On this date in 1861, Colonel Robert E. Lee wrote a letter to his son, Curtis, regarding the secession crisis. You might wonder what was so momentous about this, so please read the following:
As an American citizen, I take great pride in my country, her prosperity and her institutions, and would defend any State if her rights were invaded. But I can anticipate no greater calamity for the country than the dissolution of the Union. It would be an accumulation of all the evils we complain of, and I am willing to sacrifice everything but honor for its preservation. I hope, therefore, that all constitutional means will be exhausted before there is a resort to force. Secession is nothing but revolution.
Unfortunately, just a few months later, on April 12, Fort Sumter was fired upon, and thus began the Civil War.
For more info:
http://civilwardailygazette.com/2011/01/23/robert-e-lees-letter-against-secession-to-a-point/
http://publicroad.wikispaces.com/Lee’s+Letter+to+His+Son
http://www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/to%20his%20son.htm
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/fort-sumter-fired-upon
