Statues are coming down and names scrubbed from buildings as once-revered figures are recast as traitors and racists. The Lost Cause has no greater hero than Robert E. Lee, whose myth rested on the idea of him as a reluctant rebel who turned down command of the Union army out of patriotism towards his home state of Virginia. The image of the Kindly General was undoubtedly embellished, but some of the respect for him, both North and South — including this song, written by Bobby Borchers in 1975 and recorded by Cash for his 1983 album “Johnny 99” — stems from Lee’s decision to surrender at Appomattox Court House, sparing both his men and the Union further bloodshed. It’s generally been treated as an anti-war song, but the Confederate viewpoint makes it an anachronism today.
