![\"\"](\"http:\/\/leelinesteamers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/LEE-BROTHERS-1024x743.jpg\" "\\"LEE")
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The three gentlemen standing on the cotton bales are most likely Shelby Rees Lee, my grandfather, Robert E Lee and perhaps their brother James Lee III.\u00a0\u00a0 The SADIE LEE is to their\u00a0right and the HARRY LEE is in front of the SADIE.\u00a0 The colorized postcard below is almost identical to the above picture and it appears that several of the\u00a0Rousters are in both pictures.\u00a0 These pictures most likely were taken sometime shortly after 1901 when my grandfather began working for the Lee Line.![\"\"](\"http:\/\/leelinesteamers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Lee-Brothers-setting-1024x655.jpg\" "\\"Lee")
\u00a0\u00a0 The Lee Line did not go farther south than Vicksburg Mississippi which makes me suspicious that these pictures were not taken at New Orleans.\u00a0 Additionally steamboats landed upriver since controlled landings were easier going upriver than down bound.\u00a0 Memphis is on the\u00a0east\u00a0bank of the Mississippi as well as prevailing winds from the south west make me think this picture would have been taken at Vicksburg or Memphis since these steamers are landed starboard side and\u00a0their smoke is blowing left to right.<\/p>\n
The reverse of this postcard has the following description:\u00a0 “Loading cotton: Husky, singing Negroes handle these great bales of cotton as most people would handle bed pillows.\u00a0 On the great Mississippi river, packets and barges are piled high with the billowy white cotton, tightly encased in burlap wrappings.”\u00a0 There are no pictures showing rousters carrying cotton bales as if they were pillows.\u00a0 The Rousters pictured are carrying what appears to be perhaps 100 pound bags of cotton seed.\u00a0 Pictures of Rousters handling cotton bales show 2 or 3 men rolling bales of cotton across cobble stones or up the gang plank of steamboats.\u00a0 Stacking cotton bales on the decks of steamers would have required\u00a03 or 4\u00a0men to lift and position 500 pound bales of cotton.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The three gentlemen standing on the cotton bales are most likely Shelby Rees Lee, my grandfather, Robert E Lee and perhaps their brother James Lee III.\u00a0\u00a0 The SADIE LEE is to their\u00a0right and the HARRY LEE is in front of … Continue reading