DK - The American Civil War

Robert E. Lee

father died, leaving the family in dire

financial straits. Lee’s marriage later

connected him indirectly with the

lineage of George Washington, thus

securing his place in Virginia’s landed

aristocracy. In this milieu slavery was

regarded as regrettable, even

deplorable, but for the time being

necessary. These were views that

Lee himself shared.

Early military career

After studying at West Point Military

Academy, Lee spent his pre-Civil

War career in the engineers and

then the cavalry. He served as a staff

officer during the War with Mexico

in 1847–48, when his talent for

imaginative flanking movements

around prepared defenses and coolness

under pressure earned the admiration

of his commander, General Winfield

Scott. Yet, by the time Lee entered his

50s, his military career had stalled; his

overriding concerns were his wife’s

health and the finances of their

Arlington estate.

Lee was on extended leave because

of these issues when called to suppress

the revolt of the abolitionist John

Brown at Harpers Ferry in 1859. The

R

obert Edward Lee

embodied the South’s

ideal image of itself—

courteous and honorable, an

inspired leader winning

through superior fighting

skill and spirit against

overwhelming odds. The

reality of Lee’s military

performance was more

mixed than this suggests,

but there is no doubting his

exceptional abilities and

the dignity of his conduct.

Lee was, first and foremost,

a Virginian. Son of Henry Lee,

a hero of the Revolutionary

War, he grew up among

the privileged First

Families of Virginia.

His childhood was

not an easy one.

He was 11

when his

CONFEDERATE GENERAL-IN-CHIEF Born 1807 Died 1870

CLASH OF ARMIES 1862

“The feeling for him was

one of love, not of awe

and dread.”

GENERAL LONG’S DESCRIPTION OF LEE’S RELATIONS WITH HIS MEN, C.1864

Letter of resignation

On April 20, 1861, Lee wrote to General Winfield Scott,

regretfully resigning from the U.S. Army in order to place

himself at the service of his native Virginia.

Southern gentleman

John Adams Elder’s 1864 portrait of Lee conveys

the gentlemanly manner that belied a gambler’s

temperament, for Lee took risks and favored

aggressive tactics. His civility sometimes made

him overly tolerant of ineffectual subordinates.