It is very similar to the existing document (it is not our wish to forget everything we were based on) but we MUST protect ourselves. The original Declaration of Independence says that, "It is the right of the people to alter or to abolish." Yet, it has not been our right.
I must say we (the southern brothers and sisters) simply do not feel protected. How can we call this a democracy when we are not being heard? I feel particular concern in her welfare, for within her borders are nearly all of my relations, (save for you and my aunt and uncle, and being in Boston, surely you do not understand the pressure we southerners feel to contribute to the economy). Can there be one of them who intends to submit to Black Republican rule? I cannot, will not believe it, until I hear it direct from some one of you, for in my veins still runs that blood which has always been opposed to imposition and insult. Both of these we have been receiving from the Yankees for the last 35 years. I am surprised that Virginia was so slow to act when she has been most injured and insulted. However, it is with pride that I can tell you that Richmond is the confederate capital! A shining moment of pleasure in a time as dark as this.
I have read all the papers I have been able to get my hands on, but have seen nothing said of my brother, except that he has been detained at home on account of sickness. How does he stand in the midst of this momentous crisis? How do you all (I mean my relations) stand? Are you in favor of your independence, even if gained at the mouth of the cannon or the point of the sword? Come South, if you want to see noble spirits, not only in men and women, but in every child who reads and knows his rights. .
General Robert E. Lee is an honorable man, dedicated to his state. Here is what I know about him, and why I stand behind him: Continuing in the military tradition of his father, Lee entered West Point in 1825 and graduated second in his class in 1829.
