Charles Lee

Home > ... > People > History > U.S. History: Biographies > ...

Charles Lee

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | 2008 | The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2008 Columbia University Press. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Charles Lee 1731-82, American Revolutionary army officer, b. Cheshire, England. He first came to America to serve in the French and Indian War and took part in General Braddock's disastrous campaign (1755), in the unsuccessful campaign against Ticonderoga (1758), and in the capture of Montreal (1760). His duties as a British officer later took him to Portugal under Gen. John Burgoyne (1762) and to Poland. In 1773 he went to Virginia to live and became a supporter of colonial independence. At the start of the American Revolution his military experience won him a commission as major general in the Continental army. After directing the fortification of New York City early in 1776, he went to Charleston, S.C., and received credit for the successful defense of that city, despite his having advised William Moultrie to abandon the fort that saved the city. Returning to New York, he repeatedly disregarded General Washington's command to cross the Hudson River in the retreat after the battle of White Plains, in the hope that he could win a personal success and replace Washington as commander in chief. When he did cross he was captured (Dec. 13, 1776) by the British at Basking Ridge, N.J. As a captive he gave Gen. William Howe a plan for defeating the Americans, but his treason was not discovered. Lee was exchanged and joined Washington at Valley Forge (1778). At the battle of Monmouth (1778) he ordered a retreat of his forces and thus prevented an American victory. The rout was stemmed only by Washington, Baron von Steuben, and Nathanael Greene. A court-martial resulted in a year's suspension from command for Lee, who continued to criticize Washington abusively. In 1780 he was finally dismissed from service. His papers have been published by the New-York Historical Society (1872-75).

Bibliography: See biographies by J. R. Alden (1951) and S. W. Patterson (1958).

Hide all research tools
Print this article Print all entries for this topic Cite this article Link to this article
Link to this article

CloseClose

Create a link to this page

Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:

<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/.aspx#1E1-Lee-Char" title="Facts and information about Charles Lee">Charles Lee</a>

Add this article to Del.icio.usBookmark this article on DiigoShare this article on FacebookSubmit this article to RedditGive this article a thumbs-up on StumbleUpon
Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"Charles Lee." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Charles Lee." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (December 10, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Lee-Char.html

"Charles Lee." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Retrieved December 10, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Lee-Char.html

Learn more about citation styles

Lee, Charles

The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military | 2001 | © The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military 2001, originally published by Oxford University Press 2001. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Lee, Charles (1731–82) Revolutionary War general, born in Chester, England. His ineffective leadership early in the battle of Monmouth (1778) led to his being reprimanded by George Washington. He was later court-martialed, and after repeated open and public attacks on the commander in chief, dismissed from the army. Lee had previously commanded patriot forces that repelled a British assault on Fort Moultrie in South Carolina (1776), and a year earlier he had been in Boston with Washington, engaged in constructing entrenchments and training troops. During the French and Indian War (1754–63), he had seen service in America with a British regiment.

Hide all research tools
Print this article Print all entries for this topic Cite this article Link to this article
Link to this article

CloseClose

Create a link to this page

Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:

<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/.aspx#1O63-LeeCharles" title="Facts and information about Charles Lee">Charles Lee</a>

Add this article to Del.icio.usBookmark this article on DiigoShare this article on FacebookSubmit this article to RedditGive this article a thumbs-up on StumbleUpon
Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"Lee, Charles." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Lee, Charles." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (December 10, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-LeeCharles.html

"Lee, Charles." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Retrieved December 10, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-LeeCharles.html

Learn more about citation styles

Lee, Charles

The Oxford Companion to American Military History | 2000 | | © The Oxford Companion to American Military History 2000, originally published by Oxford University Press 2000. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Lee, Charles (1731–1782), British army officer, Revolutionary War general.Born in Cheshire, England, Lee fought in the French and Indian War, serving from Edward Braddock's ill‐fated campaign against Fort Duquesne to the 1760 conquest of Montréal.

Siding with America's revolutionaries, the politically radical Lee became the Continental army's third‐ranking general in 1775. He improved coastal fortifications and helped George Washington's army escape from a precarious position on Manhattan. A student of war and society, Lee advocated a mass guerrilla conflict because he believed that Americans, accustomed to liberty, lacked the discipline necessary to defeat professional soldiers in conventional battle.

Late in 1776, Lee's career began to deteriorate. Having lost faith in Washington and hoping to sustain popular resistance in New Jersey, he defied the commander in chief's orders to move his detachment west of the Delaware River. Captured and imprisoned, he submitted military plans to the British that could be construed as treasonous. Exchanged in April 1778, he commanded 5,000 Continentals at the Battle of Monmouth, where his decision to order a retreat resulted in an angry exchange with Washington. Lee demanded a court‐martial. Found guilty of disobedience, disrespect, and misbehavior before the enemy, he was suspended from the army for a year, then dismissed. His outspoken opposition to Washington, not incompetence or disloyalty, caused his downfall.
[See also Braddock's Defeat; Revolutionary War: Military and Diplomatic Course; Treason.]

Bibliography

John Richard Alden , General Charles Lee, Traitor or Patriot?, 1951.
John Shy , Charles Lee and the Radical Alternative, in Shy, A People Numerous and Armed, 1976.

