Father James V. Schall. S.J., Catholic World Report: “If we examine Lee first upon the art at which he surpassed, we find a curiously dispassionate understanding not just of technique, but of the place of war in the life of civilized man. Napoleon too was a philosopher of battle, but his utterances are mixed with cynicism. Those of Lee have always the saving grace of affirmation. Let us mount with the General the height above Fredericksburg and hear from him one of the most searching observations ever made. It is contained in a brief remark, so innocent-seeming, expressed as he gazed upon the field of slain on that December day. ‘It is well this is terrible; otherwise we should grow fond of it.’” — Richard Weaver, “Lee as a Philosopher” [1] Full article is here.
