Robert E. Lee and Me

"Ty Seidule scorches us with the truth and rivets us with his fierce sense of moral urgency." --Ron Chernow

In a forceful but humane narrative, former soldier and head of the West Point history department Ty Seidule's Robert E. Lee and Me challenges the myths and lies of the Confederate legacy—and explores why some of this country’s oldest wounds have never healed.

Ty Seidule grew up revering Robert E. Lee. From his southern childhood to his service in the U.S. Army, every part of his life reinforced the Lost Cause myth: that Lee was the greatest man who ever lived, and that the Confederates were underdogs who lost the Civil War with honor. Now, as a retired brigadier general and Professor Emeritus of History at West Point, his view has radically changed. From a soldier, a scholar, and a southerner, Ty Seidule believes that American history demands a reckoning.

In a unique blend of history and reflection, Seidule deconstructs the truth about the Confederacy—that its undisputed primary goal was the subjugation and enslavement of Black Americans—and directly challenges the idea of honoring those who labored to preserve that system and committed treason in their failed attempt to achieve it. Through the arc of Seidule’s own life, as well as the culture that formed him, he seeks a path to understanding why the facts of the Civil War have remained buried beneath layers of myth and even outright lies—and how they embody a cultural gulf that separates millions of Americans to this day.

Part history lecture, part meditation on the Civil War and its fallout, and part memoir, Robert E. Lee and Me challenges the deeply-held legends and myths of the Confederacy—and provides a surprising interpretation of essential truths that our country still has a difficult time articulating and accepting.

BUY THE BOOK

Published Jan 11, 2022

304 pages

Average rating: 9.25

4 RATINGS

|

These clubs recently read this book...

Community Reviews

spoko
May 13, 2025
10/10 stars
There are at least two things I really like about this book: The first is the decision to make it a memoir, and the second is its consistent reminder that memorials say more about the memorializers than about the memorialized. As for the first point, it’s not that I’m a particular fan of memoirs (quite the opposite, actually). But it’s the way Seidule writes his memoir—in particular, the choice to expose himself by investigating his own racist past beliefs & actions—that makes the memoir powerful. Especially in the context of the history that this book interrogates, Seidule’s own journey from idealizing “Southern gentlemanship” to outspoken critic of the Lost Cause myth couldn’t be more relevant. As a legitimate work of history, I also appreciate that the book doesn’t focus strictly on the Civil War and/or Lee himself. It’s so critical to point out that memorials themselves have a history, which can be even more powerful and relevant than the history they’re trying to mythologize. Seidule repeatedly points this out, and it certainly makes for a stronger book.

See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.