"The Robert E. Lee " Topic

Not a Ironclad, but a nice ship.

"The Robert E. Lee, nicknamed the "Monarch of the Mississippi," was a steamboat built in New Albany, Indiana in 1866. The hull was designed by DeWitt Hill, and the riverboat cost more than $200,000 USD to build. It was named for Robert E. Lee, General-in-Chief of the Confederate States of America, and the steamboat gained its greatest fame for racing and beating the then-current speed record holder, the Natchez, in an 1870 steamboat race.
In 1870, the Robert E. Lee won a famed steamboat race against the Natchez, going from St. Louis, Missouri to New Orleans, a distance of 1,154 miles (1,857 km), in 3 days, 18 hours and 14 minutes. John W. Cannon, the captain of the Lee, ensured victory by removing excess weight, not allowing passengers, and using prearranged barges to increase the speed of refueling. The Natchez finished the race with the speed of 3 days, 21 hours and 58 minutes, but was delayed by a sandbar for six hours, and had numerous passengers to weigh it down. To this day no commercial boat has beaten the speed record set by the Lee during the race. However, the Bogie, a 1929 motor boat built by Leroy Craft, beat the Lee's record.
It usually ran between New Orleans and Natchez, Mississippi. However, during spans of bad business, it would forsake Natchez and instead go to St. Louis or Louisville, Kentucky…"
Wiki

From here
link

Hope you enjoy!.

Amicalement
Armand

Very nice! Something ironic about a vessel named the "Robert E. Lee" was built in Indiana.

The Robert E Lee was a favorite of the plastic modeling industry and a song mentioned it with the lyrics "Waitin' for the Robert E Lee"

BEAUTIFUL craftsman"ship"/artistry!

Thanks Armand!

Chaz

Would love to get it for 28mm figs…..

That kit (out of production by the way) is 1/48th scale. Here are the kit dimensions:
Length: 25.2" (640mm)
Width: 7.25" (184mm)
Height: 12" (305mm)
That seems small to me. The Robert E Lee was roughly equivalent in size to the Natchez VI, the riverboat it raced. That Natchez VI was 301' long which in 1/48 scale is like 75" long. A little smaller if you are willing to build it in S Scale its only 56" long!
The $200,000 USD price tag seems off as well. That would have built a lot of ship in 1866. What I found is that the Lt Robert E Lee riverboat (a modern version) sold at auction for $200,000. USD I think somebody got their numbers wrong in wikipedi (no shock there).

Also mentioned here:

Back with my wife in Tennessee, when one day she called to me.
"Virgil, quick! Come see! There goes Robert E. Lee!"
Now I don't mind I'm chopping wood,
And I don't care if the money's no good.
You take what you need and you leave the rest,
But they should never have taken the very best.

"The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down"

I always thought the originial lyrics and performance said "There goes THE Robert E. Lee". I think Joan Baez bastardized the lyrics there and a couple of other places as well.

Couldn't the song have been referring to the general, rather than the steamboat?

No, it was "the" and after the fall of Richmond.

I always assumed Joan Baez got the words wrong because she worked the lyrics out by ear. In her original recording she also sings "so much cavalry' rather than "Stoneman's cavalry" . If you check out her live performances on YouTube you'll find she sings the correct version these days.

Glad you had enjoy the ship boys!

Amicalement
Armand

Nice

R.I.P Levon Helm!

YouTube link

Levon Helm was greatness. The song does indeed refer to the steamboat. I believe chopping wood is in reference to chopping wood and leaving it on the riverbank for the boats. The boats would load the wood and the captains would leave payment, in this case in worthless currency.

Also, it doesn't make sense that Robert E. Lee would ride by their house in Tennessee.

Regardless, this is a great model of a wonderful boat.

Phil Hall

the original song was "See them shufflin' along" and the line was "waitin' on the levee waitin' for the Robert E Lee" It was written in 1912