Stuart Leibiger

Hide all research tools
Print this article Print all entries for this topic Cite this article Link to this article
Link to this article

CloseClose

Create a link to this page

Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:

<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/.aspx#1O126-LeeCharles" title="Facts and information about Charles Lee">Charles Lee</a>

Add this article to Del.icio.usBookmark this article on DiigoShare this article on FacebookSubmit this article to RedditGive this article a thumbs-up on StumbleUpon
Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

John Whiteclay Chambers II. "Lee, Charles." The Oxford Companion to American Military History. Oxford University Press. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

John Whiteclay Chambers II. "Lee, Charles." The Oxford Companion to American Military History. Oxford University Press. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (December 10, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O126-LeeCharles.html

John Whiteclay Chambers II. "Lee, Charles." The Oxford Companion to American Military History. Oxford University Press. 2000. Retrieved December 10, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O126-LeeCharles.html

Learn more about citation styles

Facts and information from other sites

Related articles from newspapers, magazines, and more

American Citizen Charles Lee to Return After 3 Years in Chinese Prison
Newspaper article from: U.S. Newswire; 1/19/2006; 553 words ; ...U.S. Newswire/ -- Dr. Charles Lee is scheduled to be released...television. Treatment of Dr. Lee while in prison: -- Dr. Lee, a Falun Gong practitioner...day. -- Since January 2005, Charles has experienced shortness of...
Torture survivor tells his story; Dr. Charles Lee survived a three-year ordeal in a Communist Chinese prison. His story of physical and mental torture reveals the true nature of the communist regime in Beijing.(Interview)
Magazine article from: The New American; 8/21/2006; ; 700+ words ; Dr. Charles Lee of San Francisco, California, was released...ordeal in a Communist Chinese prison. Dr. Lee is an American citizen and has been since...as a student in the U.S.A.? Dr. Charles Lee: Not much until 1 became a Falun Gong...
Speculation surrounds enigmatic Korea-born hotelier Charles Lee.
Magazine article from: Los Angeles Business Journal; 2/17/1992; ; 700+ words ; ...selling property in Beverly Hills. Charles Lee now lives in a small estate behind...least two Mercedes-Benz. But how Lee got from the orchards to Summit Circle...community claims to know little about Lee. An official of the Korean Chamber...
BioNanomatrix Appoints Genomic Research Experts Charles Lee and David L. Barker as Advisers.
Newspaper article from: Blood Weekly; 10/1/2009; 700+ words ; ...personalized medicine, announced that Dr. Charles Lee and Dr. David L. Barker have joined the company's advisory team. Dr. Lee is a pioneer in the field of structural...Genomics). "The additions of Charles Lee and David Barker to our advisory...
Charles Lee Joins National Insurance Coverage Practice Group of McCarter & English.
Business Wire; 9/8/2006; 698 words ; ...and Wilmington, Del). The corrected release reads: CHARLES LEE JOINS NATIONAL INSURANCE COVERAGE PRACTICE GROUP OF MCCARTER & ENGLISH Charles T. Lee has joined the national insurance coverage practice...
Charles Lee Smith Jr.(Business)(Obituary)
Newspaper article from: Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL); 10/27/2000; 414 words ; Charles Lee Smith Jr. of Arlington Heights Funeral services for Charles Lee Smith Jr., 75, will be held at 7 p.m. today...42 years, Carrell M. Smith (nee Erdman); son, Charles Lee III of Arlington Heights; daughter, Jennifer...
Well-rounded: Charles Lee leaves academia for BGI.(Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, Barclays Global Investors)
Magazine article from: Pensions & Investments; 7/26/2004; ; 700+ words ; Byline: Joel Chernoff Charles M.C. Lee is a man of many interests. A highly...passion for trout fishing. Now, Mr. Lee is bringing his talents to Barclays...he laughed. CAPTION(S): Charles Lee: expert in forensic accounting...
Chairman Charles Lee's statements on market consultation relating to listing eligibility.
M2 Presswire; 7/29/2002; 700+ words ; ...29 July 2002-HKEx: Chairman Charles Lee's statements on market consultation...and Clearing Limited (HKEx), Mr Charles Lee, today made the following statements...English Transcript of Chairman Charles Lee's remark at today's press...
Craig Charles Lee
Newspaper article from: Beacon News, The (Aurora, IL); 2/20/2005; 360 words ; Craig Charles Lee, age 43, of Joliet, IL, passed away...2005. He was the son of William R. Lee of Florida, cherished son of Karen Ingemunson...Ingemunson, Faye Lois Ingemunson Carlson and Charles David Carlson. Craig was a Paratrooper...
Ziff Davis Media Promotes Charles Lee to Marketing And Business Development Director of Business Media Group.
PR Newswire; 12/8/2000; 700+ words ; ...Media Inc. announced today that Charles Lee has been promoted to the new position...Development for the Business Media Group. Lee was formerly Director of Marketing...integration across platforms. "Charles expanded the eWEEK brand through...

Pictures from Google Image Search

Click to see an enlarged picture
Click to see an enlarged picture
Click to see an enlarged picture

For students and teachers!

Encyclopedia.com provides students and teachers facts, information, and biographies from verified, citable sources, including:

Encyclopedia.com provides students and teachers facts, information, and biographies from verified, citable sources, including:

Current Charles Lee News:

Jury Spares Life of Killer Former Cop

(2/27/2008 9:28:01 PM)