Robert E. Lee's Orderly: A Modern Black Man's Confederate Journey

By: Al Arnold

Narrated by: Sule Greg Wilson

A descendant of Nathan Bedford Forrest's slaves, Al Arnold, tells his journey of embracing his Confederate heritage. His ancestor, Turner Hall, Jr., a Black Confederate, served as a body servant for two Confederate soldiers and an orderly for Gen. Robert E. Lee. Turner Hall, Jr., was celebrated by Blacks and Whites in his community. Hall attended the last Civil War reunion at Gettysburg in 1938. He was interviewed by the national talk radio show, "We, The People". This is a personal journey of faith, heritage, race, and family wrapped around the grace of God through the eyes and honest thoughts of a modern Black man. Arnold argues for African Americans to embrace Confederate heritage to capture the enriched Black history of the Civil War era. He bestows dignity and honor on his Confederate ancestor and challenges the traditional thoughts of modern African Americans. Arnold rests in his faith as the uniting force that reconciles our colorful past to our bright future.

©2015 Al Arnold (P)2015 Al Arnold

A very thoughtful and well written book.

It should be required reading in High schools nationwide. I strongly recommend it for anyone interested in African American issues today.

relearning history

I wish more people would know the truth about the confederate general Nathan Bedford Forrest on how he loved black people I wish those ugly statues of him would be replaced with a better one of him kissing the black women that gave him his flowers for the love respect adoration he had for the black people of his time

Wonderful book

Leaned a ton. I hope he writes another book. The book proves that history and people are much more complex than a surface understanding.

A book much needed during our time.

A book which shows us history through the lens of someone who wants to learn their history without interpreting through the lens of political correctness.

Engaging

I thoroughly enjoyed both the book and lively narration. The author has an obvious love for history, his family, God and his country, but he never expresses this in a preachy manner. His narrative is engaging, and the subject is fascinating as he speaks with pride of his Confederate roots and why we should respect the past and not try to erase it. The story of his ancestor, a slave, who participated in the Civil War as a proud Confederate, is compelling.