Fitzhugh Lee, The American: The Symbol of Reunion and Redemption

The Civil War deeply divided the nation and after such devastation, how did the country become whole once again? Reunion began at Appomattox and continued afterward as soldiers from both sides extended a welcome to their former enemies. Yet, it was over three decades before the country would celebrate reunion on a national scale. In order to do so, the South needed to be brought into the fold with the sanction of the North. Only then would these United States truly become whole once again. Before soldiers from both the North and South fought side by side once again in the Spanish-American War, a military man who literally and figuratively rode in the saddle of an icon of the Confederacy served as the eyes and ears of the country. Our man in Havana proved his loyalty to the United States and had his words and actions respected by former enemies. This man who once took up arms in Rebellion became the symbol of an undivided nation and saluted as a national hero. His name was General Lee.