Robert E. Lee
(1807–1870)

A descendant of a number of distinguished patriots and statesman, Robert E. Lee was born into a respected family in Virginia. He attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, graduating with high honors in 1829. During the Mexican War, he earned a reputation as one of the country's finest military leaders. In fact, he was so highly regarded that when the Civil War began, President Lincoln offered Lee command of the Union forces.

Although he opposed secession, Lee refused Lincoln's offer. Determined not to harm his native state, Lee resigned his commission in the United States Army. In his letter of resignation, Lee vowed never to draw his sword again except in the defense of Virginia.

Shortly after his resignation, Lee agreed to command the army of northern Virginia. During the early stages of the war, he led his troops to several brilliant victories. As a result, Lee was named general-in-chief of all the Confederate armies. The Confederate forces were eventually defeated, however, and Lee was forced to surrender to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox on April 9, 1865.

After the war, Lee urged fellow southerners to accept defeat gracefully and expressed his hope that the wounds caused by the war would soon be healed. During his final years, he served as president of Washington College, which was renamed Washington and Lee in his honor the year after his death.

Lee was an avid letter writer. During the war he frequently wrote to the members of his family, explaining his actions and expressing his feelings. Lee's letters not only provide insight into many of the most important events of the time, but they also reveal the personality of one of the greatest military leaders in American history.

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