A Union that can only be maintained by swords and bayonets, and in which strife and civil war are to take the place of brotherly love and kindness, has no charm for me.
Robert E. LeeThere are few, I believe, in this enlightened age, who will not acknowledge that slavery as an institution is a moral and political evil.
Robert E. LeeMy trust is in the mercy and wisdom of a kind Providence, who ordereth all things for our good.
Robert E. LeeAll that the South has ever desired was that the Union, as established by our forefathers, should be preserved, and that the government as originally organized should be administered in purity and truth.
Robert E. Lee