroism and celebrity," Napier said. "Celebrities make news, but heroes make history."
*************<
br>Happy Bir
thday General Lee! You da man! :
: T.N.B.