User blog:Evandrus Primæ/Robert E. Lee is an Assassin

This is another theory, but unlike my previous one I don't feel as confident that Ubisoft would be comfortable having this one's aspects in its canonical lore.

My theory is that Robert E. Lee is either an Assassin, an Assassin affiliate, or (perhaps unknowing) an ally to the Assassin cause, akin to George Washington.

This is because, although he generally opposed secession, he fought for his state when it was invaded by the Union. This shows that he is willing to take up arms against an invading/oppressing/overbearing government force.

He was also opposed to slavery, as I believe the Assassins have proven to be.

Extrapolating from this I would also argue that the Union would be backed by the Templars and that even if the Confederacy was not overtly Assassin-friendly, it would be moreso that the Union. The Union fought for the retention of its Southern states, and thus the retention of its power and influence over them, while the Confederacy fought for its independance from such Union and for its right to govern itself.

Now, I personally harbor some Confederate sympathies, namely opposition to a large and corrupt government, but even if I didn't, and if I thought the CSA was an empire of evil that needed to be crushed at all costs, that wouldn't exclude Lee from the possibility of being an Assassin in my eyes. Not only because Assassins don't always have to be the "good guys" per se but also because Assassins have proven to be part of or have connections to unsavory institutions in the past. You may recall Connor had his problems with the Continentals but fought alongside them to repell the British and weaken Templar influence.

I understand that if Ubisoft were to make, say, a game set during the Civil War, they, being dare I say a demonstrably and increasingly left-leaning company, and a company period, which is prone to public outrage and boycotts, would see great risk in portraying a Confederate in anything but a negative light. Sure, Lee is regarded mostly positively if not as a hero from students of history on both sides, but the general population and the casual gamer I have my reservations about.