Does Lee Matter?

On the 200th anniversary of his January 1807 birth, this is the question before a two-day symposium exploring the complicated nature of the storied general's hold on the American imagination. The National Park Service is sponsoring "Does Lee Matter?" to discuss this interesting man and his times. The program is free and open to the general public. Sessions will be held on January 17 and 18, 2007 at the Women in Military Service to America Memorial, located on the grounds of Arlington National Cemetery, the site of Lee’s former plantation home, Arlington House.  

Historian and author Elizabeth Pryor will offer a fresh and provocative analysis of Lee through his personal and military correspondence in her new book "Reading the Man," and will re-examine Lee's decision to resign from the U.S. Army on the eve of the Civil War. Scott Hartwig, the noted military historian from Gettysburg National Military Park, will analyze "Lee the General," replying to critics of Lee's military strategy with a special focus on the Battle of Gettysburg.
   
Arlington House, the Robert E. Lee Memorial, historian Karen Kinzey will probe the general's family life in "The Lees of Arlington."  National Park Service education specialist Matt Penrod will guide a discussion of the general's life and times through the eyes of local tenth graders, and their surprising insights and perspectives. The contentious story of Lee's pardon by the United States' government and the meaning of his postwar career will be addressed by Arlington House volunteer and journalist Delia M. Rios in a talk titled "Citizen Lee." 

Finally, "Lee's Great Decision" to resign from the U.S. Army will be open to discussion with the entire panel.

Robert E. Lee is at once one of the most revered men in American History and one of the most reviled because of his role and actions in the Civil War and in the early painful years of reconciliation between North and South. The complexity of his legacy is such that, even today, those who either criticize or praise him risk censure and ostracism. He remains an enigmatic figure into the 21st century.

"Does Lee Matter?" will be held at the Women In Military Service to America Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The site is accessible via the Washington Metro on the Blue Line stop at Arlington National Cemetery.  By vehicle, take the George Washington Memorial Parkway and exit at Arlington National Cemetery. Parking is available for a fee at the cemetery visitor center.  The Women in Military Service to America Memorial is just inside the main gate in Arlington National Cemetery.  For further information and reservations, please call 703-235-1530.