Generals in Gray: Lee

Robert E. Lee

Lee's hastily organized assault on Cheat Mountain fizzled and he returned to Richmond feeling chastened. When McClellan began his invasion of the Virginia Peninsula in the spring of 1862, Lee was serving as President Davis' military chief of staff. He was assigned to assist Joseph Johnston in the defense of Richmond. Johnston was severely wounded at the Battle of Fair Oaks and Lee became the commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, a position he held for the next three years. Time after time, facing larger but poorly led armies, Lee demonstrated his genius for bluffing, baffling, intimidating, and ultimately defeating his adversaries (Second Manassas, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville). Twice Lee broke away from his defensive position in front of Richmond and took the war into enemy territory (Sharpsburg and Gettysburg), hoping for a stunning victory to hasten an end to the war, only to be forced to withdraw back to Virginia. Much has been written about Lee’s mistakes at Gettysburg: his orders left too much room for discretion, and he underestimated the strength of the Union position on Cemetery Ridge. Still, “Uncle Robert” had earned the devotion and trust of his men. In May 1864 Lee faced Ulysses Grant in the Wilderness campaign. The series of bloody engagements culminated in a yearlong siege of Petersburg. In April 1865 Grant finally broke through, forcing Lee to abandon Richmond and retreat all the way to Appomattox, where he surrendered his shattered army. After the war, Lee served as president of Washington College in Lexington, Virginia. At the age of 63, he suffered a stroke, then contracted pneumonia, and died on October 12, 1870.

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Robert Edward Lee, the son of Revolutionary War hero "Light-Horse Harry" Lee, was born on January 19, 1807, in Stratford, Virginia. In 1829 he graduated 2nd in his class from West Point. Commissioned a lieutenant in the engineering corps, he worked on coastal fortifications and a Mississippi River project. Tall (5' 11"), broad shouldered and handsome, with a natural air of dignified charm and grace, he personified the Southern cavalier. In 1831 he married Mary Custis, great-granddaughter of Martha Washington. In the Mexican War, Captain Lee served with distinction on the staff of Winfield Scott. After the war, Lee was superintendent of West Point (1852-55); then he accepted command of the 2nd cavalry in Texas. While home in Arlington, Colonel Lee took charge of a company of marines and captured John Brown at Harpers Ferry in October 1859. He was offered field command of the U.S. Army in April 1861, but he declined the offer and resigned, choosing instead to fight for Virginia and the Confederacy (despite his opposition to secession and distain for slavery). In August, Lee received his first field assignment: to coordinate operations in western Virginia where Union troops were threatening Confederate railroad lines.

© 2003 David C. Hanson, HIS 269 - Civil War and Reconstruction, Virginia W. Community College

Robert E. Lee
	Lee's hastily organized assault on Cheat Mountain fizzled and he returned to Richmond feeling chastened. When McClellan began his invasion of the Virginia Peninsula in the spring of 1862, Lee was serving as President Davis' military chief of staff. He was assigned to assist Joseph Johnston in the defense of Richmond. Johnston was severely wounded at the Battle of Fair Oaks and Lee became the commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, a position he held for the next three years. Time after time, facing larger but poorly led armies, Lee demonstrated his genius for bluffing, baffling, intimidating, and ultimately defeating his adversaries (Second Manassas, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville). Twice Lee broke away from his defensive position in front of Richmond and took the war into enemy territory (Sharpsburg and Gettysburg), hoping for a stunning victory to hasten an end to the war, only to be forced to withdraw back to Virginia. Much has been written about Lee’s mistakes at Gettysburg: his orders left too much room for discretion, and he underestimated the strength of the Union position on Cemetery Ridge. Still, “Uncle Robert” had earned the devotion and trust of his men. In May 1864 Lee faced Ulysses Grant in the Wilderness campaign. The series of bloody engagements culminated in a yearlong siege of Petersburg. In April 1865 Grant finally broke through, forcing Lee to abandon Richmond and retreat all the way to Appomattox, where he surrendered his shattered army. After the war, Lee served as president of Washington College in Lexington, Virginia. At the age of 63, he suffered a stroke, then contracted pneumonia, and died on October 12, 1870. Generals >
Robert Edward Lee, the son of Revolutionary War hero "Light-Horse Harry" Lee, was born on January 19, 1807, in Stratford, Virginia. In 1829 he graduated 2nd in his class from West Point. Commissioned a lieutenant in the engineering corps, he worked on coastal fortifications and a Mississippi River project. Tall (5' 11"), broad shouldered and handsome, with a natural air of dignified charm and grace, he personified the Southern cavalier. In 1831 he married Mary Custis, great-granddaughter of Martha Washington. In the Mexican War, Captain Lee served with distinction on the staff of Winfield Scott. After the war, Lee was superintendent of West Point (1852-55); then he accepted command of the 2nd cavalry in Texas. While home in Arlington, Colonel Lee took charge of a company of marines and captured John Brown at Harpers Ferry in October 1859. He was offered field command of the U.S. Army in April 1861, but he declined the offer and resigned, choosing instead to fight for Virginia and the Confederacy (despite his opposition to secession and distain for slavery). In August, Lee received his first field assignment: to coordinate operations in western Virginia where Union troops were threatening Confederate railroad lines.
© 2003 David C. Hanson, HIS 269 - Civil War and Reconstruction, Virginia W. Community College