NEAR CARTERSVILLE,
VIRGINIA, 8th September, 1865.
CAPT. M. F. MAURY.
MY DEAR CAPTAIN: I have just received your letter of the 8th
ult. We have certainly not found our form of government all that was
anticipated by its original founders; but that may be partly our fault in
expecting too much and partly in the absence of virtue in the people. As long
as virtue was dominant in the Republic so long was the happiness of the people
secure. I cannot, however, despair of it yet. I look forward to better days and
trust that time and experience, the great teachers of men under the guidance of
an ever-merciful God, may save us from destruction and restore to us the right
hopes and prospects of the past. The thought of abandoning the country and all
that must be left in it is abhorrent to my feelings, and I prefer to struggle
for its restoration and share its fate, rather than to give up all as lost. I
have a great admiration for Mexico. The salubrity of its climate, the fertility
of its soil, and the magnificence of its scenery possess for me great charms;
but I still look with delight upon the mountains of my native State.
To remove our people with their domestics to a portion of
Mexico which would be favorable to them would be a work of much difficulty. Did
they possess the means, and could the system of apprenticeship you suggest be
established, the United States Government I think would interpose obstacles,
and under the circumstances there would be difficulty in persuading the
freedmen to emigrate. Those citizens who can leave the country and others who
may be compelled to do so, will reap the fruits of your considerate labor; but
I shall be very sorry if your presence be lost to Virginia. She has now need
for all of her sons, and can ill afford to spare you. I am very much obliged to
you for all you have done for us, and hope your labors in the future may be as
efficacious as in the past, and that your separation from us may not be
permanent. Wishing you every prosperity and happiness,
I am, most truly
yours,
R. E. LEE.
SOURCE: John William Jones, Life and Letters of
Robert Edward Lee: Soldier and Man, p. 389
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