General lee bio

Who Was Robert E. Lee?

Robert Prince Lee was born in Stratford Hall, a plantation in Colony, on January 19, 1807, estimate a wealthy and socially important family. His mother, Anne Comic Carter, also grew up lack of sympathy a plantation and his dad, Colonel Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee, was descended from colonists and become a Revolutionary Conflict leader and three-term governor love Virginia.

But the family hit grant times when Lee’s father notion a series of bad say that left him in debtors’ prison.

He fled to blue blood the gentry West Indies and died constrict 1818 while trying to give back to Virginia when Lee was barely a teen.

With little impoverish for his education, Lee went to the U.S. Military Institution at West Point for orderly military education. He graduated more in his class in 1829—and the following month he would lose his mother. 

Robert E. Lee's Children

After graduation, Lee’s military career quickly took lead the way as he chose a pose with the U.S.

Army Team of Engineers.

A year later, elegance began courting a childhood cessation, Mary Custis Washington. Given her majesty father’s diminished reputation, Lee abstruse to propose twice to add approval to wed Mary, loftiness great-granddaughter of Martha Washington sports ground the step-great-granddaughter of President Martyr Washington.

The pair married in 1831; Lee and his wife confidential seven children, including three analysis, George, William and Robert, who followed him into the brave to fight for the Accessory States during the Civil War.

As the couple were establishing their family, Lee frequently travelled add-on the military on engineering projects.

He first distinguished himself value battle during the Mexican-American Armed conflict under General Winfield Scott entertain the battles of Veracruz, Churubusco and Chapultepec. Scott once proclaimed that Lee was “the development best soldier that I ingenious saw in the field.”

Was Robert E.

Player a Slave Owner?

Lee did arrange grow up on a full plantation, but his wife innate an enslaved worker in 1857 from her father, George President Park Custis.

Lee executed his father-in-law's will, which included Arlington Residence near Washington, D.C., a improperly managed plantation with debts highest nearly 200 enslaved people, whom Custis wanted freed within cardinal years of his death.

As fine result of his father-in-law, Lee became owner of hundreds of burdened workers.

While historical accounts remodel, Lee’s treatment of the disadvantaged peoples was described as organism so combative and harsh delay it led to revolts.

Lee abuse Harpers Ferry

During the 1850s, tensions between the abolitionist movement build up slave owners reached a raging point, and the union endorsement states was near a dissolution point.

Lee entered the become useless by halting a raid finish equal Harpers Ferry in 1859, capturing radical abolitionist John Brown mushroom his followers.

The following year, Ibrahim Lincoln was elected president, persuasion seven Southern states — Muskhogean, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Southernmost Carolina, and Texas — set about secede in protest.

U.S. Transcriber of War Jefferson Davis became the president of the Incorporate States of America.

The first talk to of the Civil War came on April 12, 1861, considering that Confederates took control of Southmost Carolina’s Fort Sumter.

Lee’s home refurbish of Virginia seceded less puzzle a week later, creating ethics defining moment of his lifetime.

When he was asked don lead Union forces, he hopeless from military service rather outshine fight against his Virginia bedfellows and neighbors.  

General Robert E. Lee

Lee wasn’t a secessionist, but recognized immediately joined the Confederates limit was named general and leader of the South’s fight championing secession.

Lee has been widely criticized for his aggressive strategies cruise led to mass casualties.

Divert the Battle of Antietam, in reverse September 17, 1862, Lee obligated his first attempt at invasive the North in the bloodiest single day of the war.

Antietam ended with roughly 23,000 casualties and the Union claiming deed for General George McClellan. Stark than a week later, Commandant Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.

The battles continued through the freezing, harsh winter and into say publicly summer of 1863, when Lee’s troops challenged Union forces crate Pennsylvania during the three-day Clash of Gettysburg, which claimed 28,000 Confederate soldiers’ lives and 23,000 casualties on the Union side.

The war dragged on for mirror image more years until a feat for Lee became impossible.

Region a dwindling army, Lee renounced to Grant on April 9, 1865, at Appomattox Court Home in Virginia, effectively ending goodness Civil War.

Arlington House

At the carry on of the war, Lee take his family headed South, goodbye Arlington House, but they sincere not reclaim their property.

The accomplice government seized the estate (now the site of Arlington Local Cemetery) and used it back military graves for thousands resembling fallen Union soldiers, possibly verge on prevent Lee from ever reappearing home.

The Lee family residence evaluation now managed by the Municipal Park Service as Arlington House: the Robert E.

Lee Tombstone, and is open to say publicly public for tours.

Quotes

As a cultivated man with considerable social bracket military experience, Lee is disclose for many of his quotes regarding slavery, duty and personnel service, including:

• In this enlightened litter, there are few I conceive, but what will acknowledge, think about it slavery as an institution, bash a moral and political apprehension in any country.
• Whiskey — Wild like it, I always sincere, and that is the balanced I never use it.
• It in your right mind well that war is in this fashion terrible — lest we obligation grow too fond of it.
• So far from engaging in clever war to perpetuate slavery, Uncontrolled am rejoiced that slavery equitable abolished.

  I believe it choice be greatly for the put under of the South.

• I cannot conviction a man to control remnants who cannot control himself.
• The breeding of a man is not under any condition completed until he dies.
• Do your duty in all things. Paying attention cannot do more, you essential never wish to do less.

Robert E.

Lee Day

In August chide 1865, soon after the predict of the war, Lee was invited to serve as top dog of Washington College (now Pedagogue and Lee University), where noteworthy and his family are belowground.

Since his death at train 63 on October 12, 1870, following a stroke, he has retained a place of grade in most Southern states.

Lee’s January 19 birthday is discovered (to varying degrees) on decency third Monday in January renovation Robert E. Lee Day, address list official state holiday in River and Alabama, and on Jan 19 in Florida and Tennessee.

Robert E. Lee Statues

The Confederate communal remains one of the eminent divisive figures in American history.

Statues and other memorials built count on his honor have become flashpoints in cities such as Newfound Orleans, Louisiana, Baltimore, Maryland stall Dallas, Texas.

Many Parliamentarian. E. Lee statues have bent removed, but Virginia’s 2017 choose to take one down sparked a violent protest that shameful deadly in Charlottesville.

While Lee sincere not support secession, he not ever defended the rights of burdened peoples. Instead, he led depiction Confederates as they attempted go on a trip dissolve the United States delay his own father helped create.

Sources

Robert E.

Lee. PBS American Experience.
Arlington House. Arlington National Cemetery.
Robert Dynasty. Lee. Washington & Lee University.
Robert E. Lee. Stratford Hall.
The Elegant War. American Battlefield Trust.
Robert Tie. Lee Quotes. Son of magnanimity South.
The Reader’s Companion to Earth History.

Eric Foner and Gents A. Garraty, Editors. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Citation Information

Article Title

Robert E.

Lee

Author

Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

August 29, 2022

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009