Robert E. Lee and Me: A Southerner's Reckoning with the Myth of the Lost Cause

“I must tell my story as honestly as possible, even though it reveals a racist past, my won racist past. Telling my story might provide a path to understanding why the facts of the Civil War remained buried beneath layer after layer of myth and even outright lies, and why they continue to spark debate in this country.”

Even though Seidule is an expert on the Civil War with unimpeachable credentials, he found it difficult to convince some people of the centrality of slavery as a cause of the Civil War. Their cultural affiliations affected their receptivity to his words. Upon reflection, Seidule realizes that he himself spent years believing the myths of the Lost Cause, and that he could be more persuasive if he tells his personal story alongside an account of his reasons. He hopes to better connect with his audience and stand as an individual example of the self-examination that the country as a whole should undertake.

“It’s not as if the enduring myths of the Confederacy are perpetuated by evil people. An extremist fringe does continue to bray loudly. But most of the myths and misperceptions have become part of a code that has been used, reused, and built upon to such an extent that untangling the myths requires concerted effort. The myths became the American legend and reinforced racism, forming a destructive legacy our nation deals with daily.”

Seidule is careful to distinguish the racist ideas underlying the Lost Cause and the personal beliefs of those who espouse certain aspects of the myth. Admiring Robert E. Lee or other aspects of Confederate history does not necessarily make someone a racist because they have inherited an immense cultural legacy that has come to inform much of Southern identity, regardless of one’s views on race. To investigate the racist origins and effects of many of these myths is not the same as denouncing a vast group of people as racists.