Richmond- Attorney General Bob McDonnell issued the following statement today in recognition of the Lee-Jackson state holiday in Virginia. “Today, the Commonwealth of Virginia pauses to remember two great Virginians, Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson.
Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson were men of honor, duty, faith and humility. Today, they are remembered foremost for their leadership on the battlefield. They served our nation, and when duty called, our Commonwealth, with courage and valor.
However, the legacies of Lee and Jackson extend beyond the battlefield. They are found in Lexington, where Lee taught his students after the War to be Americans again, and to pursue lives of honor and obligation, and where Jackson taught future heroes at Virginia Military Institute. Both men set personal examples that continue to be remembered to this day.
As Virginians we share a long, and sometimes difficult, history. In that history, Virginia has produced many great men and women. The lives of Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson remain worthy of study and commemoration.”