Stained glass windows of [Lee] (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/67/Robert_E_Lee_Stain_Glass.JPG/640px-Robert_E_Lee_Stain_Glass.JPG) and Jackson in the Washington National Cathedral.
These men were rebel military commanders in what was in its simplest terms a revolt (not to mention a revolt at least in part to protect slavery). Yet they apparently came to be held in high enough and widespread regard that they were placed in stained glass in the Washington National Cathedral. It is astonishing to me (particularly given the effort for political correctness in today's society) that they found a place in the National Cathedral in D.C. How did this come about?
John Kelly wrote a column in the December 10th 2013 edition of the Washington Post that asked the same question. The url to that article is so long, I know it won't work if I tried to copy the more than 100 characters here to provide you with a direct link. The TL/DR of that article is this. The Daughters of the Confederacy, Virginia chapter, raised the money to install that window in 1953. Although it is called the National Cathedral, it was built with private donations. Francis Sayre, the dean of the Cathedral at the time, wanted to include as much American History in the stained glass windows as possible. That includes the "bad' parts of American History, like the Civil War. The Daughters of the Confederacy also stressed the Christian aspects of Robert E Lee and were able to get their stained glass window installed in 1953, before the Civil Rights movement really gained any steam. Had they waited until 1963, that window would not have been approved.
Interesting. Thanks very much.
