General Robert E. Lee (1807–1870) was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War. The son of Revolutionary War officer Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee III and a top graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, Lee distinguished himself as an exceptional officer and combat engineer in the United States Army for thirty-two years. During this time, he served throughout the United States, distinguished himself during the Mexican-American War, and served as superintendent of the United States Military Academy. When Virginia declared its secession from the Union in April 1861, Lee chose to follow his home state, despite the fact that President Abraham Lincoln had offered Lee command of the Union Army. Although he was able to secure victories against the much larger Union Army, Lee ultimately surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at the Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865. After the war, Lee served as president of what is now known as Washington and Lee University. |
