Lee, Robert E.

Lee, Robert E. (1807–70) Confederate general, commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, and general in chief of the Confederate States Army during the Civil War, born Robert Edward Lee in Westmoreland County, Virginia. In 1862 and 1863 Lee won a series of brilliant victories—Second Bull Run,Chancellorsville, and Fredericksburg—as well as a standoff with Gen. George B. McClellan at Antietam. But his strategy of taking the offensive in battle and confronting the enemy on their own territory led to a costly defeat atGettysburg (1863). This was followed by a skillful but ultimately failed defense against Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign in Virginia (1864–65), ending with Lee's surrender of his army at Appomattox (1865). Though some have questioned his leadership as a general, he remains a hero much revered not only in the South but throughout the country. After the war Lee served as president of Washington College (now Washington and Lee University), where he proved an excellent administrator. He is buried on its grounds. Before the Civil War Lee's performance in the Mexican War (1846–48) and on the frontier had established his reputation as a proven combat leader. He had also served as superintendent of West Point (1852–55).

Lee's three sons—George Washington Custis Lee, William Henry Fitzhugh Lee, and Robert E. Lee, Jr.—all served as officers in the Civil War. Lee opposed secession and disliked slavery (he emancipated the few slaves he owned before the Civil War), but felt he could not take up arms against his native Virginia.