Gen. Robert E. Lee and confederate statues are back in the news again. His statues have generated fierce commentary online. As I’ve watched the furious back and forth between those committed to pulling his statues down, and those equally committed to ensuring they remain where they are, one voice is lacking in the debate: a voice advocating for the nearly 200 enslaved souls on the properties he was tasked with administering as an executor for George Washington Parke Custis.

I will be the voice that advocates for them today.

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://genealogyadventures.net/2019/05/08/robert-e-lee-slavery-and-1859-the-spring-of-his-discontent/