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John G. Barnard. Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, toward the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army.
- 1829–1861 (U.S.), 1861–1865 (C.S.)
Mar 21, 2024 · Robert E. Lee (born January 19, 1807, Stratford Hall, Westmoreland county, Virginia, U.S.—died October 12, 1870, Lexington, Virginia) was a U.S. Army officer (1829–61), Confederate general (1861–65), college president (1865–70), and central figure in contending memory traditions of the American Civil War.
- What was Robert E. Lee’s family like?On both sides, Robert E. Lee’s family had produced many of the dominant figures in the ruling class of Virginia. His father, Col. Henry (“Light-Hor...
- What was Robert E. Lee’s childhood like?Robert E. Lee’s father’s financial mismanagement left Lee, his mother, and his siblings in circumstances that rendered them less wealthy than the p...
- Why is Robert E. Lee significant?Robert E. Lee commanded the Army of Northern Virginia, the most successful of the Southern armies during the American Civil War, and ultimately com...
- What was Robert E. Lee’s occupation after leaving the military?Robert E. Lee spent several months recuperating from the Civil War and then, in 1865, became the president of Washington College (later Washington...
- Should statues of Robert E. Lee be taken down?Whether statues of Robert E. Lee or other controversial people should be taken down is widely debated. Some argue the statues misrepresent history...
- Who Was Robert E. Lee?
- Robert E. Lee's Children
- Was Robert E. Lee A Slave Owner?
- Lee at Harpers Ferry
- General Robert E. Lee
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- Robert E. Lee Day
- Robert E. Lee Statues
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Robert Edward Lee was born in Stratford Hall, a plantation in Virginia, on January 19, 1807, to a wealthy and socially prominent family. His mother, Anne Hill Carter, also grew up on a plantation and his father, Colonel Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee, was descended from colonists and become a Revolutionary Warleader and three-term governor of Virgin...
After graduation, Lee’s military career quickly took off as he chose a position with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. A year later, he began courting a childhood connection, Mary Custis Washington. Given his father’s diminished reputation, Lee had to propose twice to win approval to wed Mary, the great-granddaughter of Martha Washington and the st...
Lee did not grow up on a large plantation, but his wife inherited an enslaved worker in 1857 from her father, George Washington Park Custis. Lee executed his father-in-law's will, which included Arlington House near Washington, D.C., a poorly managed plantation with debts and nearly 200 enslaved people, whom Custis wanted freed within five years of...
During the 1850s, tensions between the abolitionist movement and slave owners reached a boiling point, and the union of states was near a breaking point. Lee entered the fray by halting a raid at Harpers Ferry in 1859, capturing radical abolitionist John Brownand his followers. The following year, Abraham Lincoln was elected president, prompting se...
Lee wasn’t a secessionist, but he immediately joined the Confederates and was named general and commander of the South’s fight for secession. Lee has been widely criticized for his aggressive strategies that led to mass casualties. In the Battle of Antietam, on September 17, 1862, Lee made his first attempt at invading the North in the bloodiest si...
At the start of the war, Lee and his family headed South, leaving Arlington House, but they did not reclaim their property. The federal government seized the estate (now the site of Arlington National Cemetery) and used it for military graves for thousands of fallen Union soldiers, possibly to prevent Lee from ever returning home. The Lee family re...
As a well-educated man with considerable social and military experience, Lee is known for many of his quotes regarding slavery, duty and military service, including: 1. In this enlightened age, there are few I believe, but what will acknowledge, that slavery as an institution, is a moral and political evil in any country. 2. Whiskey — I like it, I ...
In August of 1865, soon after the end of the war, Lee was invited to serve as president of Washington College (now Washington and Lee University), where he and his family are buried. Since his death at age 63 on October 12, 1870, following a stroke, he has retained a place of distinction in most Southern states. Lee’s January 19 birthday is observe...
The Confederate general remains one of the most divisive figures in American history. Statues and other memorials built in his honor have become flashpoints in cities such as New Orleans, Louisiana, Baltimore, Maryland and Dallas, Texas. Many Robert. E. Lee statues have been removed, but Virginia’s 2017 decision to take one down sparked a violent p...
Robert E. Lee. PBS American Experience. Arlington House. Arlington National Cemetery. Robert E. Lee. Washington & Lee University. Robert E. Lee. Stratford Hall. The Civil War. American Battlefield Trust. Robert E. Lee Quotes. Son of the South. The Reader’s Companion to American History. Eric Foner and John A. Garraty, Editors. Houghton Mifflin Harc...
Mar 31, 2021 · Learn about Robert E. Lee, the Confederate general who led southern forces against the Union Army in the U.S. Civil War. Explore his life, military career, views on slavery, and legacy as a hero in the South.
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Learn about the life and career of Robert E. Lee, one of the most famous and successful Confederate generals in the Civil War. Explore his military achievements, challenges, and legacy on the battlefields of Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and more.
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Jul 19, 2019 · A comprehensive biography of Robert E. Lee, a Confederate general and a well-regarded officer of the U.S. Army before the Civil War. Learn about his early life, military career, family, generalship, legacy, and legacy in the Lost Cause.
A biography of the Confederate leader who died in 1870, five years after the Civil War. The author traces his life as a man of competing impulses, a “paragon of manliness” and a “one of the greatest military commanders in history.” He explores his role in the Civil War, his views on slavery, his honor and his legacy.
